Feeling hopeless

No one knows exactly how long we have, only the man upstairs.  My aunt fought esophageal cancer for 3 1/2 years before her death.  My husband has been fighting first laryngeal cancer, then cancer at the cervical of his esophagus, then a reoccurrence at the cervical of his esophagus and spread to his right lung.  Cancer at the cervical of the esophagus is rare and he has already survived longer than any of his doctors thought he would.  He has been on in-home hospice since September 2013 and isn't doing too bad.  My husband decided in January 2013 that he wouldn't do any further treatments after 72 rounds of radiation, 10 rounds of chemo and surgery.  He said enough. 

Doctors can only guess.  I pray that you and your husband have a long time together yet.  Take each day as it comes and enjoy it the best you can. 

Wishing you and your family peace and comfort.

Deathorglory said:

Sorry to hear your news

Hello,

 

Sorry to hear of your situation.  From what you're describing, it sounds like the correct staging would be stage IV.  Stage IV is metastatic, where it has spead to other, distant points.  Stage III is more localized spread to nearby lymph nodes.  I can't speak to how accurate your doctors may be, but I have a couple of suggestions in case you're not just looking to get affairs in order and wait.  

 

First and foremost, the most important thing you can do in my opinion is to get to a top of the line cancer center.  Something like Johns Hopkins, Memorial Sloan Kettering, UPenn, M.D. Anderson (sorry for my east coast bias, but that's where I'm from).  I'm sure there are comparable facilities in your part of the world and someone here could probably point them out to you if you let folks know where you're from.  This is not a minor ailment, it is best treated by people who deal with it for a living instead of at your local hospital.  Secondly, find out about the HER2/Neu status.  If your husband is positive for that, there's a potentially powerful treatment available.  

 

Hope your doctors are wrong,

 

Ed

I have been on this forum for about four years. During that time I have seen many patients significantly outlive the time their doctor estimates they will live. I have also seen some who did not do as well as their doctor hoped. In the final analysis the doctor makes a guess on how long a patient has based on the extent of the cancer in the body and the physical condition of the patient. This guess ignores many things like the patient's support system, their will to survive, and new treatment approaches that that particular doctor may not be familiar with. 

I would incourage you to get a second opinion from a hospital that has significant experience with the treatment of EC, they may have some ideas your current oncologist has not considered.

Best Regards,

Paul Adams

McCormick, South Carolina

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

John Char said:

To Ladylacy

When you say 72 rounds of radiation does that mean you went 72 times? My husband it doing 10 radiation in a row. Is that 10 rounds or 1?? Is the chemo worth taking? Is it going to take the time he has left and make him so sick he will wish he didn't do it? 

The first time my husband had 35 radiation treatments.  One a day for 7 weeks for his laryngeal cancer.  The second time (a year later) he had 72 radiation treatments for the tumor at the cervical of his esophagus. 

You need to know that not everyone responds to chemo or radiation in the same manner.  My husband did well considering his age when he started his journey with laryngeal cancer he was 73 and that has been 4 years ago.  As far as the chemo, we were told upfront when the reoccurrence and spread was found that the chemo would only prolong his life and possibly hasten it because this time the chemo would be stronger.  We were told this by three different doctors and they all agreed with my husband's decision.  But like I said before my husband had already told me no more that he preferred quality of life over quantity.  Hard decision to accept but it was his decision and his alone.

I see where you are going for a second opinion that is great.  Also make sure you have a surgeon and oncologist who are very knowledgeable in this field.  That is very important.  But after all is said and done it is still your husband's decision to make.  Any cancer treatment is hard on the body and some just can't handle the chemo while others have no side effects or very little side effects.

Wishing you and your family peace and comfort  

The Cleveland Clinic has an outstanding reputation.  I hope they're able to help you guys.

Ed

Hello,

I was given 7-8 months about 3 years ago.  I was given a series of medications (I think about 3-4) to take to minimize the side effects of my chemo (folfox).  My doctor was 100X more concerned about side effects than I was.  I was only concerned with killing the cancer.  It worked out well, b/c she killed the cancer and I only suffered minimal side effects.  I don't recall which medications she prescribed, but they are what worked for me, not what would necessarily work in your case.  The key is to have a doctor that you trust to prescribe what will work for you.  

I hope things work out as well as possible,

Ed

You can have confidence in Cleveland Clinic.  It is known nationwide.  But doctors there are still making educated guesses. And people respond to treatment differently.