Encouragement -- I have stage 3A stomach cancer

DJB
DJB Member Posts: 7
edited March 2014 in Stomach Cancer #1
Hello,

I hope to offer some encouragement -- as well as ask for information.


If you follow my postings - you will see that I was "blindsided" by a dx of stomach cancer -

Since then -

I have had 60% of my stomach removed - and they found that of 11 nodes removed there was evidence of the cancer in 8. So - CHEMO is next - I vist the oncologist next week.
My question before I ramble a bit

HOW IS THE DAY TO DAY LIFE WITH CHEMO - WILL I BE REALL SICK (I FEEL GREAT RIGHT NOW)
I THINK THE PEOPLE I WORK FOR ARE CONCERNED WITH MY RETURN TO WORK AND THEN GOING ON CHEMO - LIKE IT WILL EFFECT MY WORK - ANY IDEAS OR COMMENTS PLEASE?


I am 60 years old -- and I have spent most of my work life the last 10 years on the road - I am convinced that if I had been at home I would never have had a problem - my wife is an organic gardener and cook - eating at home since my diagnosis had been wonderful - I never felt better --

Here are a few things that I would like to share with anyone going down this path with stomach cancer -

First God Bless you - you didn't ask for it any more than I did - but here we are - so let's beat this -

My Doc's first bit of advice - The bed is not your friend - use it to sleep and it will serve you well - but keep it at that -

I was out of bed the day after surgery - PAINFUL - but each day got easier - and 3 weeks later I am doing 3 miles of walking a day - and feel great -

and food - yes, I am of course lucky - even with my little 40% of a stomach I can eat well.

I think this is an area that get overlooked -- I would love to eat pitza and ice cream all day -- but that was the old me - I feel great eating oatmeal, eggs and grits -- whole wheat

all kinds of fruits and veggies - asparagus - artichokes - kale - stuff I steered clear of before -

I had to work up to full fledged meals and the ability to eat most anything - and I have enough sense to put the brakes on each meal before I feel full -- but I feel better now than before -

My encouragement - I saw people in the hospital that had less of an issue than I had - but they would not try - and fought the advice to get up and move - and in speaking to them could not wait to get back to the high sugar and fat diets of their past -

Please - if you are smart enough to find this web page - you are smart enough to research the right life style -
I offer you proof - it works - get up and move - and enjoy fresh healthy food -

I really think there should be more attention to diet and exercise not only as prevention - but after surgery and as our way of life -


Thanks All,

DJB

Comments

  • Tina Blondek
    Tina Blondek Member Posts: 1,500 Member
    #2
    Amen!
    Dear DJB
    Thank you for posting your story. I totally agree with you. Enough is not said about eating habits and lifestyle. People think you have to smoke, drink, or be a sun worshiper to get cancer. People do not realize that a lot of these cancers are caused by our eating habits and lifestyles!! Congratulations on your success! I was a caregiver for my dad. He passed away in March from esophageal cancer with mets to the liver. My dad complained for years to the drs about his chronic acid reflux....which was caused by his eating habits. I blame his eating habits as well as the drs for not sending him for a scope. By the time my dad self diagnosed himself and made the drs give him a scope....he was at stage IV. Well, enough said. Thanks again and lets hope we can spread the word! God bless you.
    Tina in Va
  • livestrong_fighter
    livestrong_fighter Member Posts: 39
    #3
    Hanging there,
    you are on the right track to recovery!

    Good luck!
  • dustmagnet7
    dustmagnet7 Member Posts: 27
    #4
    Diet and chemo...
    Let me first say, great job on the diet change. Sounds like you have the no-stomach thing worked out. I was diagnosed last febuary with stage 4 stomach cancer and had my entire stomach, 2/3 of my intestines and a good portion of the omentum removed. I then went through 7 rounds of very agressive chemo (I'm 36 so my doctors gave me the most agressive treatment I could survive). I will be honest, my chemo treatments were the hardest thing I've ever gone through in my life. Surviving treatment became my full time job. The nausea was crippling and I ended up losing close to 70 pounds. Each round of treatment I would loose the lining of my digestive tract and eating became painful. I also ended up with severe neuropathy in my hands and feet (its starting to get better) and terrible ringing in my ears. My treatments also caused some problems with my short term memory (which is also getting better). It was very hard getting through treatment, but well worth it. My origional diagnosis gave me 12-16 months to live, but now I'm cancer free with 2 clear scans to prove it. Its been almost 6 weeks since I finished chemo and the side effects are getting better. Fight like you've never fought before, stay positive and you will get through this. Best wishes to you.

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