Newly diagnosed Oesophagus cancer

Hi Robby , 

The oncologist should give you the most accurate staging .

I do not know if your treatment will be decided on there and then , ours wasn't because she told us she wanted to discuss with her team the best way to progress for my husband , as he has poor kidney function .

The oncologist may put forward a treatment plan in your case and you need to ask what they hope to achieve and what side effects are likely to occur whilst you are going through it and at what stage during the cycle they are likely to start ?

How long does it take , does it involve overnight or is it outpatients etc 

Ask her how big the tumour is .

How will they follow up during treatment ? Who will you see ? How often.

When will they know if the treatment has been effective and  achieved what they are aiming for .

What can you do to ensure best possible outcome from treatment and also how can you prepare yourself and your body  for  the operation .

Off the top of my head these are the most important questions I would ask , you may of course have others , more specific to you .

Take anything thats offered , dietician, counselling , Caribbean holiday ha ha , what i mean is that its tempting to think you are strong and can manage and get through it but this really is a time you need to accept all the help you can get . 

Keep me posted and keep being upbeat , its so refreshing and encouraging . 

Hi Diana!

That is amazing! So glad your husband is feeling a bit better and he has found something which appears to work for him. My husband has been much better on his second chemo shot but the oncologist did reduce the strength by 20% due to his extreme tiredness on his first treatment. I am hoping that we might have a short break somewhere next week before chemo number three. He has however got a very bad cough, does anyone else have this problem? Lucky you living in France, we have spent many happy times tour in France with our caravan and had a week in Preffailles near Noirmoutier last Summer. Hope things continue to go well for you and everyone else. 

Hi Jelliot , 

I was just about to write to you ! 

Good news re your husband too , he is doing  really well . We do not have coughing as symptom but we are on a different regime I think , different chemo drugs so i cannot help on that one .  

We are lucky living in France , its something I take for granted ( we have been here 27yrs ) but perhaps I should not , its a beautiful country and I do love living by the meditteranean , which is especially beautiful in the winter time .  

A short break is a good idea , treats are certainly in order whilst going through all this crap , its important to not be totally engulfed .

How many more treatments are scheduled ?

Wishing you a peaceful weekend . 

Hi Diana

A fountain of knowledge per usual. It gives me a basis on which pertinent questions to ask. I had my laparoscopy today under general anaesthetic so a little tender and woozy still but it will pass over next day or so. I have been given Clexane to self inject over the next 28 days to keep DVT at bay so another part of the journey has been crossed off the list. I will know more on the next MDT I am sure. My next two days are rest and nothing else. 

I will accept all the help on offer, I must say the staff and clinicians in University Hospital Coventry & Warwickshire have been first class so far and I feel confident in them. 

Hope The recovery keeps going well.

Keep in touch

Hi Steveboy you have the identical staging to me let me know how you are and if we can help each other with knowledge, experiences and advice to help get through this.

I have a great online friendship with people on here already giving me lots of support and advice which is really wonderful.

Drop me a line if you want to 

Regards 

Robby

Hi, 

Running lady,

I am sure your mum is getting enough calories, if not I am sure they would have offered her a feeding tube,which my mum had before the radio also she had her stent before she had the radio as she could barely get anything down.

All of this in my opinion should have been done much sooner as she lost a lot of weight and wasn’t very well at all told mac nurse waste of space she was no help at all so I am a bit annoyed to say the least as I think what if she was stronger would she have been able to have more treatment.

Hope your mums radio continues to go well.

Fingers Crossed you will see an improvement in your mum in a few weeks. 

Keep me updated take care shine27 xxx

Shine27,

Thank you for the quick reply.

Mum's enjoying the weekend off long journeys to the hospital.

Can I ask how many treatments your Mum has had?

It's hard to believe 5 days of radiotherapy will do anything?

Some of the posts on here people have 12-15 weeks of treatment? 

Hope your having a good weekend xx

Hi Diana and thankyou for replying. I am finding this site really helpful. Hearing other people’s experiences makes you realise you are not the only ones struggling. How is your husband coping now? I remember you saying he was struggling with eating and mentally, which makes it even more difficult for you. My husband appears to be coping really well but I am sure he is putting on a brave face for me. However we do have our moments and the last few weeks have been particularly trying with my mobility issues. However at the moment all is good and we are making the most of it! Off on a four day break tomorrow. My big boot is going and my dancing shoes are out! ALUN is much better, dealt with chemo really well last week although he did have an allergic reaction when they were administering it! Bit scared but dealt with very efficiently and chemo was eventually completed. Next week is his good week before next cycle. Hopefully he is having four but if you remember he had a bad reaction after cycle three last time so a bit scared! Do hope you are both coping and treatment is going well. Are you having it in France? Interesting to know how treatment compares. Do hope things are going well and that both our treatments will have as good an outcome as is possible. Many thoughts and keep in touch.

Jelliott

Hi, sorry for late reply how is your mum doing as she is coming to the end of her treatment??

My mum had 10 sessions of low dose radio I know it is hard to believe a few days of treatment can make a difference but it must do or they wouldn’t do it lol.

My mum seems to be doing ok at the minuite but seems to have developed a cough and a bit of phlegm is this a cold or something else I don’t know I panick over the slightest thing and she is sick of me nagging at her all the time.

Take cate shine27 

Yesterday's final dose of radiotherapy went ok.

Mum was very weak and felt sick afterwards.

We had to stop the car on the way home.

Mum was very sick, lots of blood it was really frightening.

We phoned the hospital when we arrived home, they suggested the anti sickness medicine and to rest.

Mum went to bed at 4:00pm and rested till 6:00am this morning.

The team phoned today to check on Mum, she has been more comfortable today, and managed 3 Ensure drinks.

Xx