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Esophageal Cancer

Archives for March 2013

Remission
My husband has stage 3 esophageal cancer in the lymph nodes. He has 4 more treatments of radiation and no more chemo.. The doctor told us last week the tumor has shrunk a whole lot and he may be in remission by the time radiation is through with.. We are scheduled to go to UAB in a month to see about surgery but the doc…
Larry's update up and down, questions
So I would say Larry is two steps forward one step back. They stopped tube feedings Tuesday night due to blockage in intestines, (coiled). That seems to have resolved on it's own. They say he may not be able to tube feed at all. Then he started to urinate pure blood. They believe the catheter caused a blood clot due to…
What to expect with chemo
Hi, all, I have been reading your posts since I found out about my dad's cancer diagnosis two days ago. I am so blessed by your support for one another. Even though this is the last thing I wanted to do today - sign up on a cancer discussion board - I am so grateful to have a network of people who have walked this road. My…
Please read regarding lymph spread
Last month when my husband had his post chemoradiation pet scan it showed that he had probable lymph node spread. Being staged at T3N1M0 his surgery was cancelled. It was a terrifying time. The scan showed many lymph nodes in the lungs, pleura, and trachea. The surgeon at U of M Dr Orringer said he had a hunch the results…
Depression
Has anyone expierenced depression and anxiety post esophogectomy? Taken Raglan and suffered side effects? I would love to hear your story. Difficult 6 weeks for my hubby. Trying tpo figure all of this out. Thanks, Janet Hockey Wife & Mom
Larry's update, setback
As many of you know, days and nights all run together in the hospital. I'm not sure what happened when anymore. Larry was doing great until Tuesday when they found still no bowel sounds. They backed off of the tube feedings and gave him laxatives through jtube. Wednesday no bowel sounds or movement. Up all night in severe…
18 months post-op
I had my 18 month post-op CT scan on Tuesday, and just got back from picking up the radiologist report: NED!!! I know it's only been 18 months, but does the scanxiety ever go away? I opened the envelope as I was walking down the hall from Medical Records, and when I read the last line: "Negative finding for recurrence or…
Vibration in throat?
I will be 2 yrs out in April from surgery. My question is does anyone have a vibrating in their throat when they lay down? Doesn't happen all the time and does not hurt. but never remember having anything like this before EC. Just wondering... Thought I seen somewhere a post about vocal cords vibrating?
Larry's Surgery update and question
Today is day 5. Larry is moving right along. It is quite amazing. Yesterday thay removed his NG tube, chest tube, epidural, and cath. He is still quite weak and gets out of breath easily. He did have a small pneumothorax yesterday, they believe it is resolving on its own. He is starting on clear liquids today, however it…
Entries
Being a newbie, I wondered if there is a way to read all the entries of an individual. The "About Me" page is somewhat limited to time of diagnosis and intial treatment. It would be nice to follow the journey of the people posting. Would have liked to have read all the Marshalls advice as they went through this. There are…
No surgery for my mom
Met with the surgeon last week. The tumor seems to be wrapping around my Moms aorta, and is impossible to remove. She also weighs in at only 95 lbs (at 5'6), so even if the tumor was removable, she would most likely not be a surgical canidate. She will be having an endoscopy to see if a stent or dilation can happen, as…
Dad's is scheduled for surgery
Dad is scheduled for Ivor Lewis surgery 4-4-13. The surgeon said him and his team reviewed dad's history and felt that surgery could be an option with us understanding that he will more than likely have some bumps in the road during recovery. He said if dad didn't have the surgery he would need more chemo/radiation 6…
My Mom Died, age 66, dx 11/11, died 3/13
I haven't posted in a while. I came to this board often when I was seeking information about treatments, surgery, etc. My Mom was diagnosed in Nov. 11th after having, what she thought was a heart attack, but what ended up being food stuck in her esophagus. She had 5 weeks of chemo and radiation in early 2012 followed by a…
A greater power
Please dont delete me because I believe in a greater power. My name is Jim and my 24 months past surgery is April 7th!!
Surgery went well
Larry is out of surgery and in his room. They are working still to get his pain under control. Good news, Dr believes he is not a stage 3. He said Larrys esophagus was like cement and so was the surrounding areas and lymph nodes. He believes this may be from laying floors and all of the chemicals including asbestos, he…
Wanted to share something possibly helpful--also posted on FB
Ed has been in our regional hospital since Weds with multiple issues that inluded severe coughing, an out-of-alignment mediport and most significantly an "erupting" j-tube that was leaking copious bile. The j-tube has been a lifesaver over the past year--helping him get back to 184 from 154 and he never regretted getting…
Pet Scan Results
Recap - My father was diagnosed with Stage 4 EC in October, 2011 and given 6 months. He did 28 days of radiation and has been on chemo ever since with the exception of a 2 month break this winter of his choice. Until this most recent pet scan, the chemo seemed to be keeping the cancer contained from spreading. Thursday's…
Surgery is tomorrow
Well finally after 6 long months surgery is finally tomorrow! Anxious, nervous, optimistic, scared....etc. I will keep you posted. Also will keep all of you in my thoughts as well. All I can really say is what brave soldiers you are!
Open esophagectomy
We saw the doctors yesterday and they said if dad has the surgery it will be an Open esophagectomy. The doctor felt the MEI wouldn't be the best option because of diff. getting to certain lymphnodes for removal. The surgeon said he was presenting dad's case during a tumor meeting this evening to get other feedback. The…
Chemo is Not working. Alternatives?
Hello, I wanted to ask for your kind help. My mother is 88 years old, and has esophageal cancer. Her initial diagnosis showed that her cancer had spread outside of the esophagus to multiple lymph nodes along the trachea (windpipe) and near the lungs. She has been receiving treatment since March 2011 (about 2 years ago).…
Endoscopy as a followup after surgery
My husband's new doctor is recommending an endoscopy rather than a CT or PET scan for his 2 year checkup following an MIE in 2011. Has this been suggested to anyone? The doctor is concerned about too much radiation from the CT and PET scans. We aren't sure if this is the best approach. Any advice would be appreciated.…
Loss of vision from Chemo?
December 1st my wife was told she has stage IV Esophageal Cancer that has spread to her ovaries, cluster tumors in her intestine, and an 8cm Tumor by her liver. The CT scan we did on the 8th of March shows we have shrunk the tumor some. Her vision has been so bad she went to the eye doctor Friday. We were told that her…
My husband, 1 month post EC surgery, developed constant dry cough
I'm new to the discussion board, but happy you're all out there. My husband had an esophagectomy Feb. 11th, had some major complications, but has been home 2 weeks now. He got great results from the surgical pathology report...cancer free right now! My concern is that in the last week he's developed a constant dry…
**Paul**
Have you heard of surgeon Dr. David Rice at MD Anderson Houston? Dad and I talked last night and we were going to go Pittsburg but dad's radiation ocologist mentioned him. I definently trust her, just wanted to see if you had heard of him. Dad said he's too nervous to travel that far from phoenix because of possible…
nearing the end
Seventeen months of suffering, medical error after error, the suffering horrific, the end now only days away. the list - severe lung damage on oxygen, respirary failure moderate heart failure bowel constent pain and loose stools three fracture to spine The cancer - no spread - you loose by default The patient - gasping for…
Malnutrition & Dehydration
For 4 weeks we've been inquiring about possibility of J getting a feeding tube or J-Peg. The PA for our oncologist always said it was too risky, and I'm too flaky to push. My husband has been in the treatment phase until 10 days ago and unable to eat anything more than a bit of broth or such. They were giving him IV drips…
How to access Facebook Group
I was wondering if anyone could tell me how to join the EC Facebook Group. Also wondering if anyone had heard an update on Dave (BermudaGirl was Discusssion Board Name) who had a difficult post esophagectomy. I often think about them and wonder if he has fully recovered. Betsy
Platelet Count
My husband had a lower platelet count this week. He was given a reduced dose of his chemo. Any information on how to raise those numbers? What causes them to drop? The rest of his bloodwork looks good.
Loretta Marshall
Has anyone heard how Loretta is doing. I am not on Facebook, so I may have missed the information. They were such a huge help when I first became diagnosed. It is too much that they have to endure more. My heart and prayers go out to both of them.
New to the EC Club
Hello to All~ I have been reading posts for about a month, ever since my dad was diagnosed with what I think is stage 4 EC. This has been a little hard for me to talk about because I know the path we are on, and because we lost my mom a little less than a year ago so the thought of losing my dad is tough. Ok, here is his…

Esophageal Cancer

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