Finally in treatment

jgwright
jgwright Member Posts: 242
in Esophageal Cancer #1
Well, Monday I met with the surgeon who would install the portacath, and a very sweet young lady she is. Dr. Catherine Straub. She was going to do the surgery next week, but I pushed, and so she found she could do it on Tuesday. We headed back to the Hospital (an 80 mile drive) to be there by noon, of course no food after Midnight the previous night.

But naturally things went longer in someone else's surgery, so I didn't get in until 2:30. Talked with the anesthesiologist about putting me all the under as opposed to a light sedative and numbing. I always go for the least amount of sedation that is practical.

My wife told me that the Doctor came out after surgery to tell her she has a very strange husband. "He lay there snoring, then he'd wake up, crack some jokes, go back to snoring, wake up and crack some more jokes, and then snore again." Yep, sounds like me.

Wednesday, I went in for my first chemo and radiation. Three hours in the infusion chair to see if there were any bad reactions. Nope. So next week it will go faster. Just Carboplatin and Taxol. NCCN recommends 5-FU. Don't know why Dr. Tucker didn't mention that. And I STILL haven't been tested for HER-2. The nurse said, "I don't think that really applies to esophageal cancer." Oh yes it does! So when I see the oncologist next Wednesday, I'm going to firmly request that I be tested, just in case.

Five weeks of radiation, five days a week, and chemo once a week during that time.

And away we go...
--Jerry
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Comments

  • Freida
    Freida Member Posts: 182
    #2
    Best of luck Jerry. I hope
    Best of luck Jerry. I hope your treatments go smoothly.

    Bill is also scheduled to start Carboplatin and Docetaxel tomorrow if his PICC line issues are resolved - 5-6 hours infusion - but also followed 5FU via a pump he will carry round for 48 hours.

    It is encouraging to hear that you had no bad side effects from the first infusion. have you started the radiation also?

    Best wishes
    Freida
  • jgwright
    jgwright Member Posts: 242
    #3
    Freida said:

    Best of luck Jerry. I hope
    Best of luck Jerry. I hope your treatments go smoothly.

    Bill is also scheduled to start Carboplatin and Docetaxel tomorrow if his PICC line issues are resolved - 5-6 hours infusion - but also followed 5FU via a pump he will carry round for 48 hours.

    It is encouraging to hear that you had no bad side effects from the first infusion. have you started the radiation also?

    Best wishes
    Freida

    Glowing in the dark
    Hi Freida...

    Yep. Cool thing, my treatments are in Wenatchee, about 80 miles away, but there is free bus service from the Moses Lake Clinic, so I don't have to drive, nor does my best-beloved.

    Radiation... They zap me five times, and it takes about 15 minutes each day. But the bus leaves at 8 am, and gets back at 2:30. Oh well, it isn't like I was planning to do much else, anyway.

    --Jerry
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    #4
    jgwright said:

    Glowing in the dark
    Hi Freida...

    Yep. Cool thing, my treatments are in Wenatchee, about 80 miles away, but there is free bus service from the Moses Lake Clinic, so I don't have to drive, nor does my best-beloved.

    Radiation... They zap me five times, and it takes about 15 minutes each day. But the bus leaves at 8 am, and gets back at 2:30. Oh well, it isn't like I was planning to do much else, anyway.

    --Jerry

    This comment has been removed by the Moderator
  • sangora
    sangora Member Posts: 213
    #5
    unknown said:

    This comment has been removed by the Moderator

    You'll Do Great
    Jerry I will be pulling for you as you begin treatment. I have been at it for 20 months and am doing fine. As you may have read other places, I am on my 5th chemo drug over the period and have had little trouble with side effects. Fatigue will become your new normal. Just go with it and make adjustments to your life. The medi port is a god send, I am on my second one now. The first developed numerous blood clots and had to come out. Keep us posted on progress. Sam
  • TerryV
    TerryV Member Posts: 887
    #6
    Before each Rad treatment
    Nick found that applying an ice pack to the radiation target about an hour before each treatment reduced the "internal sunburn" feeling. Hope this info helps you too!

    @William - Nick also has a clown bike. It's a hoot to watch him ride that thing :)

    Love & Hugs!

    Terry
  • MissusB
    MissusB Member Posts: 111
    #7
    sangora said:

    You'll Do Great
    Jerry I will be pulling for you as you begin treatment. I have been at it for 20 months and am doing fine. As you may have read other places, I am on my 5th chemo drug over the period and have had little trouble with side effects. Fatigue will become your new normal. Just go with it and make adjustments to your life. The medi port is a god send, I am on my second one now. The first developed numerous blood clots and had to come out. Keep us posted on progress. Sam

    Educate yourself -
    Be your own advocate!!! I quickly learned this when Bill had liver cancer and subsequently a liver transplant in 2008! Even though he was in early stage, Mayo told him they wouldn't transplant him nor would any center in the country! Through the power of the internet I was able to determine that the criteria for transplant with liver cancer was changing and sought out a center that was more progressive - Indiana University gave him a new liver and he has done beautifully since - Mayo gave him two years to live...You have the power!
  • JaneO
    JaneO Member Posts: 40
    #8
    Good luck!
    Stay strong!I hope you tolerate the chemo/radiation treatments. We will be thinking of you. Everyone can react so differently. Jack didn't really have any symptons until the end. Now he is losing weight because he says the food tastes awful. Hopefully that will change soon.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    #9
    JaneO said:

    Good luck!
    Stay strong!I hope you tolerate the chemo/radiation treatments. We will be thinking of you. Everyone can react so differently. Jack didn't really have any symptons until the end. Now he is losing weight because he says the food tastes awful. Hopefully that will change soon.

    This comment has been removed by the Moderator
  • ChaadMN
    ChaadMN Member Posts: 32
    #10
    Good luck
    Good luck with your treatment Jerry! I had the same therapy, and it is not easy. However, I can tell you are a strong willed man and you have what it takes to succeed. Good luck and be well!!

    Chad
  • jgwright
    jgwright Member Posts: 242
    #11
    unknown said:

    This comment has been removed by the Moderator

    Jtube stuff
    As long as I can eat "normally" the oncologist doesn't really recommend that implant. But we shall see!
  • Freida
    Freida Member Posts: 182
    #12
    ChaadMN said:

    Good luck
    Good luck with your treatment Jerry! I had the same therapy, and it is not easy. However, I can tell you are a strong willed man and you have what it takes to succeed. Good luck and be well!!

    Chad

    Hi Jerry. Bill started his
    Hi Jerry. Bill started his treatment today - similar chemo to yours but with the addition of 5FU in a pump for 48 hour. So far he has not felt poorly. Hopefully you and he will both continue to be the same in that way.

    Bill is not having radiation yet. He will have 2 months chemo then 6 weeks chemo/radiation (no surgery planned because of other health issues).

    Good luck with your treatments.

    FWIW his tumor was tested for HER immediately. It was negative in his case.

    Best wishes and stay feeling good
    Freida
  • jgwright
    jgwright Member Posts: 242
    #13
    Freida said:

    Hi Jerry. Bill started his
    Hi Jerry. Bill started his treatment today - similar chemo to yours but with the addition of 5FU in a pump for 48 hour. So far he has not felt poorly. Hopefully you and he will both continue to be the same in that way.

    Bill is not having radiation yet. He will have 2 months chemo then 6 weeks chemo/radiation (no surgery planned because of other health issues).

    Good luck with your treatments.

    FWIW his tumor was tested for HER immediately. It was negative in his case.

    Best wishes and stay feeling good
    Freida

    Thanks Freida
    We just keep chunking along. No nausea so far (thank goodness) but some constipation in the morning, followed by diarrhea in the afternoon. Still minimal. Three days of radiation so far, and more chemo next Wednesday.

    --Jerry
  • jss2011
    jss2011 Member Posts: 132
    #14
    jgwright said:

    Thanks Freida
    We just keep chunking along. No nausea so far (thank goodness) but some constipation in the morning, followed by diarrhea in the afternoon. Still minimal. Three days of radiation so far, and more chemo next Wednesday.

    --Jerry

    taking charge
    I know it was such a relief to finally have treatment started after such a long wait, it gives you some control back, that you are gonna squash this nasty bug.

    Julie
  • jss2011
    jss2011 Member Posts: 132
    #15
    jss2011 said:

    taking charge
    I know it was such a relief to finally have treatment started after such a long wait, it gives you some control back, that you are gonna squash this nasty bug.

    Julie

    HER2
    Hubby's oncologist says HER2 is only for stage IV, so they wouldn't test. I really wonder about the differences here in Canada.

    Julie
  • MomhasStage4EC
    MomhasStage4EC Member Posts: 39
    #16
    jgwright said:

    Thanks Freida
    We just keep chunking along. No nausea so far (thank goodness) but some constipation in the morning, followed by diarrhea in the afternoon. Still minimal. Three days of radiation so far, and more chemo next Wednesday.

    --Jerry

    I was reading your post
    I was reading your post about the jtube. I have to tell you its so very hard to make this choice. When my mother couldnt swallow anymore they put in a Jtube....that procedure is ultimatley what made her cancer more alive than ever and it spread like wildfire. But then again without it she would have starved. Eventually(2 wks later) there was a blockage and they took out the first tube and put in another and then another...it was a nightmare.
    Usually they put a jtube instead of a regular feeding tube in hopes that they can do surgery later and give you a whole new stomache. Wouldnt that be nice? I have spoken to other patients who say they wish they had put in the jtube while they had the chance, because eventually their cancer spread and blocked the way for the jtube to be placed. Such a hard decision if ever you have to make it. But please do your research before just saying yes.
    I have to go with your doctor and say if you dont need it dont do it. But thats my humble opinion!
  • jgwright
    jgwright Member Posts: 242
    #17
    MomhasStage4EC said:

    I was reading your post
    I was reading your post about the jtube. I have to tell you its so very hard to make this choice. When my mother couldnt swallow anymore they put in a Jtube....that procedure is ultimatley what made her cancer more alive than ever and it spread like wildfire. But then again without it she would have starved. Eventually(2 wks later) there was a blockage and they took out the first tube and put in another and then another...it was a nightmare.
    Usually they put a jtube instead of a regular feeding tube in hopes that they can do surgery later and give you a whole new stomache. Wouldnt that be nice? I have spoken to other patients who say they wish they had put in the jtube while they had the chance, because eventually their cancer spread and blocked the way for the jtube to be placed. Such a hard decision if ever you have to make it. But please do your research before just saying yes.
    I have to go with your doctor and say if you dont need it dont do it. But thats my humble opinion!

    Well, yeah...
    I will need a tube eventually, after the esophagectomy. No food down THAT tube while waiting for everything to heal up.

    --Jerry
  • jgwright
    jgwright Member Posts: 242
    #18
    jss2011 said:

    HER2
    Hubby's oncologist says HER2 is only for stage IV, so they wouldn't test. I really wonder about the differences here in Canada.

    Julie

    Wow!
    HER2 is an overexpressive gene that makes the cancer grow much more quickly, as I understand it, so waiting until EC gets to Stage IV makes NO SENSE at all, to me.

    --Jerry
  • TerryV
    TerryV Member Posts: 887
    #19
    Give 'em hell, Jerry!
    You've so got the right attitude. I'm in awe of the head first approach you've taken with your care. Keep it up, Jerry. This world needs fighters!

    Love & Hugs,

    Terry
  • MomhasStage4EC
    MomhasStage4EC Member Posts: 39
    #20
    jgwright said:

    Well, yeah...
    I will need a tube eventually, after the esophagectomy. No food down THAT tube while waiting for everything to heal up.

    --Jerry

    Yes of course Jerry, they
    Yes of course Jerry, they gave my mom one knowing she wasnt a candidate for that type of surgery. Which was kind of a poopy thing to do. A regular feeding tube would have done the job. I didnt know too much about the disease when that was happening in her first week of treatment.You are keeping yourself educated which is great! My mother had to rely on others for information since she was in the hospital soon after finding out she had Cancer. You are so very lucky to have found out sooner. When will you get the esophagectomy?
  • jgwright
    jgwright Member Posts: 242
    #21
    MomhasStage4EC said:

    Yes of course Jerry, they
    Yes of course Jerry, they gave my mom one knowing she wasnt a candidate for that type of surgery. Which was kind of a poopy thing to do. A regular feeding tube would have done the job. I didnt know too much about the disease when that was happening in her first week of treatment.You are keeping yourself educated which is great! My mother had to rely on others for information since she was in the hospital soon after finding out she had Cancer. You are so very lucky to have found out sooner. When will you get the esophagectomy?

    Esophagectomy when?
    Hard to say, at least not until February sometime. 5 weeks of chemo and rads, and then a look-see to see if the incursion has shrunk down enough to make surgery a reasonable solution, if so, about a month to heal from the insult to the body that treatment IS, and then chop-chop.

    --Jerry

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