Our Journey

Recovery from treatrment......HOPE!!

2011-05-27T06:22:14Z

Dear all,

Russell starts his first cycle of chemo today (EOX),reading your uplifting stories of recovery and remission gives us renewed hope and excitement.............. that will get us through the tough times and keep us fighting.

Thankyou so much and my thoughts are with you all fighting and living with this dreadful disease.

Big hugs

Emma XX

A bad day

2011-05-22T13:11:36Z

I'm trying so hard to be strong and use a bit of humour as in the previous blog but i'm in pieces as i write this i feel so alone at the moment,Russell moves out of his flat in two weeks so we've been sorting stuff out and cleaning to leave it as was.

We were going to do this any way but now our previous plans have been blown to pieces....... he starts chemo this friday so we're anxious about it.Went up to see my parents this morning polite conversation as the'd just come back from a great holiday which i'm so pleased they've had but i feel i'm protecting so many people from what we're going through,i don't want to burden them.

Thinking of all in this dreadful situation,sorry to sound negative Emma XX

So it all begins...................

2011-05-15T15:18:08Z

Well things are really on the move now,Russell has his PET scan on tuesday and pre chemo checks on wednesday chemo starts within a week from then.

We will will find out within the week what the computer decideds his chemo drugs will be, has he's been accepted on the 'REAL 3' trial with a 50/50 chance of having Panitumumab.

The good news we had was that there has not been much change between his two CT scans,although they're still concerned about the lymph node in his neck,his staging at the mo is T3 N1 with M unknown at the moment.

We're anxious about the chemo but know this is the start of his fight ,it feels strange knowing he could be very ill as at the mo apart from tiredness he isn't too bad.

Good luck to anyone else in this situation thinking of you all...................................

LET BATTLE COMMENCE!!!

Thankyou

Emma X

Russells Journey

2011-05-01T09:11:36Z

I would like to share our experiences as i have found a lot of help and comfort from this site......... It is written from my heart.

Wow what a rollercoaster of emotions to find out about Russell's oesophical cancer was such a shock because of inital clear chest x-rays and bloods,although he was having trouble swallowing and eating.

A week later he had the endoscopy after which we were told that this was very very serious and the endoscope couldn't pass a 'mass' at the base of his oesophicus at the top of his stomach,we just felt numb and shattered our world totally blown to pieces.

A couple of weeks ago Russell had a CAT scan and a stent inserted of which has at least made it easier for him to eat and he's even put on weight!! We then found our that the CAT scan had shown spots in his stomach and a enlarged thyroid glad and that he was inoperable.

We went and saw the Oncologist last week and he is sending Russell for a PET scan to double check what's going on in the thyroid area,before he proceeds with the chemo,the waiting is like torture!!

How do you all cope with the rollercoaster of emotions?? I'm handling them as well as i can trying to be strong and carry on,then bang i'm so overcome with sadness and anger.

Would love to hear from anyone going through this.

Thanks love

Emma X