what to expect?

ttbjpw
ttbjpw Member Posts: 19
in Esophageal Cancer #1

Friday s pet scan showed much more than we wanted! This was eyeballed by the Dr so we weren't left hanging over the weekend.  Here's what we found out.  Spot on lung, spot right under the sternum,  one lower by the scar from the surgery. 

Dr. Said in layman's terms, stage 4 metastatic disease, incurable,  need port to start chemo.

This time chemo will be every 3 weeks. 

Dr wants to biopsy,  hubby doesn't see the need, will it really make a difference?

I had to pull teeth to get what I could out of this dr. He doesnt say much. 

Anyway, with that said, has anyone dealt with this kind of diagnosis that can help me know what to expect?

He had surgery for the ec in June,  everything was going great till the weird growth (in another thread if you want to read that)

So this kind of floored us that this was going on inside. 

Never heard of chemo every 3 weeks. Is that like 3 doses at once? 

Dr. Said "since you've been through this before,  you know surgery is not an option since he's had that already".

I really didnt know that,  is surgery a one time thing only?

I dont know if we are talking weeks, months,  years, I'm just very confused right now. 

Going back to dr. Friday,  I definitely need to ask more questions. 

Comments

  • faithinlord
    faithinlord Member Posts: 27
    #2
    Looks like you need 2nd

    Looks like you need 2nd opinion. Pet scan can not tell it all. Even some infection it lights up and shows up as cancer. Your husband would need more tests to see what is going on. And if you do not get all your questions answered by this doctor you definitely need second opinion  before starting chemo again. 

  • srija
    srija Member Posts: 4
    #3
    I am sorry you have to go

    I am sorry you have to go through this again...I remember you said the biopsy from the growth was inconclusive/ contained young cells...maybe another biopsy will give a better idea of the pathology and that is why the doc suggested it...so getting a biopsy is a good idea if your husband is up to it...about the three week chemo its pretty common...its given every 3 weeks if radiation is not involved...my mom had 3weekly chemo before surgery and is now getting post op chemo every 3 weeks...it is aggressive but the side effects will depend on the chemo agents and also the person Because every one is different..but most of the side effects are managble.....surgery is usually(as far as i know)a one time thing in ec... But may be there are people with more knowledge who will be able to answer it better than me...do get a second opinion if possible... And never ever loose hope..there are a lot of stage 4 people who beat the odds...and keep asking questions till you feel you have all the answers...I wish you have a better appointment with the doc this time..prayers!

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