My Husband was Dx 8/2011 Stage 3 Squamous cell t3n1 m?

Wife of patient 50378
Wife of patient 50378 Member Posts: 124
in Esophageal Cancer #1
Greetings, I have been reading this forum for a couple of weeks. You people are amazing.. your positive attitudes, support and compassion are very inspiring!

My husband was dx Aug. 2011. So far 14 Drs. appt. upper endo,cscan, chest xrays, pets, cardio, pulm. During the inital upper gi doc could not move the scope pass the stricture, same during the endo ultrasound. At this point do not know the size of the tumor. There is at least one node affected. Do not have results form Petscan yet. Doctors said their treatments would cure my husband's cancer. Chemo/Radiation treatments then of course surgery. After hours upon hours of rsearch I have come to the conclusion...they may or may not radicate the cancer, it may or may not come back ... depends on his response to the treatments and surgery. We do not know at this point whether C has spread to other organs. When he had his upper GI there was a 3cm mass at the lessor curvature of the stomach that his drs. have not addressed as of yet. My hudband's attitude is very positive... mine not so much,I have too much information but put on a good front. He is 6ft 1inch and weights 150 pounds, Medical oncologist indicated she would moniter his weight during chemo and feeding tube.... possible. To me and my husband it is a no brainer.. he will need one. Thanks S.

Comments

  • jim2011
    jim2011 Member Posts: 115
    #2
    standard of care
    It is chemo/radiation and surgery. I was always asking the doctors what my odds were. The worst that I heard was 40%. Not to bad considering some of what I have read. Even that guy said that everyone is a statistic of one. My upper GI guy put his hand on my shoulder and said "good luck with your treatments". I was a mental basket case during chemo/radiation but I have a much improved attitude now that I am 5 months down stream from the surgery and getting back to normal. My radiation guy told me towards the end of my treatments that everyone dies of something but for me the EC would not be what kills me. I felt good after hearing that and Im going to remember that.
    6'1" and 150lbs seems on the light side to me. I started at 6'1" and 230lbs and got down to 165lbs and I am now 180. I hated the feeding tube but if it is recommended to you guys then my advice is to take it and USE it. You may also be recommended for a chemo port to be installed at the same time as the feeding tube. Same advice. Take it as it makes chemo, blood tests and fluids when needed much easier. There is so much more that you will learn but listening to your doctors, getting and staying ahead of pain, good sleep, nutrition and a positive attitude goes a long way.
    You and your husband will win a bunch of battles with this cancer and eventually you will look back and realize that you have now won the war.
    Jim
  • Wife of patient 50378
    Wife of patient 50378 Member Posts: 124
    #3
    jim2011 said:

    standard of care
    It is chemo/radiation and surgery. I was always asking the doctors what my odds were. The worst that I heard was 40%. Not to bad considering some of what I have read. Even that guy said that everyone is a statistic of one. My upper GI guy put his hand on my shoulder and said "good luck with your treatments". I was a mental basket case during chemo/radiation but I have a much improved attitude now that I am 5 months down stream from the surgery and getting back to normal. My radiation guy told me towards the end of my treatments that everyone dies of something but for me the EC would not be what kills me. I felt good after hearing that and Im going to remember that.
    6'1" and 150lbs seems on the light side to me. I started at 6'1" and 230lbs and got down to 165lbs and I am now 180. I hated the feeding tube but if it is recommended to you guys then my advice is to take it and USE it. You may also be recommended for a chemo port to be installed at the same time as the feeding tube. Same advice. Take it as it makes chemo, blood tests and fluids when needed much easier. There is so much more that you will learn but listening to your doctors, getting and staying ahead of pain, good sleep, nutrition and a positive attitude goes a long way.
    You and your husband will win a bunch of battles with this cancer and eventually you will look back and realize that you have now won the war.
    Jim

    tomorrow pet scan results hope m is 0
    Thank you for your words of wisdom, and yes he is on the light side 145 lbs. At 175lbs he was thin but healthly looking. Tomorrow we recieve the results from the pet scan to see if other organs are affected. I am so tired, my father just passed from Multimyeloma cancer last month.

    I beleive at our last dr. visit she indicated he would have 1 infusion weekly of Cisplatin and taxoll and radiation 5 days a week for 5 1/2 weeks. He really needs a feeding tube in my opinion. What questions do I ask. Do we have to ask for anti nausa meds or is it a package deal?


    Thanks
  • fredswilma
    fredswilma Member Posts: 185
    #4
    Wife of patient 50378 said:

    tomorrow pet scan results hope m is 0
    Thank you for your words of wisdom, and yes he is on the light side 145 lbs. At 175lbs he was thin but healthly looking. Tomorrow we recieve the results from the pet scan to see if other organs are affected. I am so tired, my father just passed from Multimyeloma cancer last month.

    I beleive at our last dr. visit she indicated he would have 1 infusion weekly of Cisplatin and taxoll and radiation 5 days a week for 5 1/2 weeks. He really needs a feeding tube in my opinion. What questions do I ask. Do we have to ask for anti nausa meds or is it a package deal?


    Thanks

    Hi
    So sorry that you have
    Hi
    So sorry that you have found yourself here, you are among real people who have had to learn alot about this disease and they are a very good sounding board.
    I have learnt to take along a notebook and write my questions down in that, because Oncologists bring on mushy brain in the best of us and we completely forget what we wanted to ask, then if we don't write the answer down, normally forget that too, also it can be used to reference later on.
    With regards to a feeding tube, insist on one even if he never needs it consider it an insurance policy for when the Chemo puts him off his food, nutrition is really important, I advocate for this though my husband can't have one, our health system is different than yours, don't get me started on that, whole different topic.
    Ask what anti-nausea meds he might need and pain killers as well, if you can keep on top of the pain he will be much better off, also have you the contact details for someone who can write you a script over the phone for pain or nausea, makes it much easier than a visit to the ED.
    Will be thinking of you, I know the wait for results really can do your head in, stay strong and positive, hoping it is positive news you receive.
    Ann
  • Daisylin
    Daisylin Member Posts: 365
    #5
    Wife of patient 50378 said:

    tomorrow pet scan results hope m is 0
    Thank you for your words of wisdom, and yes he is on the light side 145 lbs. At 175lbs he was thin but healthly looking. Tomorrow we recieve the results from the pet scan to see if other organs are affected. I am so tired, my father just passed from Multimyeloma cancer last month.

    I beleive at our last dr. visit she indicated he would have 1 infusion weekly of Cisplatin and taxoll and radiation 5 days a week for 5 1/2 weeks. He really needs a feeding tube in my opinion. What questions do I ask. Do we have to ask for anti nausa meds or is it a package deal?


    Thanks

    test results
    Hi, and welcome to this site. We are all sharing in your pain, and we understand your concerns and fears. Until you get the PET scan results, there really is no way of knowing what the treatment will be. As I'm sure you know, if he has mets to other organs, he will be inoperable. My husband Lee, stage ivb, with mets to the liver was only offered chemo. There are others who have had chemo/rad, or surgery. (or a combination of the three)

    We had to fight pretty hard to get a feeding tube, but this does not seem to be the case for many here. I would strongly recommend it, and wish that we had gotten it done way earlier. Chemo tends to do a number on appetite, food taste and that on top of his recent weight loss could be very dangerous. Lee has not eaten anything by mouth in over a month now, and the feeding tube has literally saved his life. It is also very handy for staying hydrated. It may not be pretty or comfortable, but trust me, get one put in!! Even if he is eating well now, there may be a point down the line where he would want to use it. Think of it as insurance. Hope you'll never need it, but so glad it's there when you do. If your husband gets to the point of being too weak from not eating, he may not be able to have the feeding tube inserted. I think we came pretty close to that point, and I'd hate to see anyone else in that situation. I'm sure just about everyone here will agree with me. If your doctor is hesitant, push hard. My husband laughs at me for how strongly I push people to get a feeding tube, but seriously, I thought he was days away from starving to death, and our doctor didn't think he "needed" one.

    As for nausea meds, you will be prescribed some with your chemo schedule. Usually the first few days are the worst, and it tapers off. There are many drugs out there, so if he finds that one does not work, they will give you another type. The same goes for other side effects he may encounter. They do have drugs for pretty much every chemo side effect. Be very mindful of constipation with all these meds, and don't forget that hydration is so very important, especially the first few days after chemo.

    I wish you all the best, please let us know your husband's scan results. There are lots of us here who can offer advice, a shoulder, or just a sounding board for the frustration that you must be feeling.

    be well,
    Chantal

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