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Father's esphogeal surgey
My father had his surgery today. They were able to do the MIE procedure and the surgery went well. The surgery was done at Abbott Northwestern Hospital. They believed before the surgery that the tumor was a localized T2 at the GE junction with the majority in the stomach. The pet scan and ct scan did not indicate any nodal…
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Has anyone heard from Hopper52?
I was sitting here thinking about our friend Michael and was wondering if anyone had heard from him? I looked back and I think the last we heard from him was back on the second.
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Hi... Sal here.. I'm back
I would like to thank each and every one of you for your support. Your kind words + the good the bad and ugly are appreciated. The night before last I lost it. I decided that I did not need an appointment with my husband to discuss his life or death situation. I went in guns blazing, no tip toeing around the subject. The…
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Confused!
Hi again everyone, First thank you all for the support, time, care and prayers, during the most frightening period of my life. There is a wealth of knowledge here and you also get to hear both sides of the story. A must when trying to make sense of this horrible diagnosis. One more question, if I may: If a surgeon offered…
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ChemoFx
I just heard about this. Does anybody have any experience with ChemoFx? www.chemofx.com Is the test worthwhile?
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Caregiver Blog
I regularly read a blog called "The Unprepared Caregiver. " As I read it tonight, I thought about all the wonderful caregivers on this site. Today's entry is about burnout - something I'm guessing most of us can relate to at one point or another. You might have to copy and paste the link into your browser.…
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Happy 16th Anniversary to the love of my life!
Forgive me for HAVING to post this here this morning. It means THAT much to me, and she deserves the recognition, at the very least! I would just like to say a VERY special Happy 16th Anniversary to the love of my life, MICHELLE; the most incredible caretaker a man could have ever asked for, and a wonderful human being on…
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Need Post-Op chemo help and advice!
Hello one and all! I'm a relatively new member and have been quietly observing since my fiancé Bill’s diagnosis of T3N1M0 adenocarcinoma in early June. You guys have a wealth of knowledge and have been an extreme source of inspiration to me! Right now I need help with centers that do post-op chemo. We live in the Kansas…
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Skin Care after radiation
I presume skin at the radiation site will be sorely affected during the 30 days of rads. Is there a cream I can get for my mom that will help care for her skin? Ginny
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Post-Op abdominal pain
I had my MIE 3 weeks ago tomorrow, and the surgeon said at our follow-up yesterday that I'm doing great. It was a huge relief to hear that I had clean margins, all 28 lymph nodes he removed were clean, and I'm T1aN0M0. I actually cried in the examination room when he told me that! I had a week of clear liquids, then a week…
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Has anyone heard from Daisylin wife of Lee?
They have been in my thoughts.
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remember me? it isn't looking good for my dad
In March 2010, dad was diagnosed with EC at the junction of his stomach and esophagus, and it was down in his stomach. They said it had started in his stomach and was growing up. He wasn't a candidate for surgery because he had a stroke, has seizures, etc. so they did chemo and radiation. Nearly a year later, we get a…
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The big lump - part II
We saw the doctor yesterday and didn't get the news we'd hoped for. They biopsied the lump on my husbands neck and it's cancer. We did find out that his cancer cells are HER2 receptors which makes him a good candidate for Herceptin. I know I've seen that drug on here before but I'm asking for some input on this. Good? Bad?…
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Proactive Approach
After the last Taxotere disaster, my oncologist is going to try and get ahead this time. Had a treatment today that went ok. I am tired and crabby but other than that seem ok. I go in Friday for a Nuelista shot and begin Cepro on the 7th day after teatment for 7 days to ward of potiential infections. If I become dehydrated…
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Had to share
I read this today and just had to share it: The Dalai Lama, when asked what surprised him most about humanity, answered “Man. Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money. The he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result…
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Father Diagnosed last Friday
My father is in his early 60's and we just found out unexpectedly that he has esophageal cancer. He has been having difficulty swallowing for months now and has often complained of acid reflux. I think his health care providers attributed his swallowing issues to his dental problems. He had very few teeth left to chew…
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Whirlwind of Information and nerves
My brother and I took our mom to the Nagourney Institute in Long Beach. He was very pleased that her cancer did not reach the liver yet. He said this type of cancer likes to go to the liver. He feels that it will be very beneficial if mom receives a mild dose of chemo in conjunction with the radiation. He named 2 types of…
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My mother saved my life
About 10 years ago my mother was diag with EC and went through all the treatments money could buy at the time. She passed within 1 year of diag. I asked her how she found out she had EC and she said that she had trouble swallowing. That was my first symtom also now ten years later. I have had all the standard of care…
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Tumor markers again
Hi all Just back from the onc's and once again Marks tumor markers are sky high, I asked how much we can rely on these markers as I know from this board that EC and tumor markers are unreliable, with Mark apparently his tumor markers have been consistant with his tumor growth so before chemo really high during the chemo…
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HELP!!! Need suggestions - J-Tube is plugged and we can't flush it!!!
So, Brendon ran the pump all night and then when he tried to flush it this morning, we can not get anything to go through it... We have tried the "plunge" method, coke, and meat tenderizor... Anyone have any other helpful tips? Not really wanting to have to go to the hospital if we don't have to.... Aughh...if it's not one…
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The Trauma of a Diagnosis of Cancer
This is a great read that I found this evening. Thought I would share: This article can be found at the following website: http://www.neillneill.com/the-trauma-of-a-diagnosis-of-cancer and is written by Psychologist Dr. Neill Neill. The Trauma of a Diagnosis of Cancer Dr. Neill Neill Most of us personally know at least one…
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Mom is a new person!
This morning my brother took mom for her 2nd CT scan of the tumor, an MRI, and tattooing for radiation. Took 1.5 hours then he took her home. I didn't get to call her until 4:30. I heard a lilt in her voice! She said, "I'm fine! I feel wonderful! I watered outside, I cleaned the kitchen, there is nothing wrong!" I was…
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My Dad Passed Away - October 2nd
I did not get to post to this site much since I only found it a month ago. But I wanted to let you know that I did read as many stories as I could and was able to find answers to alot of my questions from this site. It is so heartbreaking to see how terrible this disease is. My dad went from healthy and happy in May to his…
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I did it again.
I went to the grocery store with my full list of items for the week and I left sobbing my eyes out. I ran into a friend who asked how I was and meant it. I lost it. I hate going there, I have cried there more than any other place. Ugh!! I don't get why that is. When I got to the checkout, it was evident I was crying and,…
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Hospice care
Thanks so much for all the input I have received regarding Hospice. We have signed up and today the nurse came out. She is a wonderful caring person and I think we will build a good relationship with her. Please keep Don in your prayers that the pain will be kept under control. Reba
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Heard from jthomas233!!!
Got a message from Jeff and he asked me to update the group. I'll quote from his message: "I met with some post surgical complications...had the mie...developed a leak that wasn't healing...they put in a temp stent that promptly failed as well. I also got pneumonia. I ended up getting the full blown ivor Lewis, passed…
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Thank you, thank you all for your much needed support..
Thank you for your comments, your insight and sharing your experience. This weekend I tried to engage my husband in conversations. He believes in his Onocolgist. She scares me. She provided us with information regarding the size (circumference) of the Tumor. I ask how long is the tumor? She indicated that it did not…
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Pet results, stage 3 ?? NO surgery.... Doctor does not like and husband does not want!
Had an appointment with Medical Oncologist and Surgeon yesterday, Medical Oncologist was 2 hours late for appt.During this period the nurse came in from the T Surgeon Office and indicated That my husband will not require an appointment with him at this time. I started to panic and starting thinking stage 4. Finally…
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My Dad Passed Away - October 2nd
I did not get to post to this site much since I only found it a month ago. But I wanted to let you know that I did read as many stories as I could and was able to find answers to alot of my questions from this site. It is so heartbreaking to see how terrible this disease is. My dad went from healthy and happy in May to his…
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Pain in G-J port?
Hello all; For the last few days I've had pretty major pain around the port of my G-J tube. No sign of infection, the tube didn't get yanked or anything (that I know of), and it doesn't hurt more or less when I'm feeding. It seems mechanical in nature, that is, I can make the pain mostly go away based on position,…