Goodluck with treatments

NikiMo
NikiMo Member Posts: 342
in Esophageal Cancer #1
Hi all,

I just wanted to wish everyone a good week for those who are currently in treatment. I know that there are a few other newbies out there like my husband who are going through chemo and radiation. Please let us know how your week is going. If this is anyones last week good luck...from what I read it gets better from there :)

My husband is going into week four feeling good, still eating on his own and can feel his swallowing getting better. He started to notice that his hair is thinning, but that is a small price to pay for a chance to beat this cancer.

Stay strong!

Niki wife to husband with stage IIB (T2N1M0). Or what I like to call him, Jeff :)

Comments

  • sammy123
    sammy123 Member Posts: 65
    #2
    Glad to hear the good news.
    Glad to hear the good news. Keep drinking and eating. My husband did really well during the radiation/chemo and it seems the trials came after the courses were done. My advice to you, wishing we knew then what we know now is to eat eat eat and drink drink drink. Get the magic mouthwash it really does soothe the esophagus. Wish we had started it earlier. Take one day at a time. God Bless.
  • TerryV
    TerryV Member Posts: 887
    #3
    Here we come Week 4
    We are over 1/2 through treatment, Niki! Blessings to everyone traveling this journey. I, for one, can't wait to reach the destination. I know life won't be the same, but I'll take anything that even resembles life before cancer.

    Nick is still good. He ate well all weekend and was permitted life without supplementing using the J-tube. What a nice weekend :) Nick's hair still seems to be hanging on, but we're with you - whatever it takes to kick this - hair is a small price.

    Thoughts with you and all the others on the route with us.
  • BMGky
    BMGky Member Posts: 621
    #4
    Glad it's going well.
    Hope it continues to go well. For those who are having difficulty, don't despair. You do get through it.

    My husband dehydrated. Developed a thrush infection. Had to use an alternate Magic Mouthwash formula as is allergic to tetracycline which is a component of the standard mix. He also was sensitive to other medications. He could eat nothing by mouth. Water burned worse than anything. I can't remember what all problems he did have. Had to be hospitalized twice during the chemo/radiation treatment. And we still had the Ivor Lewis looming in the future.

    Had the Ivor Lewis. Great results!! I think I posted he had it May 7th elsewhere. It was April 7th, 2010. See. As you move forward you tend to forget a lot of the difficult things. Anyways, he developed really bad atrial fibrillation, and because he had other concerns, the surgeon kept him in the hospital a month. One thing, we lived some distance from the hospital, and he wanted to be absolutely certain, his incisions were healing without infection, that the new esophagus was functioning well, etc.

    He had to deal with post op pain. There were some pain patches that were helpful. As soon as practicable, we reduced narcotic type medication. There were times when it was needed. I made a "car" kit and kept what we thought were key emergency medications that we might need if he had an unexpected problem.

    There were digestive issues. "dumping." Over-eating. Non-eating. No appetite. Taste changes. Took several months. Now all this sounds rough, and it was somewhat. But, he was able to go to his office everyday and did get to have better and better days.

    A little over a year post-op, and as the picture shows, he's enjoying life. Has gotten his appetite back. Forgets and still gets dumping, but food is tasting good again. If he remembers that he can go back to the food, i.e., eat smaller portions; let it settle; go back and have some more--No problem. He still has the eating problem of eat a huge meal at one sitting. It's not going to work with the new tummy tube.

    So, hang in there. There may be a bump in the road here and there, but you're on your way. Continued good luck!!
  • TerryV
    TerryV Member Posts: 887
    #5
    BMGky said:

    Glad it's going well.
    Hope it continues to go well. For those who are having difficulty, don't despair. You do get through it.

    My husband dehydrated. Developed a thrush infection. Had to use an alternate Magic Mouthwash formula as is allergic to tetracycline which is a component of the standard mix. He also was sensitive to other medications. He could eat nothing by mouth. Water burned worse than anything. I can't remember what all problems he did have. Had to be hospitalized twice during the chemo/radiation treatment. And we still had the Ivor Lewis looming in the future.

    Had the Ivor Lewis. Great results!! I think I posted he had it May 7th elsewhere. It was April 7th, 2010. See. As you move forward you tend to forget a lot of the difficult things. Anyways, he developed really bad atrial fibrillation, and because he had other concerns, the surgeon kept him in the hospital a month. One thing, we lived some distance from the hospital, and he wanted to be absolutely certain, his incisions were healing without infection, that the new esophagus was functioning well, etc.

    He had to deal with post op pain. There were some pain patches that were helpful. As soon as practicable, we reduced narcotic type medication. There were times when it was needed. I made a "car" kit and kept what we thought were key emergency medications that we might need if he had an unexpected problem.

    There were digestive issues. "dumping." Over-eating. Non-eating. No appetite. Taste changes. Took several months. Now all this sounds rough, and it was somewhat. But, he was able to go to his office everyday and did get to have better and better days.

    A little over a year post-op, and as the picture shows, he's enjoying life. Has gotten his appetite back. Forgets and still gets dumping, but food is tasting good again. If he remembers that he can go back to the food, i.e., eat smaller portions; let it settle; go back and have some more--No problem. He still has the eating problem of eat a huge meal at one sitting. It's not going to work with the new tummy tube.

    So, hang in there. There may be a bump in the road here and there, but you're on your way. Continued good luck!!

    Always good to see the success stories
    Thank you SO Much for sharing! It's good to know that there truly is life "almost normal" after EC. I'm anxious to get beyond the treatment phase and get well on our way toward a healing period.
  • Laura23
    Laura23 Member Posts: 81
    #6
    TerryV said:

    Always good to see the success stories
    Thank you SO Much for sharing! It's good to know that there truly is life "almost normal" after EC. I'm anxious to get beyond the treatment phase and get well on our way toward a healing period.

    Finished treatment last Friday
    My husband, stage 3, T3N1M0, finished his last pre-op treatment last Friday. We wanted to celebrate but he just didn't feel up to it. He is still having a lot of pain with eating, even the soft stuff. Soup is about the only thing that goes down well, even with the magic mouthwash. I guess I should be grateful he can get anything down. He is also feeling very tired and a walk around the block exhausts him. I know the docs said it would still be another couple of weeks before he starts to get his energy back. He too is starting to lose some hair, which I thought would happen earlier, if at all.

    Just trying to take it one day at a time.
  • hopper52
    hopper52 Member Posts: 108
    #7
    Lot of Newbies.....yes
    Sad to see all the newly diagnosed but glad they found this site. Someone made the comment last week this is the new freshman class. Let's hope we all graduate into a cancer free future. This site is a treasure trove of EC info and advice.

    As for me........I completed by chemo/radiation regimen last week. Still struggling to get enough food intake although no problem swallowing, which has actually improved. Still bouts of nausea. I was envious of the Japanese hibachi with the lobster. My wife is Korean and cooks some awesome oriental food but I just haven't had the stomach for much.

    The final week of radiation/chemo was the toughest for me and my oncologist said it may still be bad for a couple of weeks but hopefully I'll start getting my appetite back and start putting back on some weight before my surgery. When diagnosed in April I was at 205. Last Wednesday when I did my final radiation I was 172. My goal is to get back up to at least 185 before surgery.

    I hace a PET/CT scheduled for August 16th and an appointment with my surgeon (Dr Kenneth Meredith) at Moffitt on August 17th. Please pray for good results from my scans. I'm praying for you all also.

    Michael Daniels T3N0M0
    Brandon, FL
  • BMGky
    BMGky Member Posts: 621
    #8
    hopper52 said:

    Lot of Newbies.....yes
    Sad to see all the newly diagnosed but glad they found this site. Someone made the comment last week this is the new freshman class. Let's hope we all graduate into a cancer free future. This site is a treasure trove of EC info and advice.

    As for me........I completed by chemo/radiation regimen last week. Still struggling to get enough food intake although no problem swallowing, which has actually improved. Still bouts of nausea. I was envious of the Japanese hibachi with the lobster. My wife is Korean and cooks some awesome oriental food but I just haven't had the stomach for much.

    The final week of radiation/chemo was the toughest for me and my oncologist said it may still be bad for a couple of weeks but hopefully I'll start getting my appetite back and start putting back on some weight before my surgery. When diagnosed in April I was at 205. Last Wednesday when I did my final radiation I was 172. My goal is to get back up to at least 185 before surgery.

    I hace a PET/CT scheduled for August 16th and an appointment with my surgeon (Dr Kenneth Meredith) at Moffitt on August 17th. Please pray for good results from my scans. I'm praying for you all also.

    Michael Daniels T3N0M0
    Brandon, FL

    Definitely prayers for your success
    Excited you are getting surgery and seems like soon. Sure hope so. Have heard nothing but good things about Moffitt. My son did a rotation there and was very impressed with its program. You know one of the comments that people say to my husband is just how good he looks with his weight loss. Some have even begrudgingly said, "It's a heck of a way to lose weight, but it was worth it," as they are pondering how in the world they are going to lose weight. Good luck. Keep us posted.
  • jthomas233
    jthomas233 Member Posts: 85
    #9
    hopper52 said:

    Lot of Newbies.....yes
    Sad to see all the newly diagnosed but glad they found this site. Someone made the comment last week this is the new freshman class. Let's hope we all graduate into a cancer free future. This site is a treasure trove of EC info and advice.

    As for me........I completed by chemo/radiation regimen last week. Still struggling to get enough food intake although no problem swallowing, which has actually improved. Still bouts of nausea. I was envious of the Japanese hibachi with the lobster. My wife is Korean and cooks some awesome oriental food but I just haven't had the stomach for much.

    The final week of radiation/chemo was the toughest for me and my oncologist said it may still be bad for a couple of weeks but hopefully I'll start getting my appetite back and start putting back on some weight before my surgery. When diagnosed in April I was at 205. Last Wednesday when I did my final radiation I was 172. My goal is to get back up to at least 185 before surgery.

    I hace a PET/CT scheduled for August 16th and an appointment with my surgeon (Dr Kenneth Meredith) at Moffitt on August 17th. Please pray for good results from my scans. I'm praying for you all also.

    Michael Daniels T3N0M0
    Brandon, FL

    Praying for your scans
    Sorry about the hibachi info...I have been very luck so far with food intake and appetite. I was diagnosed at about 214 on May 9, and I have been holding steady at 206...this is my last week of treatment...four chemos and one rad...Keep the faith! Praying for your scan results!
  • NikiMo
    NikiMo Member Posts: 342
    #10
    hopper52 said:

    Lot of Newbies.....yes
    Sad to see all the newly diagnosed but glad they found this site. Someone made the comment last week this is the new freshman class. Let's hope we all graduate into a cancer free future. This site is a treasure trove of EC info and advice.

    As for me........I completed by chemo/radiation regimen last week. Still struggling to get enough food intake although no problem swallowing, which has actually improved. Still bouts of nausea. I was envious of the Japanese hibachi with the lobster. My wife is Korean and cooks some awesome oriental food but I just haven't had the stomach for much.

    The final week of radiation/chemo was the toughest for me and my oncologist said it may still be bad for a couple of weeks but hopefully I'll start getting my appetite back and start putting back on some weight before my surgery. When diagnosed in April I was at 205. Last Wednesday when I did my final radiation I was 172. My goal is to get back up to at least 185 before surgery.

    I hace a PET/CT scheduled for August 16th and an appointment with my surgeon (Dr Kenneth Meredith) at Moffitt on August 17th. Please pray for good results from my scans. I'm praying for you all also.

    Michael Daniels T3N0M0
    Brandon, FL

    We can commiserate...
    Hi Michael,

    That was me with the 'freshman' comment, while I wish none of us were in this boat we are, so at least we can lift one another up :) Sorry that you are still dealing with the side affects, but you are getting closer to that ending...or so I hear. I will pray for good scan results and that you heal swiftly in preparation for the surgery. Let us know your progress.

    Niki
  • NikiMo
    NikiMo Member Posts: 342
    #11
    Laura23 said:

    Finished treatment last Friday
    My husband, stage 3, T3N1M0, finished his last pre-op treatment last Friday. We wanted to celebrate but he just didn't feel up to it. He is still having a lot of pain with eating, even the soft stuff. Soup is about the only thing that goes down well, even with the magic mouthwash. I guess I should be grateful he can get anything down. He is also feeling very tired and a walk around the block exhausts him. I know the docs said it would still be another couple of weeks before he starts to get his energy back. He too is starting to lose some hair, which I thought would happen earlier, if at all.

    Just trying to take it one day at a time.

    Laura..we take the good with the bad
    Hi Laura,

    Seems like with EC we just have to take the good with the bad..or maybe that should read we take the bad for the good!! Happy to hear you guys are done treatment, wish your husband felt better. We are just going into our fourth week, we have 2 more rounds of chemo and 14 rads to go. I assume you are both preparing for surgery and will be getting a PET scan soon. Please let us know how you are both fairing.

    Niki
  • NikiMo
    NikiMo Member Posts: 342
    #12
    TerryV said:

    Here we come Week 4
    We are over 1/2 through treatment, Niki! Blessings to everyone traveling this journey. I, for one, can't wait to reach the destination. I know life won't be the same, but I'll take anything that even resembles life before cancer.

    Nick is still good. He ate well all weekend and was permitted life without supplementing using the J-tube. What a nice weekend :) Nick's hair still seems to be hanging on, but we're with you - whatever it takes to kick this - hair is a small price.

    Thoughts with you and all the others on the route with us.

    Halfway!!
    Feels so good to be in the second half of treatment. Is there a bell at your radiation center? I look at that thing everyday, I can't wait to see him ring that bell...13 more treatments! I know that the next few weeks could make him very ill, but we can get through it, I know we can. I tried to send you a private message but the site said I couldn't. In short it said contact me anytime, as I know you and I are in the exact same spot treatment wise. We can compare notes.

    Take care, and please let Nick know he is on our prayers :)
  • TerryV
    TerryV Member Posts: 887
    #13
    NikiMo said:

    Halfway!!
    Feels so good to be in the second half of treatment. Is there a bell at your radiation center? I look at that thing everyday, I can't wait to see him ring that bell...13 more treatments! I know that the next few weeks could make him very ill, but we can get through it, I know we can. I tried to send you a private message but the site said I couldn't. In short it said contact me anytime, as I know you and I are in the exact same spot treatment wise. We can compare notes.

    Take care, and please let Nick know he is on our prayers :)

    Will do, Niki!
    I appreciate your offer to someone to speak with. I may well take you up on that. Due to the holiday and a 3 day mechanical failure of the radiation equipment, Nick's "done date" is now August 2nd. But believe me, we will be trudging right along with you in this.

    We aren't aware of a bell in our local radiation, but there is a certificate of "graduation". Whatever it takes to signify the end of the treatment and the ready to move forward - we're up for that.

    Niki - all 4 of us will get through this! Our care coordinator said since Nick has handled the 1st 1/2 of radiation and the 1st chemo well, she doesn't expect anything different for the 2nd 1/2. She did say that the fatigue will build, but other common side effects shouldn't be a bother since they haven't been yet. We're holding her to that ;) Also working on the idea of mind over matter. She said it shouldn't be worse, so that's where we are setting our mental bar. No expectations, mind you - just firm resolve to make the best of it. You will too!

    Terry

Discussion Boards