How long have you survived??

Roll Call
I was diagnosed April 1 2010. Staged at T3N2M0.
Chemo and radiation in May and June, surgery July 19.
Doing well considering. I've always had a positive
outlook and I think it helped me the most.

From my diagnosis today makes me a six month survivor.

Bob

Roll call
Diagnosed in Jan 2010. Stage 2... Surgery in April minimally invasive....chemo started in June....Folfox. Last PET scan did show a couple of lit up lymph nodes. Was going to have EUS with needle biopsy next week, but now have fractured left hip. Chemo and cancer are just going to have to take a back seat for awhile. Need prayers.

10 years
I want to add my comments because I want to give hope to others with Esophageal cx. I was diagnosed in Jan 2000 with Stage IV. After mnoths of Chemo and Radiation (at the same time) I went to City of Hope Medical Center (California).For the surgery. During surgery the doctor discovered I needed the entire esophagus to be removed. Which he did. I have an artificial esopophagus made from 80% of my stomach Yes I can eat regular foods (every few hours) with the exception of some.
Here I would like to tell all of you folks out there that COHMC has a staff of world class doctors and nurses.
I'm 72 now and two weeks ago went SeaDooing with my daughter on the river.
I think that the best bit of advise that I can give you is this: Do what the doctor says, take care of yourself,(no smoking or drinking even when you survive) and NEVER,NEVER give up.

My mom was diagnosed two
My mom was diagnosed two days before Thanksgiving 2009. She was stage 4a. After chemo, radiation and telescoping stents in her trachea and esophagus she is doing well. Not great, but well. She has little evidence of disease. Maybe some in her esophagus but they can't tell for sure. She just had a CT scan last week and it looked great.

Her day-to-day struggles include not being able to eat and coughing. Coughing is her biggest problem. She coughs a lot. She feeds herself through a tube.

However, she is here and her doctors are all very happy with her progress. Truth be told, they didn't think she was going to make it to summer. Her stents caused her many problems in the beginning.

I wish everyone here many blessed days with their families and loved ones!

Layne was DX'd April 09
We have been in the battle for 18 months now. We've been through chemo, chemo/rad, IL surgery, cleanup chemo and then had it come back and we have done SirSpheres, Folfox, and a LOT of prayer. He feels great when not on chemo.


Betty

4 years!
I was diagnosed August, 2006 with stage III squamous cell. Underwent chemo/radiation and an esophagectomy in Dec. '06. I celebrated 4 years this fall! Lots of bumps along the road with eating and weight, but hanging in there. I am now 36 years old.

-David
Hillsboro, OH

Donna70 said:

these are so great!!
Thanks for all that have responded so far and for those who will respond. It is just so uplifting to see your numbers. We are so inundated with statistics sometimes, what a wonderful relief to put our numbers up. My fav commercial is the one where someone sings happy birthday meaning more birthdays for cancer survivors. Keep the stories and numbers coming.
Donna70

Stats
My Jim was diagnosed September 6, 2010, started Cisplatin & 5FU September 28, 2010 for two rounds. He is a TXN1MIVa. He is having a EUS on November 8th in Portland at OSHU, and if all goes well will be having MIE mid December 2010. He has been told he is probably a stage III due to celiac node involvement and two other local nodes. There is nothing in the organs.

We are newbies, but plan on being around for many years to come, God willing.

mlbrooks852 said:

Roll call
Diagnosed in Jan 2010. Stage 2... Surgery in April minimally invasive....chemo started in June....Folfox. Last PET scan did show a couple of lit up lymph nodes. Was going to have EUS with needle biopsy next week, but now have fractured left hip. Chemo and cancer are just going to have to take a back seat for awhile. Need prayers.

Prayers
I will definitely keep you in prayer. Take care of yourself with that hip. I hope you will be able to get back to your chemo soon.

Linda

Apurva32 said:

13 months since diagnosis !!!
I was diagnosed on 10/8/2009 and was staged T2N0M0, had 8 rounds of chemo (Cisplatin & Irenotican)and 28 cycles of Radiation, followed by Ivor Lewis surgery on April 5th of this year, all of which was done at Sloan in NYC. After the surgery they staged me down to Stage I based on the pathological report from the tumor site, they were also able to remove 31 lymph nodes all were negative of any live cancer cells. Its been almost 7 months since my surgery and besides a few hiccups and being about 40 pounds lighter I am doing great. Living each day to the fullest and enjoying the time I am spending with my daughter who will turn 2 this coming Feb.

Congratulations!
What an amazing report! That is incredible that you had no cancer cells. You really went through an intensive chemo regimen.

My husband has just been recently diagnosed (Sept 6, 2010) and they are only doing two chemo treatments of Cisplatin & 5fu. He is doing 28 days of radiation (IMRT). We are headed to OSHU
in Portland, Oregon in a week. They did not do a staging test so he will have the endoscopic ultrasound. They found a large tumor in his esophagus when doing a endoscope, the catscan showed lymph node involvement, and a petscan showed lymph nodes including the celiac node. No metastases to any organs. It seems odd that they are only doing two chemo treatments..... He will have surgery in December if the chemo is working. He will have the minimally invasive esophacectomy.

Enjoy that precious child!

Linda