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Update on Brendon
Brendon is finally able to eat a little bit more... yesterday I called him at lunch and he had finally went and got him the platter of nachos he has been craving for weeks from the local mexican resturant. He mostly ate some of the meat and cheese and a few soggy chips, but I was sooo happy for him!!! He did comment that…
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EC TREATMENT CHOICES - TRIALS OR CONVENTIONAL CHEMO - CAN ANYONE ADVISE?
Hello Everyone - Greetings from Scotland (UK) Since my younger brother (aged 50 last Dec) was diagnosed with EC last June, I have increasingly turned to the internet like most of you have in the hope that we could find some answers which could help us in any way. I must say that although this may be of little comfort to…
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Post surgey follow up plans?
Hello, Today I had my first 5 month post-op CT scan. My MIE surgery for stage 2B (T2N1M0) was done on 11/18/2010, post-surgery pathology was clean. Today’s CT scan was also clean (thank god). I did find it interesting that today’s CT scan was without contrast. I would have thought that a scan with contrast would give the…
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Ecan event in Blairsville, Geogia
Since's Vince's death I have really been so sad but truly want to be involved in eradicating this BEAST of a CANCER. We live in Blairsville, Georgia and on April 30th a small shopping area called Main Street Shops is having their one year anniversary. I have spoken to them and they were so kind and I can set up an ECAN…
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my dad died this morning.
My dad, Harvey Lustig, died this morning at Bellevue Hospital in their inpatient hospice unit in New York City. He was a really great person. He will surely be missed. Thank you all for your support. Jonathan RIP Harvey Lustig 2/3/1950 - 4/16/2011 Stage IVb Esophageal Cancer with mets to his Liver Original diagnosis Stage…
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Update on my father
I hope today finds everyone as well as they can be under the circumstances that brought you here. My dad had his 3 month post op check up and CT. The results were all good. The MIE went well and after having his new esophagus stretched, he's doing remarkable. He's able to eat without much problem, however he does still…
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Drenching night sweats
Has anyone had the problem of night sweats. Dale woke me up last night around 1 am, with sweat just pouring off him. The bed linens and his pillow were soaked. I tried to get him to let me call 911 and he, of course refused. I gave him orange juice followed by peanut butter and crackers and milk. The sweating subsided…
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Still going strong
Still going strong.John has chosen to go on Hospice since the end of Feb. There are days when its tougher than others and there are days when he sleeps more than usual. The best part is there are days, yes days that God has blessed us with as what we call bonus days. We have seen the grandkids many more times , had lots of…
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Dad newly diagnosed with EC
I've been lurking and reading for a week now. I figured it was time to introduce myself. My name is Audrey, and a week ago, my dad (age 64) was found to have EC. He went to his doctor complaining of swallowing discomfort, like so many others, and our whole world changed when a large tumor was found. My mom and him wasted…
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FEEDING TUBE PULLED~!!!!!!!!!! NED!!!
We just returned from OHSU in Portland. The surgeon pulled the feeding tube and said he thought that was what was causing Jim's pain. Within 24 hours the pain was GONE!!!!!! The best news is NED!!! How grateful we are that all is well. Linda
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CAT SCAN TODAY WAITING
Jim's oncologist felt it was wise to have the catscan to determine what is causing his pain, so it was done today. We are waiting........... I know God was with us today, as while waiting in the outer room I started up a conversation with a lady using a Kindle. I mentioned we were here because my husband had had EC and was…
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Surgery is scheduled!
Surgery is scheduled! I know i dont need to explain being crazy busy to anyone on here but it has been EXTRA nuts lately!! Between my grandpa, 2 sick kids, work. and the rest of "life",busy has been an understatement! I havent had time to respond or read many posts lately but plan on playing catch up here soon. Surgery…
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Good scope today
Surgeon did a scope today to check husband's "new" esophagus, one year post op. He said everything looked great and pink. No signs of GERD nor any other irritation. Saw nothing requiring biopsy. Well pleased. Standard followup appointment as already scheduled. From what I understand, he will have periodic c-scans, PET…
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my dad died this morning.
My dad, harvey lustig, died this morning at bellevue hospital in new york city. His lungs and heart gave out. I just want to thank everyone on this board for their support. Jonathan RIP Harvey Lustig 2/3/1950 - 4/16/2011 Stage IVb Esophageal Caner with Mets to Liver Original diagnosis Stage I Esophageal Cancer in July of…
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Frequency of Pet or CT post surgery
I was wondering what is the typical frequency on post curative surgery PET and/or CT scans. Thank you for your input.
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Pray for my dad...
After battling since October with Stage 4 Esophageal Cancer with mets to his liver. I fear my dad is at the end of this disease. He has lost an incredible amount of weight. He has difficulty talking and walking. He is wasting away in front of our eyes and he is on morphine and every other painkiller known to man. He can…
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I figured I would say hello update
Hi everyone. My husband of 13 years (he's 55, I'm 43) was dx in January 2011. This is a guy, by the way, who never missed a day of work in his life for illness (and only missed minimal days pre-surgery when he crushed some vertebrae!) So~ we did the initial endoscopy that found the tumor (located near the opening for his…
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Suggestions for Brendon's nightly vomitting
First I will tell you the details...then my thoughts... Brendon finished chemo (5FU) a week ago Friday. He finished radiation (28 treatments) last Wednesday (almost a week ago). He has a feeding tube that pumps 2100 calories into him at night (7 cans) at a rate of 160. He wakes up in the middle of the night, every night,…
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I'm a Newbie! I need treatment recovery advice
Hi Everyone. I love the energy I have found reading these posts on and off for the past three months. My husband was diagnosed with EC January 3 -- what a great way to start the year! After extensive research and prayer we decided to go to MD Anderson for his treatment. After being told by other doctors that we caught it…
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Jj tube vs PEG tube advice please!
Can anyone advise as to the difference between a J tube and a PEG tube. I know that a Jtube is inserted in the small intestine and Peg in the stomach, but as to which one should be done I am not sure. Our hometown doctor is wanting to put a PEG tube in. Rickie is continuing to lose weight and he (rickie) is finally…
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new to this
Hello everyone. My husband is newly diagnosed esophageal cancer. He just recently had endoscopic ultrasound. According to physician, he staged it at T2 with no node involvement. Final pathology pending though. I have been reading and reading and reading all of the posts here and honor Mr. Marshall's expertise and…
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New Cancer Diagnosis
My wife has been fighting breast cancer for 4 years now, it is stage 4 metastatic breast cancer of the bone now. Just this month we were given a diagnosis of a new cancer, esophageal cancer - barely 2 weeks ago. So now we are fighting 2 different cancers at once. She is getting radiation on her bone tumors and getting…
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Super Shake Recipes
These are Shake Recipes provided to me from my trainer Clint Howard. When my husband was struggling to eat food, I bought lots of soft stuff including Protein Powder and meal replacement powder. Lately, since he is eating just fine, I've been making some of these shakes and find them very tasty. Hopefully they will be of…
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Laying flat for radiation
Aug 7th I had my esophagus removed with Ivor Lewis. I had pre-surgery radiation for 5 days a week for 6 weeks and then the 5 day chemo pack for 6 sessions. I had been diagnosed with stage 3, but 2 months after the surgery, a node started growing larger in the clavical area by the throat. It has grown huge and some of the…
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Help
Hey everyone, Have you any idea how beautiful this site is, it gives me hope, really helpful advice and makes me feel like I'm doing something useful, with all the research suggestions. Here comes the but, my husband is 45 years old with stage 4 cancer he had finished his Chemo in December and everything has been going…
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NEED HELP FROM ALL OF YOU! :-) Pretty please...............
So...I have visited with many of you on this site...a few of you via private messages...however, I'm trying to keep everyone straight... because as hard as it may be to believe... Besides.... Taking care of Brendon Taking care of 3 daughters (softball practices, band concerts, school dances, temper tantrums, feeding them -…
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articles about family members fighting for EC Awareness
Esophageal Cancer Awareness spreads across the USA! I just received official proclamation from KY Governor Beshear- APRIL IS ESOPHAGEAL AWARENESS MONTH IN Kentucky! That brings the USA tally to at least 20 states. (AL CA CT DE GA IL KY LA MD MN MO NC NE NJ OH OR PA TN VA WI) Here are a few stories about family members that…
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Shoulder Problems
I was dx with EC in October 2009 and had surgery in February 2010--stage III. I am 55 years old and female. I've been having shoulder pain and limited range of motion since December. Tried cortisone, both the pack and the injection. Also tried physical therapy. Nothing worked. Having had EC, I was of course worried about…
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NO SURGERY FOR NOW
After difficulty swallowing symptoms appeared in March 2010, I was diagnosed with gastroesophageal (GE) junction cancer in May 2010. The tumor was located just inside my stomach to the left of where my esophagus connects. The inflammation from the tumor caused my lower esophagus to constrict to the size of a straw and I…
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Mechanism for esophageal cancer uncovered
Interesting research. I came across it while doing my lunch surfing at work. I check the news about every day for any new EC news. Mechanism for esophageal cancer uncovered A gene thought to be associated with cancer development can be a tumor suppressor gene in mice, researchers have discovered. Understanding which genes…