Just found out

There are survivors
JimboC, I know you are going through an extremely difficult process right now. The internet research all seems very grim to us in the early days. We searched and searched for positive stories. Turns out one of my husband’s co-works husband was a 13 year survivor. That gave us some hope. There are survivors!!!

Hi Jimbo,( my grandsons nick
Hi Jimbo,( my grandsons nick name). Welcome to our family. Any kind of cancer diagnosis can be terrifying at first, and it's good you're seeking information. There is so much testing to begin with. I'm glad your doctors are moving fast. It is so important.
The information we find most of the time, give stats, and is very scary . We are all individuals-not stats. By reading the different post,you'll find out we are all different. After diagnosis in Nov.07,of stage 111 with three effected lymph nodes in the stomach, I received chemo and surgery. My test are still cancer free.
Please add more information. We have survivors and caregivers on here that are very knowlegeable and will want to help. William is one that does a lot of research and always responds with info. to new survivors.
Praying for you,
Sandra

GOOD LUCK
Hi

My husband is 44 and has been diagnosed as T3N3M0, we know how you feel and everyone is very kind. Just wanted to wish you the very best and to say there is some great advice on here.

We have 4 kids and Paul found out about his diagnosis on 27th Jan, he started chemo 10 days ago, so still early days for us too.

Take Care

Julie

Welcome
Hello Jimbo and welcome to our ec discussion board family! I was a caregiver for my dad. He passed away a year ago today, 3/9 from EC with mets to the liver. But, yes, there are many, many survivors here. This is where you need to do your research. Take it one thing at a time. Next step is to get the tumor staged, then discuss treatment options/surgery options. Usually the oncologist has you have chemo/radiation first to shrink the tumor, than moves you onto the surgical team to discuss the surgery. The MIE (minimally invasive) is the best surgery to have from what I have learned. There is another young gentleman here, Brendon who was just dx as well. His wife has posted a world of information regarding people's experiences with surgery. You working in a hospital will be of great help to you. Come here often, ask as many questions as you need to, lean on us whenever you need to. Take care and keep in touch!
Tina in Va

I was diagnosed at age 32. I
I was diagnosed at age 32. I am now 36. There is hope.

Your Diagnosis Close match to Mine
I also had a tumor where the esophagus meets the stomach but I had 2 positive lymph nodes at the top of the stomach. I went through 2 rounds of chemo (Cisplatin and 5-FU) concurrent with 28 days of radiation. I had to wait about 6 weeks after that for my immune system to recover and then I had laposcopic minimally evasive surgery. The surgery was an alternative to the Ivor Lewis approach but far less evasive. I had 9 1 inch holes..2 for drains, 1 for a feeding after surgery and the rest for the surgery itself (cameras and the actual surgery). The ultrasound is non conclusive and true staging only occurs after surgery. They took out 16 lymph nodes on me and only found 2 positive. There is no way of telling if in fact the 2 that showed up in the Cat scan are the 2 positive nodes they removed, but they said that there was a 70% chance that they got everything. My surgery was in mid-December and now every 3 months I have a cat scan (the first next week) to make sure no cancer shows up.

One thing to be careful about....the information you'll gather about side effects will scare you. Everyone is different so you may not have those symptoms. My first round of chemo was a breeze, very little nausea but after it was over I had bad mouth sores which could of been avoided if I new to gargle with salt water a couple times each day during and after chemo. the second round of chemo I gargled and had no mouth sores, but I had much more nausea. The radiation did not effect me until the treatments ended and it contributed to the nausea. After the surgery you're fed by a hookup to a tube coming out of your stomach for a month. In the beginning your connected 14 hours which is a real pain. That month I couldn't lay down because of the feeding connection and my wounds from surgery. I won't tell you that this is easy but of the 14 sysmptoms they tell you about chemo, I only had 3 - nausea the second round, mouth sores and I lost my ability to taste where familiar foods tasted different. I found some foods that tasted the same and only had them. I am in the Boston area and found Mass General to be a God-send The doctors and cancer center is awesome. Do your homework and feel free to use me as a resource. You need to fiond a surgeon with definite experience with minimally evasive surgery on the lower esophagus. Do not get evasive Ivor Lewis surgery. The cut you from the back all the way to the mid chest and know a hole in 2 ribs for access. You recovery tome is a good 2 - 3 weeks in the hospital, there is much more risk of infection and it's much more painful. My surgeon did a great job; I had very little pain, was walking around the day after surgery (I was definitely weak) and i was home 6 days after surgery. Now, 3 months after surgery I am working full time and feeling pretty good. My new stomach is smaller and I must eat every 4 hours in smaller amounts but I feel fine. As I try foods that I haven't tried yet, I am learning what negatively effects me. I sleep with my head elevated using a sponge wedge under my pillow and do not eat anything within 2 - 3 hours of when I go to bed to avoid heartburn. If you want to talk to me send me an e-mail.

Don't scare yourself with an overload of information. Because each of us are different, it may not be that bad for you. I did that had had alot of concern about sysptoms that I never was exposed to. Before my surgery I could take ibuprofin and acedamaphine without taking it with food. With my new stomach, when I took these without food I got nausea. I was sich for about 3 weeks until I contacted a nuitritionist about my diet and the first thing she did is went through my medications and had me take some with food. My nausea went away. With your new stomach, there will be some adjustments.