I'm New To this Whole Experience

Hello, everyone.

I'm 66 years old. Live with my spouse, Edie, in Smithfield, NC. Two of our children and two grandchildren live nearby. Our other child and her family, including two more grandchildren, live in Ashville, NC. All have been very supportive thus far on this journey. I believe totally in the power of prayer and it seems like, according to my emails, I have thousands of warriors out there praying for me.

In hindsight I recognize the years of reflux and that hacking, gagging cough as symptoms I or someone ought to have investigated further. Oh well...

I have esophageal adenocarcenoma, diagnosed 02/15/2010. Also Barretts Esophagus. At least so far, it has manifested as a fairly large malignant tumor on the inside of my esophagus, lower third, and a malignant lymph node ("baseball size") near the top of the esophagus and pressing against my larynx. Apparently that pressing is against the nerve that controls my left vocal chord, thereby paralyzing that vocal chord and rendering my voice hoarse. About the middle of December, when I lost my voice, was when we first realized something was amiss.

A series of referrals to ENT, GI docs and the attendant endoscopies, biopsies, colonoscopies, CTs of my neck, chest, pelvis and abdomen, PET scan, another endoscopy (this time with ultrasound), more biopsies, and finally the bronchoscopy yesterday have pinned down what I have and its extent. And have led me to the Duke University Cancer Center and the team of surgeons and medical and radiation oncologists who are attending to my cancer. My team consists of Dr D'Amico, surgeon, Dr Safar, medical oncologist, and Dr Czito, radiation oncologist.

I have a radiation therapy simulation scheduled for tomorrow and, supposedly, my chemo and radiation starts on Tuesday, 03/30/2010. Apparently I have been included, as of yesterday, in a clinical trial at Duke that consists of a combination of Panitumumab, Oxaliplatin and Capecitabine.

I am to receive 28 radiation hits over some 36 calendar days. Some of the chemo will be oral every radiation day, some will be IV every week or every two weeks.

Ooops! Just got a call from Duke. Based on the comments of a friend that went through much of this, I have asked for a feeding tube to be installed(?) pro-actively. I do think I have a high threshhold for pain and a good appetite. But I DO NOT want to try being be a hero through all of this. I was a little put off by the idea of a feeding tube because I thought it was all or nothing. But Dr Zagar, another of the radiation oncologists, assured me that it does not HAVE to be used at all but that it is there when, and if, needed. Thanks for that advice, Rick!

Tomorrow I shall ask the questions re: X-Ray dosage and attack pattern. However I think I know that the plan is the plan and I won't have any control over that. But forewarned is forearmed. I do have a list (complete?) of side effects of the radiation, including myelitis and radiation pneumonitis, as well as each of the three chemicals.

I was up to around 248 lbs around Thanksgiving and decided that was enough and adjusted my diet. Since then I have lost about 25 lbs. I was thinking it was because I was being so good. Now I believe I know it is the cancer. So now I am stepping up the calories and protein a bit. I have already found that being a cancer patient does have certain perks. I can eat virtually whatever and whenever I want. I can sleep whenever I want. Not bad.

I have been reading through the posts of all you veterans for most of today. That notwithstanding I welcome any discussion, advice, suggestions that any of you all may have for me.

Thanks for the help.

Vic Voorhees