Update on Larry

LauraandLarry
LauraandLarry Member Posts: 184
in Esophageal Cancer #1

Almost 3 months post surgery, more problems. The guy can't get a break. Yes he is cooperating a little more. Yes he is feeling crappier everyday. He was sent for a chest xray today and cried. His voice and swallowing issues are lasting for longer and longer periods of time. INR for blood thinner is finally stable. So now they are looking for a different reason for blood in urine. He has pleural infusion around right lung, and fluid in both lungs. Now the hunt for the cause of this. He also still shows sign of infection in cbc. They believe it could be pneumonia or fluid around lung could be infected. He does not have a fever. He has slowly returned to work for a few hours a day. He is very forgetful. He also has a hard time concentrating. We have our own business. Larry is the most knowledgable person in the state when it comes to floor covering. He is not ready for this and is actually ruining our business. I don't know if people are afraid to bother him because of his conditon. Or if maybe they think he may not be around to complete their projects. He has always been able to sell 90% of contacts. He has not even had 2% in the past several weeks. I don't know how to approach this without hurting his feelings. I feel like his life has been ripped away from him. He cannot even answer his phone most of the time- no voice! This damn disease is ruining our lives. I am so afraid of what the results of testing are going to reveal. This sucks, plain and simple, sucks.

Comments

  • FunGuy
    FunGuy Member Posts: 20
    #2
    I am so sorry this is

    I am so sorry this is happening to you guys. This really sucks. It doesn't sound you like you have much help. Are there friends and family around that can help answering phones and with the business? Are you plugged into a church community that can also offer help? Are you good at asking for help or want to do everything yourself?

  • LauraandLarry
    LauraandLarry Member Posts: 184
    #3
    FunGuy said:

    I am so sorry this is

    I am so sorry this is happening to you guys. This really sucks. It doesn't sound you like you have much help. Are there friends and family around that can help answering phones and with the business? Are you plugged into a church community that can also offer help? Are you good at asking for help or want to do everything yourself?

    Funguy

    Thanks so much. I will keep pushing for Larry to let go more and let other people take over. Yes we have several dedicated employees that really stepped up to the plate. However Larry keeps pushing his way through, thinking he is doing good by returning. I feel for him terribly. This is his life, and makes him feel whole. I think I am seeing that he is realizing it is not working. Fingers crossed.

  • NikiMo
    NikiMo Member Posts: 342
    #4
    ENT?

    Hi Laura,

     

    My husband had the same struggles after surgery with his voice, he also had trouble with pneumonia and was hospitalized.  For the voice (and swallowing) Jeff saw an ENT that gave him a shot of restalin in his left paralyzed vocal chord.  He immediately had his voice back and his swallowing improved immediately.  His mood improved when his voice returned, I didn't realize how much that was affecting him until he had his voice back.  Jeff was pretty weak until about 6 months after surgery.  He lost his job (he worked as a manager in retail), but found a job that was more flexible and would let him concentrate on recovering (which really is a job in itself).  It was a long hard road, he is 18 months out now and is stronger than before he was diagnosed.  I would suggest getting a good primary doctor, that is what we did after being really frustrated for six months.  He got Jeff physical therapy three times a week which insurance covered.  Have you asked about an ENT yet?  I am sorry that you guys are going through this, I know exactly how you are feeling.

     

    Niki

  • LauraandLarry
    LauraandLarry Member Posts: 184
    #5
    NikiMo said:

    ENT?

    Hi Laura,

     

    My husband had the same struggles after surgery with his voice, he also had trouble with pneumonia and was hospitalized.  For the voice (and swallowing) Jeff saw an ENT that gave him a shot of restalin in his left paralyzed vocal chord.  He immediately had his voice back and his swallowing improved immediately.  His mood improved when his voice returned, I didn't realize how much that was affecting him until he had his voice back.  Jeff was pretty weak until about 6 months after surgery.  He lost his job (he worked as a manager in retail), but found a job that was more flexible and would let him concentrate on recovering (which really is a job in itself).  It was a long hard road, he is 18 months out now and is stronger than before he was diagnosed.  I would suggest getting a good primary doctor, that is what we did after being really frustrated for six months.  He got Jeff physical therapy three times a week which insurance covered.  Have you asked about an ENT yet?  I am sorry that you guys are going through this, I know exactly how you are feeling.

     

    Niki

    Hi Niki

    Thanks for responding. I would first like to say I am so happy to hear Jeff is finally soing so well. I have read many of your posts. You guys have been through the wringer like so many others. The ENT likes to wait until 6 months post op to see if it resolves on its own, at both hospitals. However because Larry continues to get worse I believe the oncologist will refer him over when we see him on Monday. Enough is enough. I am getting worried about his mental health. Now when he is finally really trying to eat, nothing works. Even a few sips of water will cause hoarseness, sore throat, and loss of voice to a faint strained whisper. We did switch primary care Drs. The new Dr is wonderful. I love how he goes over the oncologists' head and orders tests. He sees Larry once a week. He said that the fluid in around his lungs could also be causing it. We will know more this week. Take care

  • eternalife
    eternalife Member Posts: 36
    #6
    LauraandLarry said:

    Hi Niki

    Thanks for responding. I would first like to say I am so happy to hear Jeff is finally soing so well. I have read many of your posts. You guys have been through the wringer like so many others. The ENT likes to wait until 6 months post op to see if it resolves on its own, at both hospitals. However because Larry continues to get worse I believe the oncologist will refer him over when we see him on Monday. Enough is enough. I am getting worried about his mental health. Now when he is finally really trying to eat, nothing works. Even a few sips of water will cause hoarseness, sore throat, and loss of voice to a faint strained whisper. We did switch primary care Drs. The new Dr is wonderful. I love how he goes over the oncologists' head and orders tests. He sees Larry once a week. He said that the fluid in around his lungs could also be causing it. We will know more this week. Take care

    Hi Laura

    Sorry to hear about the steady decline of your business, as a result of this damn thing called cancer. My husband was self employed as well, over a year and a half ago and had to stop working. He is an accountant and was doing very well, but cannot concentrate and focus any more for very long. He says it takes him 3x the length of time to do his old work, so just doesn't bother, It is a financial hardship for us. We had planned to keep working for a while longer , both still unde 60, but with the cancer diagnosis all our plans went out the window.

    There really is no safety net, when you work for yourself. Hate to be so blunt. Try to get the help from family and friends. Larry needs to focus on getting his strength back, I don't recall what his stage was, mine was given a diagnosis of stage iv EC, waiting for the results of the next scan due mid July.

    Be strong, one day at a time, my friend. Our lives hang in the wind.

    Best

     

     

     

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