In need of help. Wife in distress

ptflea01
ptflea01 Member Posts: 3
in Esophageal Cancer #1
Hello,

I have been scouring the internet like most with unanswered questions. My husband over the last year has had trouble with a sore throat, dryness, trouble swallowing. He has to think when he eats so not to get choked on his food. His voice is horse and it is getting worse. I knew when he made his own appt. that it couldnt be good. Several days before the appt. he started getting a cold. I thought crap they are going to say post nasal drip again. They did! Take allergie meds which he has been and acid reducers which he has been for a year now. When this happens he just clams up and wont say anything furtherand refuses to go back to waste money. Ugh. I have a big mouth and I had a slight come apart at this PA. I feel like no one is listening to him. I am deeply concerned that we are wasting time. Any suggestion or stories that might help here or am I just being over bearing?

Comments

  • sangora
    sangora Member Posts: 213
    #2
    Continue to be OVERBEARING
    With the swallowing issue, I would get an appointment with a GOOD gastroenterlogist. EC does not wait on anything. It takes hold and spreads to other organs and does so quickly. Once it reaches Stage IV, there is no cure. This will not go away, trust me. Many of us are stage IV and incurable when diagnosed. Push forward, at this point the cost of the appointment is the least concern. Sam Stage IV
  • AngieD
    AngieD Member Posts: 493
    #3
    sangora said:

    Continue to be OVERBEARING
    With the swallowing issue, I would get an appointment with a GOOD gastroenterlogist. EC does not wait on anything. It takes hold and spreads to other organs and does so quickly. Once it reaches Stage IV, there is no cure. This will not go away, trust me. Many of us are stage IV and incurable when diagnosed. Push forward, at this point the cost of the appointment is the least concern. Sam Stage IV

    Sam is completely right.
    Sam is completely right. Find a gastroenterologist that will do an endoscopy, and don't take no for an answer. With the results of that, you will find what the next step should be, but you must get this done.
  • jgwright
    jgwright Member Posts: 242
    #4
    sangora said:

    Continue to be OVERBEARING
    With the swallowing issue, I would get an appointment with a GOOD gastroenterlogist. EC does not wait on anything. It takes hold and spreads to other organs and does so quickly. Once it reaches Stage IV, there is no cure. This will not go away, trust me. Many of us are stage IV and incurable when diagnosed. Push forward, at this point the cost of the appointment is the least concern. Sam Stage IV

    Agreed...
    I had my first endoscopy done by a surgeon, NOT a gastroenterologist, and he misdiagnosed my cancer as Barrett's Esophagus, and DID NOT do a biopsy. This put me two months behind the curve and by the time I had an endoscopy done by GI doctor, my tumor was the size of a walnut.

    --Jerry
  • jim2011
    jim2011 Member Posts: 115
    #5
    You are clearly concerned.
    EC is on a very short list of what could be a big problem. I do-not want to alarm you but don't stop until you get answers. Get a scope down there to look around asap. I wish you the best.
    Jim
  • ptflea01
    ptflea01 Member Posts: 3
    #6
    jim2011 said:

    You are clearly concerned.
    EC is on a very short list of what could be a big problem. I do-not want to alarm you but don't stop until you get answers. Get a scope down there to look around asap. I wish you the best.
    Jim

    ENT
    The best I am able to get at this point is an appt. with an ENT. The GI guys wont see him for 3 months. I practically begged for a scope and was told lets not get ahead of ourselves. My husband has chewed and swallowed it for 30 years. We have also indulged in drinking. Much more in our younger years and he had skin cancer at 35. I asked what would the harm or big deal be to scope him and just lay any fears to rest. Still no. I have worked in the medical feild all my life and have left several times because of my inablity to deal with the politics and general lack of care. Being new to the sight where can I go to read others stories?
  • paul61
    paul61 Member Posts: 1,391 Member
    #7
    ptflea01 said:

    ENT
    The best I am able to get at this point is an appt. with an ENT. The GI guys wont see him for 3 months. I practically begged for a scope and was told lets not get ahead of ourselves. My husband has chewed and swallowed it for 30 years. We have also indulged in drinking. Much more in our younger years and he had skin cancer at 35. I asked what would the harm or big deal be to scope him and just lay any fears to rest. Still no. I have worked in the medical feild all my life and have left several times because of my inablity to deal with the politics and general lack of care. Being new to the sight where can I go to read others stories?

    Your ENT can do a Nasal Esophagoscopy
    I am including below a web site reference to a segment on esophageal cancer that was recently aired on the Dr. Oz program that describes a test that can be done in the ENT’s office to examine your husband’s esophagus.

    This may provide information to either calm your fears or provide justification for a faster appointment with your gastroenterologist. The segment on Dr. Oz was well done and I recommend watching both part one and part two of the program. The reference below will take you to “part two” that describes the Nasal Esophagoscopy.

    Nasal Esophagoscopy


    Best Regards,

    Paul Adams
    McCormick, South Carolina

    DX 10/22/2009 T2N1M0 Stage IIB
    12/03/2009 Ivor Lewis
    2/8 through 6/14/2010 Adjuvant Chemo Cisplatin, Epirubicin, 5 FU
    Two year survivor

    Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might as well dance!
  • tb7
    tb7 Member Posts: 52
    #8
    ptflea01 said:

    ENT
    The best I am able to get at this point is an appt. with an ENT. The GI guys wont see him for 3 months. I practically begged for a scope and was told lets not get ahead of ourselves. My husband has chewed and swallowed it for 30 years. We have also indulged in drinking. Much more in our younger years and he had skin cancer at 35. I asked what would the harm or big deal be to scope him and just lay any fears to rest. Still no. I have worked in the medical feild all my life and have left several times because of my inablity to deal with the politics and general lack of care. Being new to the sight where can I go to read others stories?

    I totally agree with Paul . . .
    My husband was diagnosed a little over four years ago, had surgery in March 2008. He has had two recurrences and is currently in treatment again. In light of his history, we had our two adult children go through an esophageal evaluation through the nose. The test is done with a camera so the doctor can see if there are any suspicious areas that indicate follow-up is warranted. We watched the screen along with the doctor! Definitely, I would recommend, particularly if you cannot get in to see a gastroenterologist, that your husband go through this test. Like Paul suggested, if anything looks out of the ordinary, it might help to shortcut the wait time to see a specialist.

    I encourage you to not put off figuring out what is going on. My husband started with problems swallowing vitamins, waited, and, by the time he saw a doctor, he was T3.
  • ptflea01
    ptflea01 Member Posts: 3
    #9
    paul61 said:

    Your ENT can do a Nasal Esophagoscopy
    I am including below a web site reference to a segment on esophageal cancer that was recently aired on the Dr. Oz program that describes a test that can be done in the ENT’s office to examine your husband’s esophagus.

    This may provide information to either calm your fears or provide justification for a faster appointment with your gastroenterologist. The segment on Dr. Oz was well done and I recommend watching both part one and part two of the program. The reference below will take you to “part two” that describes the Nasal Esophagoscopy.

    Nasal Esophagoscopy


    Best Regards,

    Paul Adams
    McCormick, South Carolina

    DX 10/22/2009 T2N1M0 Stage IIB
    12/03/2009 Ivor Lewis
    2/8 through 6/14/2010 Adjuvant Chemo Cisplatin, Epirubicin, 5 FU
    Two year survivor

    Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might as well dance!
    Dr Oz
    Paul thank you so much for that link. I watch Dr. Oz all the time but some how I missed that one. Again thank you. We have ENT appt. thursday of next week. Thank you to everyone who has posted. I hope, sorry no offenes, that this site doesnt become my new life line. I will post after the ENT appointment or if I can pull any strings and get him into a GI guy sooner.
  • Court_Ren
    Court_Ren Member Posts: 27
    #10
    Get him in right away. I
    Get him in right away. I don't care of you look a little crazy, at first the dr's were going to take out my husbands gallbladder, thinking that was causing the pain, but after more tests. Sure enough EC. Good luck hun, do whatever it takes.

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