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New chemo plan

mmr19
mmr19 CSN Member Posts: 75
edited March 2014 in Esophageal Cancer #1
Hi all-
Sorry I haven't updated since my worries with Lou's dilation 2 weeks ago.
The dilation went well. The doctor was quite pleased that Lou's esophagus was not brittle and it stretched well. He will scope again next month to see if it needs more stretching. That was a good news day.....we were relieved.
The next day we had an appt with oncologist for results of CT scan. Though he said there is no visible new cancer, he suspects that Lou's problem with fluid retention on his abdomen and the thickening of his esophagus is all due to cancer cells too small to see. We were a bit confused by this and asked the primary care doctor and the GI doctor. They both agreed with the oncologist and explained it a little better to us.

Lou started chemo again last week. He is now on Cisplatin and Irinotecan. He will have it every week for 4 weeks then 2 weeks off. He started last Wed. and today is #2 treatment.
Lou is very disappointed. He was so sick from his previous 6 months of treatment. I did look up the drugs on Chemocare,and he will be on lower doses, so we hope he will sail through this without problems. He started having severe stomach cramping a couple days ago though. I see it is a side effect and hope it doesn't get worse.

We take it one day at a time...what else can we do?

Thanks for listening.

Marta
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  • mmr19
    mmr19 CSN Member Posts: 75
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    PET scan
    Thank you William.
    I know the scans Lou has gotten during his treatment have been CT scans only. I will be sure we ask his doctor next time about the PET scan too.
    You're right about the miscommunication. Sometimes we leave the Dr's office scratching our heads and return next time with more questions. In the meantime we wonder...what did he say???

    We both know that Lou will not be cured. He had very good results with his first treatments as far as the mass and nodules shrinking. So I guess just to be reminded that the cancer is still lurking was a reality check.
    Today they gave him some pain meds with the chemo to help his stomach. He does get hydration also before and after. He does pretty good with it at home too. So far he hasn't had any nausea (knock on wood).

    We are grateful to be able to continue fighting. I am grateful that Lou has not given up hope.
    Thanks again-
    Marta
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