Eating Solid Food

Hello Ellie – I’ve chosen to answer you on a separate topic line, but when you answer in the future, you can reply or ask more questions on this same line you started on.   See my answer to you on a separate topic line because all the info I've shared is applicable for others as well:   https://csn.cancer.org/node/310214 -

Needless to say, I'm sorry for both you and your husband.  We hope his treatment will result in him being a surgical candidate and a long-time survivor. 

Love Loretta

Ellie1229 said:

Eating Solid Food

Thank you for your reply. I didn't give a lot of information on purpose. I just wanted a reply to that one question. I have done a lot of research and asked a ton of questions already. We are confident in our oncologist. He is associated with the newest and best hospital in the city. He is well-respected by every doctor we have talked to and has experience with esophageal cancer. He also works with the a very good radiation oncologist who has the latest radiation technology - the Varian TrueBeam.  Radiation is not an option for us at the present time. We did get a second opinion at a well-known university cancer center that is recognized for its work and its research. He concurred with our oncologist's diagnosis and treatment plan. We are educated and really do understand the situation we are in. Thank you for responding. I do understand what kind of information I am getting from this discussion board. Anecdotal information was what I was after this time. We have just begun this journey but we understand what we're up against. Thank you again for taking the time to respond. 

Hello again Ellie~

It’s a welcome relief to know that you have conducted adequate research and are confident that the treatment course you are now following is the very best one.   Many people sign on here, and read these posts, yet they never post on their own.  I have those people in mind when I’m writing as well.  Most often those who write here for the first time are overwhelmed and in a state of shock to learn that they, or a member of their family, have been diagnosed with cancer.  The majority of people with whom we speak, both here on the web, and in conversations here at home on a day-to-day basis, are most often unfamiliar with Esophageal cancer.   A case in point--Interestingly, when my husband came home from his Esophageal Cancer support group meeting tonight, I was incredulous when he said that two different patients have Ivor Lewis Esophagectomies (Transthoracic- open) scheduled for this week and they don’t even know the stage of their cancer!   

After reading your reply, I see that you state you “only wanted the answer to one question.”  When people write here and do not share much information, I’m left to wonder just how much they already know, and how I can be of help.  So I just naturally a_s_s_ume that they may not know the basics.  Many state that they have never heard of this cancer before and need to “know more.”  That’s the position from which I most often reply.

You say, “I pretty much knew what the answer would be before I asked but sometimes you do things anyway when you already know the outcome.”  So for the record, and for those who might not have read my longer and more detailed reply, I will repeat my answer to that specific question on this forum.   Specifically this is how I chose to answer you relative to that question.  

______________________________________________________________

 My quote from here--https://csn.cancer.org/node/310214.

“Ellie, you’ve asked only one thing.  “I'm wondering if anyone in this same situation could tell me how many rounds of chemo before they could tell the tumor had shrunk enough for them to eat; or is this going to shrink it enough to eat without surgery to remove the tumor?”

Let me be honestly frank.  Usually patients exhibit the inability to swallow much of anything and that is how they come to know they have a problem.  Many find it difficult to swallow certain kinds of foods.  They go to a doctor finally when weight loss and inability to eat properly becomes a problem.  Too often the doctor sends them home with a prescription for “omeprazole” and does NOT order an endoscopy.  The story too often ends up that the patient actually has Esophageal Cancer, and only worsens even while they are taking some form of omeprazole.  In fact, it has been noted that the famous purple pill (NEXIUM) for instance, can actually often mask the symptoms of Esophageal Cancer, and many ultimately are diagnosed with an advanced stage of EC or even Stage IV Esophageal Cancer,  although their heartburn or acid reflux has improved!   (See article listed below)

As I’ve said, chemo is designed to circulate throughout the entire body in search of cancer cells to kill.  It will not necessarily cause the tumor inside the esophagus to shrink enough that he will be able to eat again, without surgery.  Sometimes radiation can shrink the actual tumor itself enough to enable the person to eat some soft foods, but it will not eliminate the problem short of a surgical solution.” (End of Quote)

_________________________________________________________________

This is a “support group” where different patients and family members share both their sorrows, and their successes.  For some, it’s just a way to voice their frustrations.  And this forum is a place for that as well.  For others it is a “lifeline” that gives them hope that they too can be a “survivor”. 

It’s gratifying to know that even as I continue my own battle with terminal cancer, (Peritoneal Carcinomatosis/Ovarian Cancer Stage IV) that I can help others by sharing the information I’ve learned from both research and from my own life’s experience. Ed, also a Stage IV cancer patient, takes a lot of his precious time to help others.  And I would be remiss if I didn’t mention “Paul61” who spends a lot of his time enlightening and encouraging others who are just beginning their journey down a treacherous road.  We're here providing "insight" as well as "hindsight" relative to our own specific cancers.  It is something we wish to do because we are so grateful to still be alive. 

This small poem, “Along the Road”, comes from a 1939 book of poems.  For me, this says it all.

                                                        Along the Road

                                           I walked a mile with Pleasure;
                                          She chattered all the way,
                                          But left me none the wiser
                                          For all she had to say.

                                          I walked a mile with Sorrow ;
                                          And ne'er a word said she.
                                          But oh, the things I learned from her
                                          When Sorrow walked with me!

                                            (by Robert Browning Hamilton)

Like most everyone here, my husband and I have walked with “Sorrow,” he with EC and me with Stage IV Ovarian...remembering that...

“Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass—it’s about learning how to dance in the rain.”

That’s why we say, “We’re just two beggars telling another beggar where to find a piece of bread.”

Wishing for you and yours the very best,

I have never posted anything in my life until now.