Awaiting my prognosis from the MDT when they discuss on Monday 1/3/21

Hi Sandybet, I can feel your anxiety and fully understand why , it is a very scary time and more questions then answers , try to keep strong and positive and when you have your appointment write things down as I couldn’t remember half of it by the end of the day , get a plan and your head will be in a different place , good luck and praying you get good news , we are all here to support each other as we have all been there , mine was two years now and it’s been quite a life changing experience but feeling great now so there is always hope take care  jackie

Thanx Jackie great advice I’m glad your feeling great  

Hi Sandy, it is a scary time, let’s go through this together. I was diagnosed on 21st Jan with stage 3 so we’re pretty much in the same place. I start 4 cycles of chemo over 8 weeks on Wednesday 3rd . I’m told the sessions take about 6 hours and then you come home with a pump in place which gives the final drug overnight automatically and then you return to get the pump removed. It’s called FLOT which seems to be the standard. That’s the first initial of the chemo drugs you’re given. The Macmillan Understanding Chemotherapy is very helpful as is their Understanding Oesophageal Cancer. Do not Google, Macmillan is all you need. Most of the other stuff is way out of date and often refers to American data.

 I’ll be thinking of you on Monday and wish you all the best xxx

I’m also waiting for staging and prognosis and it is utterly terrifying. It’s also in my nodes too so I’m just waiting for the PET scan results and I have a laparoscopic thing on Friday hopefully. 

I hope you are all ok x

It is terrifying but probably the best advice I’ve been given by health professionals, fellow sufferers on forums like this and friends who may not have the same type of cancer but have had chemo and surgery, is to take it day by day. 
Don’t try to take it all on in one go, just cope with little bite sizes of information. 
I’ve also found that organising all of my notes and information into a file keeps me in control and not it. 
my daughter gave me a journal to keep track of my thoughts, fears and joys along this massive journey I’m about to go on and I’m a prolific note taker! 
As Martin Luther King JR. said “ Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” 
My next step on the staircase is today, my first cycle of Chemo, your next step is your staging and laparoscopic thing on Friday. I’ll be thinking of you, good luck xxx

Hi Sandybet, 

I remember it being a very scary time being diagnosed too. Your bodies lymphatic system is part of your immune system that is like a drainage system getting rid of toxins and providing white blood cells. The lymphatic system includes hundreds of lymph nodes in your body that are like little waste management and chemical factories. Depending on the count and location of your infected lymph nodes (less than 7 and local to your primary tumour) you can still be given a curative treatment path. I had 6 infected lymph nodes. 

Depending on your cancer type if you are offered chemo I would accept it as this will kill cancer cells in your body not just at your primary tumour site. If offered surgery they will remove your primary tumour and all local lymph nodes. When I had surgery they removed 36 lymph nodes even though only 6 showed up as cancerous on my PET scan. 

Once you have been staged there will be a MDT meeting about you and you will be told your staging and proposed treatment plan. 

As for driving after chemo, I don't know. I had 2 sessions (pre and post op) of 4 cycles of FLOT. This chemo is part of the curative treatment plan for adenocarcinoma type of oesophageal cancer. Each cycle lasts 48 hours of which the first 5 hours have to be administered in hospital (due to potential serious side effects). FLOT made me feel very ill and I would not of felt confident driving while undergoing treatment. During your  post surgery session you may be on pain killers from surgery that will not allow you to drive?

But the good news is I am nearly 3 years in remission. So although the treatment is major it is worth it. 

Hi Sandybet

How are you?

Have you heard back from the MDT?

I hope that you have received some of the professional answers that you deserve.

Thinking of you

Lowe'

Hi sandy i was diagnosed with lower oesaphagus tumour stage 3 on 23/12/2020 after camera test,then had scan followed by pet scan ,was then told  i would need further camera test under sedation to see if it had spread ,so after a terrible scary anxous month was told it had not spread,so i have now completed 4 chemo sessions first chemo got really ill  hospital for 6 days had to have feeding tube inserted,but managed to come through next 3 ok ,now eating ok so dietician said tube may come out ,i am now waiting to here about my surgery to remove tumour which will be followed by 4 more chemo sessions ,just stay as posotive and strong minded as y can praying  for y and everyone love and best wishes to all ryss