My dad has Esophogas Cancer

paul61 said:

I was diagnosed the same stage as your Dad

I was diagnosed with the same stage of esophageal cancer as your Dad in 2009. I had surgery and chemotherapy and I am doing well today.

First, not all people react the same way to chemotherapy, some people have a very difficult time and some people do not.

All patients who have chemotherapy had unpleasant side effects. In my case the side effects were nausea, fatigue, and diarrhea. My oncologist gave me additional medications to improve all of the side effects I had. It did not make them go away completely but they did improve things considerably.

I had three chemotherapy drugs, Cisplatin, Epirubicin, and 5FU. I received the Cisplatin and Epirubicin every 21 days and received the 5FU continuously via a personal IV medication pump that I wore for the period of my chemotherapy. My side effects were most pronounced three days after the infusion with Cisplatin and Epirubicin for about 4 days, things improved the second week, got much better the third week. Then it was time for my next infusion and the process started over again. After a while your Dad and his oncologist will learn how his body responds to the particular drugs they use and how to manage his side effects. At no time during my chemotherapy was I so ill that I could not get out of bed. Perhaps, depending on where your wedding is in his chemotherapy cycle, your Dad and his oncologist can time things so his side effects are at minimum.

The survival rate for surgery seems low because it is MAJOR surgery. The esophagus is in a difficult place to reach and close to the critical major organs (lungs, heart, liver, etc.), after the esophagus is removed the stomach must be reshaped into a tube and used to replace the esophagus. You want to be sure the surgeon that does this surgery has done MANY of these surgeries and it is done in a center that does MANY as well. This is not something for your local hospital and a general thorasic surgeon.

It took me about six months to recover from my Ivor Lewis esophagectomy and almost a full year before I felt like my “old self” again.

This is a difficult treatment, but the good news is that people survive the treatment, recover, and continue enjoying life with the people they love.

Come back here often with questions as your Dad continues through surgery, we can make suggestions to make the process easier and offer encouragement when he becomes depressed.

Best Regards,
Paul Adams
Grand Blanc, Michigan

DX 10/2009 T2N1M0  Stage IIB - Ivor Lewis Surgery  12/3/2009 - Post Surgery Chemotherapy 2/2009 – 6/2009
Cisplatin, Epirubicin, 5 FU - Four Year Survivor

 

 

 

Thank you so much Paul for the information. We will speak with our oncologist and see if it can be timed so his side effects are too sever during my wedding. I feel better knowing that there wasn't a day where you couldn't get out of bed. I understand everyone reacts differently to the drugs but it's still comforting knowing that there is a good chance my dad will attend my wedding.

I will definitly be posting more questions on here while my dad is going through Chemo. I really appreciate your offer to give ongoing advice. My dad is my world and I will do anything I need to to make sure he gets better.

Did you have an NG tube? Did it help you mantain your weight? Did you lose alot of weight during chemo?

mardigras said:

There is hope! Especially at stage 2.

HI Jess,

I'm so sorry you find yourself here, but welcome to our support group.

You will find a lot of help and advice here as time goes by, but I wanted you to know that you are not alone.

My husband is a three year survivor of this horrible disease, and he is doing really well.

You are fortunate that your Dad is stage two, which means that a lot can be done for him. My husband Rob was a borderline stage 4 and he almost did not qualify for the op. Rob survived the op and the treatment, so there is  hope.

Rob had little to no side effects from the chemo and we were able to walk four miles every day. I kept him on a diet very rich in vitamin C and antioxidents. He was not sick once and even if a patient does feel sick, there is medication to counteract it. We tried our best to keep him fit, so that he could cope with the op. I'm not saying for a moment that it was a walk in the park, but it's behind us and we look forward now.

Just a couple of things to think about before your Dad's treatment begins.

Ask your oncologist to do a test to see if your Dad has the HER2 gene. If he has then he would be able to have Herceptin chemo. The results from Herceptin are amazing. Rob did not have the gene so he wasn't able to have Herceptin, but your Dad might have the gene,  so ask. 

Also, make sure that you research his surgeon. He needs yo be someone who has done very many of these operations. Depending on where you live, you can ask on here if anyone has heard of your surgeon. Someone probably has if he is good.

 

 

If you need more info or help, just ask. There is akways someone who will be happy to help.

 

Prayers and a hug,

 

Marci xxx

Thank you so much Marci for your kind words. I am so happy your husband is doing great now and that he had little to no side effects from chemo. That also gives me hope

I will ensure we keep my dad on a diet very rich in Vitamin C and antioxidents as you mentioned. This helps! I'm very glad to hear that your husband was able to walk every day for 4miles! I was under the impression that my dad would barely be able to get out of the house- we will ensure to keep my dad active and he gets alot of fresh air.

We were also told my dad will never be able to eat properly again after the surgery. Did your husband find the same thing?

I'm so glad to have found this board. Thank you so much for messaging me- I can't even explain how greatful I am to be obtaining help from strangers that have gone through what my dad has or is someone really close to someone that has.