Radiation/Chemo question...

susie,
I am wondering the
susie,
I am wondering the same thing. My dad had surgery first and now is going thur chemo 4 lymph nodes out of 20 came back positive. So they did say he will need radition, he is having one heck of a time right now on his 2nd treatment and Im just wondering how on earth is he going to get thur radition????


God Bless
Tina

Tina Blondek said:

Susie,
I think it depends on
Susie,
I think it depends on where the tumor is on the esophagus. My dad's tumor was down at the opening to his stomach, so the radiation did not effect his swallowing. The thing that did effect his swallowing was the large amount of scar tissue that developed over many years of acid reflux. The scar tissue nearly closed his esophagus off. Your husband may need to get a stent put in his esophagus, my dad did. They also do balloon dialation to open up the esophagus. Try to think of only today.....think of him getting the radiation, then after that is done, see what happens, then deal with it at that time. As far as you are concerned, i think it is mostly caused from all of the stress you have been experiencing. It is like a panic attack. Getting it checked out is best. Praying for both of you daily.
Tina

swallowing
Susie,
Tina is right, it depends on where the radiation is aimed. I had a squamous cell tumor with a +node in the upper chest so all my radiation was aimed right where my esophagus was even though my tumor did not stick out in the canal. I had a lot of problems swallowing but if your husband has an adenocarcinoma in the lower end of the esophagus towards the stomach he may be able to eat pretty good. Also, even though I had swallowing issues and was not a candidate for a stent, I could swallow liquids and shakes. Before surgery, the drs placed an NG tube in my nose for tube feedings so I could get more nutrition so I would heal from surgery. But the drs will explain all of this to you and sometimes as I have been told on this board, take one step at a time during your treatment, if you think too far ahead and start worrying about what is going to happen you may miss what you can do in the present moment. Listen to what the drs say and also ask to speak to the nutritionist who can give you some great tips on building up the caloric intake. Good luck to you and your hubby. Prayers always for all. PS. Hope your heart situation is taken care of.
Donna70

Betty in Vegas said:

It also depends on the type of radiation
With proton, there is usually not a big problem w/swallowing, I hear the same is true for guided photon. IMRT usually does give you problems with swallowing, however.

It also varies from patient to patient, and there are things like "magic mouthwash" that can make it easier for you. If you're really concerned, some docs put a feeding tube in for you.

However, if you need it, you need it. None of the procedures Layne has undergone have been pleasant--but they were necessary. Do ask your docs how to alleviate and minimize ALL the side effects (there are more than just swallowing problems) and ask for medicines to assist! When he has concerns, he should not be shy to raise his hands and say "ouch!"

type of radiation
Betty,
That is a great reply, you thought of some stuff that didnt occur to my chemo brain. The magic mouthwash did not help me but you are right, there are other issues such as pain from radiation and they gave me Lortab, I kept getting pain right where the tumor was, must have been getting zapped big time, but I am ashamed that I don't even know what kind of radiation I got??? I will be sure to ask the drs next time, but my radiologist did not make eye contact and was my least liked dr, all the others were more people persons. And of course everyone is different even with the same cancer. Thanks for the good info for Susie. take care,
Donna70

Hope this helps.....
Hi Susie, I don't post often, but I thought that I might have some info that would help you.

My husband had radiation, and he is doing really well. (They told him numerous possible side effects, and especially that there was a chance that he would have pain and probably have more difficulty swallowing for awhile at the beginning)
He had 6 weeks of radiation, five days a week, which is pretty standard these days. His cancer is adenocarinoma and is located at the junction of the esophagus and stomach. He was DX in 7-07 with stage four, and after 2 years of chemo off and on, and being in "remission" the doctors decided to go after the cancer more aggressively in the local area. The machine they used is called the Varian Trilogy, here is a link to a video that tells about it.It is a new machine, has a CT so they can zero in and see where the radiation is going. He was treated at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida. They have only had this machine about 5 months, and just bought another one for the small sum of five million dollars!!
http://www.cancercenter.com/conventional-cancer-treatment/trilogy.cfm

He did fine, he had no pain, and he is now able to eat almost anything he wants. He had alot of scar tissue in addition to the tumor, and he had lost a total of 70 pounds since diagnosed. The doctors are pleased with his positive results. All I can tell you is ask ALOT of questions, find out from the radiologist ALL the side effect possibilities, and weigh your decision. Also, find the BEST possible facility/radiologist to have the treatments, and make sure that they are board certified. You cannot believe how many of them are not. Check at this site: http://theabr.org/

I think it definitely depends on the radiologist, the machine, and of course the patient. My heart goes out to you, and I wish your husband the best possible outcome.

Lylesmyprince said:

Thanks...
Thank you all for your great questions and your input on what to ask the doctors. Lyle has a PET scan tomorrow and we have a planning meeting with the radiologist Friday to get the results of the scan and a plan for the radiation treatments. Our meeting yesterday with the radiologist revealed that there will be 30 treatments...and we will find out about the chemo on Tuesday. I guess the port will be placed sometime next week so treatment will most likely start the week after. On Sunday it will be 4 weeks since we found out about the cancer and the fact that we haven't started any treatment causes me concern. Trying to take your good advice and take just what today brings as it brings it. The doctor yesterday was encouraging and I feel like we finally got someone to talk straight up with us. I will give more info as we know it. We are praying that the PET scan confirms what the doctors have been telling us that the cancer has not gone anywhere else but the esophagus.

prayers
Susie,
Saying prayers for good PET scan results. Waiting for results can be so difficult. Stay strong,
Jane