HAM6789 and my post-op status

JimboC

Hi everyone! I know it's been a while but I've been recovering. I was released to leave Pittsburgh today. Figured we'd just wait and get an early start tomorrow so we're spending one last night here. They took my JP drain this afternoon. Said the drainage was good and clear. Since I will be having chemo when I get home, they left the j-tube in for feeding if I needed it. I still have a bit of pain but it is easily controlled with meds. I was moved off of full liquids today and onto soft food. Once we got back to Family House, we went to the little dinner out back and I had an egg and piece of toast. Arguably the best I have ever had.

While I was at Presby, I stopped in and saw HAM6789. Randy was in good spirits and was doing great. He is expecting to be released to Family House tomorrow. We enjoyed getting to know Randy, his sister and his son. Super nice folks!

Score two more for the MIE at Pittsburgh. I interacted with Dr. Levy more than Dr. Luketich and I can tell you, no matter who you see up here, they treat you so good!

I'll return to being a little more active in a few days.

All my best!

flmo

Great news!
Glad to hear that you are going home! Best of luck as you continue to recover. We liked Dr. Levy, also. He seems to be Dr. Luketich's right hand man. He is no longer a Fellow, but a full time surgeon at UPMC. He is a very caring doctor as are all the doctors that we had contact with there.

I hope you'll keep posting as you recover. I've been following your story. So glad that everything worked out for you in Pittsburgh.

casp42

flmo said:

Great news!
Glad to hear that you are going home! Best of luck as you continue to recover. We liked Dr. Levy, also. He seems to be Dr. Luketich's right hand man. He is no longer a Fellow, but a full time surgeon at UPMC. He is a very caring doctor as are all the doctors that we had contact with there.

I hope you'll keep posting as you recover. I've been following your story. So glad that everything worked out for you in Pittsburgh.

Wonderful NEWS!!!
Glad to hear! Wonderful news that everything worked out in Pittsburgh.

Carolyn

sammy123

Thanks for all of your
Thanks for all of your posts. I have been following them. We arrived in Pittsburgh on Monday and MIE is planned for Friday with Dr. Luketich. They squeezed him in so that he could be operated on within that crucial 4-6 weeks after chemo/radiation. Thanks for all of your post op posts they were wonderful to read. Happy for your quick recovery. God Bless.

Daisylin

sammy123 said:

Thanks for all of your
Thanks for all of your posts. I have been following them. We arrived in Pittsburgh on Monday and MIE is planned for Friday with Dr. Luketich. They squeezed him in so that he could be operated on within that crucial 4-6 weeks after chemo/radiation. Thanks for all of your post op posts they were wonderful to read. Happy for your quick recovery. God Bless.

hooray
So glad to hear that you are doing well. You sure came out like a champ! Way to show us how it's done.
Take care, and stay well,
Chantal

paul61

Good News!!
Jimbo,

Great to hear that you are doing so well!!! It sounds like you got great treatment there but there is nothing like being home and sleeping in your own bed. I hope things continue to improve and you are back to eating regular food quickly.


Best Regards,

Paul Adams
McCormick, South Carolina

DX 10/22/2009 T2N1M0 Stage IIB
12/03/2009 Ivor Lewis
2/8 through 6/14/2010 Adjuvant Chemo Cisplatin, Epirubicin, 5 FU
6/21/2010 CT Scan NED
3/14/2011 CT Scan NED

linda1120

I am so glad
Dear Jimbo,

It is so good to hear that you are doing so well. I have been following your story from the beginning and pray daily for you and your family.

Linda

cher76

Wishing you continued
Wishing you continued success on your recovery!
Cheryl

cher76

Wishing you continued
Wishing you continued success on your recovery!
Cheryl

fredswilma

It is so good to hear a
It is so good to hear a success story, I have been following you for a while my thoughts and prayers are with you.
Ann

annalan

fredswilma said:

It is so good to hear a
It is so good to hear a success story, I have been following you for a while my thoughts and prayers are with you.
Ann

Thrilled you're doing well
I have only posted a couple of times but have been reading here since my husband Alan had the Ivor Lewis op and thankfully is doing very well. He has had his first post scan and we eagerly await the results. I have been following your story and prayed that you would make a good recovery. So very, very pleased you are. All the people on here doing battle with "this beast" are always in my prayers and thoughts.
Ann (2)

Susie_Brendon

I am glad the surgery worked
I am glad the surgery worked out for you. You are one of the lucky ones.
Take care and I hope you heal soon.
Susie

Tina Blondek

Three Cheers!
Hey Jimbo
So glad to see you posting! Great news for you! Best of luck in the future, have a safe trip back home. Keep in touch, and thanks for your positive feedback.
Tina in Va

ham6789

my surgery was 7/15. discharged to the family house on 7/23. my recovery is on schedule and I am doing great. not bad for a 68 year old soon to be 79. I can't, say anything but good about the great surgeons and nurses at Presbe. all eight of my incisions are healing well. I expect that I will be released to go home after my 8/04 doctors appointment. I am sure glad that I got the M.I.E. Procedure.

GerryS

Continued success on your recovery......
Great news Jimbo, wishing you continued success at home. Good to hear from Susie again, hope all is going well with her and her family. My 18 month scan in two weeks. Scanxiety is beginning to set in.

Gerry

Unknown

ham6789 said:

my surgery was 7/15. discharged to the family house on 7/23. my recovery is on schedule and I am doing great. not bad for a 68 year old soon to be 79. I can't, say anything but good about the great surgeons and nurses at Presbe. all eight of my incisions are healing well. I expect that I will be released to go home after my 8/04 doctors appointment. I am sure glad that I got the M.I.E. Procedure.

This comment has been removed by the Moderator

Janet Runge

Susie_Brendon said:

I am glad the surgery worked
I am glad the surgery worked out for you. You are one of the lucky ones.
Take care and I hope you heal soon.
Susie

My husband had MIE on May 27th
Hello Susie,
Would like to hear how you and your husband are doing.
Charlie had very similar pre treatment that yours did. He is doing well adjusting to his new digestive system but weight gain is a big issue. Charlie was 3N1M0 but later after the pre surgical staging was restaged 2. After surgery all pathology was totally clear.
He now just finish one of 2 adjunct chemo 6hour treatments. This really wiped him out and 3-4 lbs down in weight.
I have a hard time adjusting to this new way of life for us. Just wondering what your experience has been

Janet

LorettaMarshall

Ham6789~Just wondering if he is doing well after MIE @ age 78?

Hey Randy,

Just going back years to see how some of our friends were doing.  I thought of you as I think "Colleeni2" is wondering the same thing.  She is wondering if her husband would fare well with surgery.  Whereas some surgeons might not recommend an Esophagectomy for "older" people, Dr. Luketich makes no distinction if the health permits, and the cancer is operable, then UPMC is the place to be.  I've got many of our personal talks and phone calls on file.  But I thought I would just post this "old" link to let others know that I happen to know that you were 78 when you had your MIE surgery at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center on July 15, 2011.

In this reply to JimboC, you stated that you had the “Ivor Lewis Minimally Invasive Esophagectomy” (aka as the MIE surgery) and that you were doing just fine.  Now it would be an impossibility to “keep up” with all the people we’ve talked with these many years and I know you haven’t posted here in years, but hopefully you are still doing fine at age 84.  Somehow as we grow older, we always like to think that as long as we run around with folks 10 years older, it makes us feel younger.    Ooops did I say “run around?” Well let me rephrase that sentence since neither my husband nor I are “running” these days. I should better have said, “going around!” We have 2 people in our Sunday school class that are “older”.  One is a sweet lady age 92 and in great health.  The only illness she has ever had was a gallbladder operation a couple of years ago.  And there’s a gentleman who is 94 and in good health.  They’re both still able to drive and are fond of helping others, many of whom are much younger than they are!  That’s the way we all wish to be.

I probably won’t receive a response from you, but I, more or less, posted this to let others know that if they’ve been diagnosed with EC, and their present group of doctors are not recommending surgery due strictly to age, that a SECOND opinion is certainly warranted, and we can recommend no one more highly than Dr. James D. Luketich, or any of the thoracic surgeons who have updated their skills to perform the least invasive surgery possible.  Many have updated their skills.  I know that all the surgeries performed at UPMC are totally laparoscopic Esophagectomies.  Reverting to the older OPEN Ivor Lewis Esophagectomy is relatively rare there by comparison. 

Wishing all EC patients the very best,

Loretta (Wife of William, who was DX EC Stage III (T3N1M0), Adenocarcinoma at the Gastroesophageal junction in Nov. of 2002, had pre-op chemo/radiation and then a successful MIE surgery @ UPMC on May 17, 2003)