stricture update - great news

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micktissue
micktissue Member Posts: 430
edited March 2014 in Head and Neck Cancer #1
Hi all. I've been busy opening up our new psychotherapy office in town (a great milestone for me personally) but have been wanting to respond to Una's thread about her stricture. My stricture had completely closed. I see many people talking about their opening in centimeters (cm). 1 centimeter is 10 millimeters (mm, about a half inch). It is likely these measurements are mm not cm. If your opening is really 7 cm, it is likely you are not having a huge problem swallowing - just FYI.

Ok, I had a dilation today and it was an amazing success. My stricture was at 0mm. Nothing was going down, not even my own spit, nor could I burp (let gas out through g tube, seriously). All my hydration and nutrition was through the g tube. Today my amazing H&N surgeon Dr Deepak Gurushanthaia opened it up. Not only am I swallowing my own spit, tonight I ate mashed potatoes and ice cream. My discharge papers say no food restrictions other than as regards pain (IOW take it easy for a few days).

All I wanted to hear today was that the stricture was not caused by a tumor. I could live with the g tube as long as cancer had not resurfaced (remember mine was an occult tumor, this might have been the primary). To have this also is just amazingly wonderful. Taste is there, saliva is there (well, about 70% anyway), and now swallowing is there. My friends are lining up for coffee dates. Life is good.

To Una and anyone else with a stricture: Dawn (sweetblood) tells an amazing story of endurance. 18 months with the g tube. I'm on month 7 and the thought of 11 more months with this is daunting. If they can get Dawn to swallow, and me, they will most likely get you to swallow at some stage.

This story is all just part of the cancer survivor story: endurance. You just have to find a way to endure long enough until things change and it is likely they will change.

Hang in there and visit here for support when endurance ebbs.

Best,

Mick
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Comments

  • Pam M
    Pam M Member Posts: 2,196
    #2
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    Woo Hoo!
    Magnificent news! I was afraid you'd be a PEG long-termer. How yummy was that mashed potato and ice cream meal? Very happy for you. Very good news indeed.
  • Cdn_Army
    Cdn_Army Member Posts: 4
    #3
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    I just wanted to say that
    I just wanted to say that reading that you were at 0mm stricture and then could finally eat and swallow your own spit is exactly the story I needed to hear. I can not swallow my own spit and 100% on the PEG tube, but your story gives me that little confidence that if others came back from 0mm stricture I can do it to and just have to that patience and endurance.
  • D Lewis
    D Lewis Member Posts: 1,581 Member
    #4
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    SO HAPPY TO HEAR THIS!
    Yes I am shouting. Mick this is the best news I've heard for a long while! Doing the happy happy dance for you. Love your reminder about endurance. You are the champ!

    xxxooo

    Deb
  • Glenna M
    Glenna M Member Posts: 1,576
    #5
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    Thank you!!!
    Thank you for sharing the wonderful news, you truly made my day. I've been down in the dumps for a couple of days and this wonderful news has turned my whole day around!!! Thank you :)

    You have been so strong and upbeat through all of this and you deserve this so much.

    Enjoy all of your coffee dates and FOOD!!

    Stay well,
    Glenna
  • Greg53
    Greg53 Member Posts: 849
    #6
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    Glenna M said:

    Thank you!!!
    Thank you for sharing the wonderful news, you truly made my day. I've been down in the dumps for a couple of days and this wonderful news has turned my whole day around!!! Thank you :)

    You have been so strong and upbeat through all of this and you deserve this so much.

    Enjoy all of your coffee dates and FOOD!!

    Stay well,
    Glenna

    Great News!!
    Mick,

    I was hoping the reason you hadn't been on the site lately was due to good news. Sounds like great news to me! Fixed the stricture, taste and saliva back and got your new office going. Congrats Dude!! Glad to hear!

    Greg
  • Jimbo55
    Jimbo55 Member Posts: 590 Member
    #7
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    Excellent News
    Way to go Mick. Cheers

    Jimbo
  • sweetblood22
    sweetblood22 Member Posts: 3,228
    #8
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    Jimbo55 said:

    Excellent News
    Way to go Mick. Cheers

    Jimbo

    Yes!!!!!!!!!
    Ok. I just shed a happy and relieved tear! That is so awesome!!

    You will be like me now everytime you are able to eat and swallow something new it's like euphoric! At least it is for me. Gets me positively giddy. But I was always the live to eat kinda girl!

    I do have a lot of hope now that I may eat almost normally one day. I didn't have that a year ago. I didn't even have that 6 months ago. I agree, Una, and others that have bad strictures, there is still hope. Look for a doctor who can help. It's not perfect for me right now, but it will do. I seem to choke on stuff less and less every week. And when I do get something stuck, I am getting a little better about getting it to move out of there.

    Congrats on opening your practice and on eating!! I still couldn't swallow after my first one, so I think you are gonna do great, Mick!

    Happy Dance!
  • Irishgypsie
    Irishgypsie Member Posts: 333
    #9
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    sweetblood22 said:

    Yes!!!!!!!!!
    Ok. I just shed a happy and relieved tear! That is so awesome!!

    You will be like me now everytime you are able to eat and swallow something new it's like euphoric! At least it is for me. Gets me positively giddy. But I was always the live to eat kinda girl!

    I do have a lot of hope now that I may eat almost normally one day. I didn't have that a year ago. I didn't even have that 6 months ago. I agree, Una, and others that have bad strictures, there is still hope. Look for a doctor who can help. It's not perfect for me right now, but it will do. I seem to choke on stuff less and less every week. And when I do get something stuck, I am getting a little better about getting it to move out of there.

    Congrats on opening your practice and on eating!! I still couldn't swallow after my first one, so I think you are gonna do great, Mick!

    Happy Dance!

    So happy for you!
    I was wondering where you have been? Glad they were able to dilate you! :)

    Cheers!
    Charles
  • stevenl
    stevenl Member Posts: 587
    #10
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    Irishgypsie said:

    So happy for you!
    I was wondering where you have been? Glad they were able to dilate you! :)

    Cheers!
    Charles

    Mashed Potatoes
    Hey Mick,

    Great news man. Not only on the stricture but the business. Hang in there and it's good talking to you again.

    Best, Steve
  • JUDYV5
    JUDYV5 Member Posts: 392
    #11
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    Wow !!!
    That is such great news, you made my day. Congrats on the business also.
  • miccmill
    miccmill Member Posts: 248
    #12
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    JUDYV5 said:

    Wow !!!
    That is such great news, you made my day. Congrats on the business also.

    MICK!
    This is incredibly great news. I'm so happy for you.

    The gift you give to others by sharing your story cannot be measured. Thank you for that.
  • GraceLibby
    GraceLibby Member Posts: 88
    #13
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    Awesome news
    That's great news and I hope you're moving on to other foods shortly! Not that mashed potatoes and ice cream aren't wonderful foods... :)
  • Kimba1505
    Kimba1505 Member Posts: 557
    #14
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    GraceLibby said:

    Awesome news
    That's great news and I hope you're moving on to other foods shortly! Not that mashed potatoes and ice cream aren't wonderful foods... :)

    Fabulous!!!
    Eat...enjoy.
    Kim
  • Joel4
    Joel4 Member Posts: 263 Member
    #15
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    Kimba1505 said:

    Fabulous!!!
    Eat...enjoy.
    Kim

    Awesome
    I can't even imagine the joy you felt when that stricture was opened up. It would have driven me mad to not be able to swallow and for you to suprisingly have that hell come to a sudden end like that must have been overwhelming.
    I'm very happy for you and like Kim said, eat...enjoy.
  • Pumakitty
    Pumakitty Member Posts: 652
    #16
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    Joel4 said:

    Awesome
    I can't even imagine the joy you felt when that stricture was opened up. It would have driven me mad to not be able to swallow and for you to suprisingly have that hell come to a sudden end like that must have been overwhelming.
    I'm very happy for you and like Kim said, eat...enjoy.

    I am so glad to hear this.
    This post really made me happy. I can not imagine how much better you feel.

    Kathy
  • Hondo
    Hondo Member Posts: 6,636 Member
    #17
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    Hi Mick
    Great to hear thing are going well for you brother,keep up the good work
  • staceya
    staceya Member Posts: 720
    #18
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    Hondo said:

    Hi Mick
    Great to hear thing are going well for you brother,keep up the good work

    Fabulous!!
    I am delighted for you!
    Stacey
  • CajunEagle
    CajunEagle Member Posts: 408
    #19
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    staceya said:

    Fabulous!!
    I am delighted for you!
    Stacey

    Great Mick
    You've had a long, hard road to travel. Hope that road now gets a little easier for you.
  • KristynRuth86
    KristynRuth86 Member Posts: 140
    #20
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    CajunEagle said:

    Great Mick
    You've had a long, hard road to travel. Hope that road now gets a little easier for you.

    :')
    I am so extremely happy for you and this monumental victory! Contratulations! May you have many more victories!
  • micktissue
    micktissue Member Posts: 430
    #21
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    hey thanks everyone
    Thanks for all the great wishes.

    I spoke with a friend today about this and he was ecstatic jumping around doing the happy dance. It was pretty cool. Then he reminded me of something. His wife survived lymphoma and his take on chronic illness is that surviving it (the caretakers too) can create a sense of compassion because we have survived a brutal journey through tremendous physical and emotional pain and suffering.

    It got me thinking about how the experience at once joins us, creates a community that instantly 'knows' and instantly cares. I realized in that moment that this is a community I did choose to join, yet feel overwhelmingly grateful and proud to be in its number.

    Thanks to every one of you amazing survivors and amazing caregivers.

    Best,

    Mick

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