Esophagogastrectomye’re

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Mtngirl7533
Mtngirl7533 Member Posts: 85
in Esophageal Cancer #1

I am posting this until I get a chance to respond Personally to everyone who wrote to me! My husband came through a 7 hr surgery Monday, Esophagogastrectomy! Ivor Lewis surgery for Adenocarcinoma stage 3 at the GE Junction! He is still in ICU but they hope to place him in a private room soon! This is only day 2 but he did 4 walks in the corridors! Of course not without alot of pain! Pain is evident and I’ve never seen him in such pain! He’s not a complainer! I have been right by his side every minute I can, bathing him and trying to keep him as comfortable as possible in general! The surgeon said he may be able to remove the tube in his side tomorrow possibly! This is the area he seems to be experiencing the most pain incidentally! His blood pressure is up but not over the roof and surely pain has a lot to do with it! The surgeon said the drainage is decreasing now! I’ll celebrate that! It’s the little things! The surgeon naturally removed lymph nodes and we’re waiting on pathology reports! They started his j tube up today at a very low rate and will see how he tolerates it! I am so thankful for all the people here who have given their support, time, kindness and prayers! A special thank you to sweet Loretta, my adopted Grammie:) Thank you so much for your prayers! A long road ahead and yes, I am worried to death until I know he’s out of the woods but the surgeon feels he’s coming along well so far! I will try to update and reply to everyone who messaged personally as soon as possible! God bless you all<3

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  • Rtbatch
    Rtbatch Member Posts: 7
    edited March 2018 #2
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    Godspeed

    Dear friend,

    As you know, the surgery and recovery your husband had and will go through is very painful and arduous. I am inoperable stage IV, thus this very difficult treatment is not an option for me.  Given all that I have read about, it would have been a very difficult decision to make for my wife and I, if we had that option.  For us, every decision we make about treatment options is/will be heavily weighted in favor of quality (over quantity) of life benefits.  But the again, even without cancer, I only have ~20% of my expected lifespan ahead of me. I commend your and your husband’s courage, and pray for a speedy recovery, an overall positive outcome and a joyous / lengthy time together for you two and your loved ones. 

  • Deathorglory
    Deathorglory Member Posts: 364 Member
    #3
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    Great News!!

    Hello Mtngirl,

    That is such great news.  I'm glad to hear your husband came through ok.  You're right to notice and appreciate the little things.  The road you're on won't be without some bumps, but appreciating the small positives will get you through.  

    Again, great to hear you're husband is doing ok and keeping you guys in my thoughts,

    Ed

  • LorettaMarshall
    LorettaMarshall Member Posts: 662 Member
    #4
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    MtnGrl~Been there-done that~Anxiety should decrease now!

    Hey there -

    Glad you let us know how things are going.  Your letter brought a smile to us when we read your update.  Sorry we didn't read the site late last night, but we were watching our "sister state" University of North Carolina beat Syracuse.  They won 78 to 59.  And today we hope Virginia Cavaliers beat Louisville today.  As for me, I'll be in the oncology lab today getting another one of those "life prolonging" treatments of Carboplain and Taxol!  

    Okay, just wanted to say the chest tube was the most painful part for Bill as well.  We were so relieved when on Day 3, the chest tube was removed.

    But the fluid has to run clear before it comes out.  And as for the tube, "Billy" finally realized that he should keep his arms down by his side and not "throw them back up over his head".  The arm movement caused the rib cage to move, and thus the PAIN. Surprised So the less the arm movement up and down while lying in the bed, the less "rib cage movement."  Okay, we didn't need to discuss that until we "got there."  So now we're here.  It's no "biggie" in the scheme of things, just part of feeling like you've been "run over by a MACK truck!"  And the walking is great and will keep him from getting pneumonia.  

    And we'll get to what to eat and when and how much a little further down the road. Next will be the pathology report for the lymph nodes that were removed, and the Barium swallow test to be certain there are no leaks.  You're now on the "road to RECOVERY!  One hour at a time, one day at a time, and you'll soon be "on the mountain top" again.Smile

    Love ya, Loretta

     

     

  • paul61
    paul61 Member Posts: 1,391 Member
    #5
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    It is great to hear he is through the surgery

    It is great to hear that he is through the surgery and that there are no short-term complications like breathing issues and cardiac AFIB issues. That is a major step!!!

    When I had my surgery my biggest issue with pain was my chest tubes and my nasal/gastro tube, no matter how careful I was while moving around in bed and taking my short walks they always seemed to get caught on things and pull and hurt.

    Once I got rid of those things got much better. My other frustration was nothing to eat or drink for 5 days. I was so thirsty and my mouth was dry. The nurses gave me a cup of water and ice and a sponge swab to wet my mouth with but no swallowing until I had my swallow test at 5 days after surgery.

    Sending positive thoughts for a good swallow test and clear pathology report.

    Best Regards,

    Paul Adams

    McCormick, South Carolina

    DX 10/2009 T2N1M0  Stage IIB - Ivor Lewis Surgery  12/3/2009
    Post Surgery Chemotherapy 2/2009 – 6/2009 Cisplatin, Epirubicin, 5 FU
    Eight Year Survivor

    Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might as well dance!

  • Kevin T
    Kevin T Member Posts: 3
    #6
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    Great news!

    This is great news, I went through the same procedure your husband is going trough in 2016. Keep positive, don't over do it! Your body heals a lot faster than what you would think. When I got home I took it slow but continued to to walk and build my strength. I was back to work full time after 8 weeks, it did take me 6 months to really get my energy back. The biggest problem I had was to re-teach myself what to eat, when to eat, and how much to eat (eat slow, your stomache catches up after 1/2 hr and it doesn't feel good overeating. Take it one step at a time, I'll pray for your husband.

  • Mtngirl7533
    Mtngirl7533 Member Posts: 85
    #7
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    Lymph nodes

    Hi everyone! Thank you so much for your responses and positivity! Just what I need! The pathology report came back and the lymph nodes closest to the tumor were shown to have cancer but the ones further away from tumor are clear! I will celebrate that! They are going to have a meeting and decide the best treatement going forward! Maybe chemo is my best guess! They are hoping to,do the barium swallow soon and other then a lot of pain, he is coming along remarkedly well! He is walking the halls 4 times a day and sitting up most of the day! He has IV pain pump, an injectable and a pain med through his j tube currently! That at least helps! I am at the hospital very early every morning helping him to get ready for the day and making his bed, ect. I guess my Med Tech days are coming in handy! I am staying very busy between the hospital and keeping up our home, pets,ect. He may be released in a couple of days depending on tests and his well being of course! Tomorrow will be 9 days from surgery! It’s very late, I’m exhausted but just wanted to quickly touch bases with everyone! I can’t thank you enough for your well wishes and prayers! Now I pray for his healing and that cancer won’t return! God bless you all! I pray for you to<3

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