Hi All .
Just wanted to share a bit of positivity .
Back in 2022 , aged 64 , my husband was diagnosed with Stage 2 adenocarcinoma oesophageal cancer in the junction between the oesophagus and stomach , after a rather lengthy 5 and a half month diagnostic process !! ( Long story! )
Treatment was FLOT chemo -minimally invasive two part Esophaghectomy -FLOT chemo . Post surgery testing showed there was no lymph node involvement and clear resection margins .He also had a pyloroplasty procedure during the surgery which he opted for as his surgeon said it could possibly help with the food flow through his altered digestive system .There were no complications and he was in hospital for eight days .His recovery has been a marathon and not a sprint despite him being a fit and agile man prior to his illness .He adheres to his little and often eating regime and he’s gained four pounds in the last six months which shows us that we’ve finally hit on the right routine for him .( A lot of trial and error along the way! )
Because of the unusual presentation of his OC he donated the part of his oesophagus and other tissues removed during surgery to the medical bio bank for future research. Hopefully this will help in some small way to finding new medical techniques and treatment for future generations .
Obviously as we all know it’s a life changing experience and it’s certainly a tough journey into the unknown , but four years have passed so quickly and today he has received his end of monitoring date , this being September 2027 .Just seeing it written in black and white took his breath away as he honestly thought back then that his number was up ! I think his initial negative mind set was due to him sadly losing a friend to this dreadful disease only weeks prior to his own diagnosis .
So he’s been told that if all stays well , in 11 months time his surgeon will take great pleasure in phoning him to say the treatment was successful and he will be considered as being in full remission. We’ve noticed over the years that his medical team always seem to err on the side of caution with this disease and don’t use definitive words like ‘cured ‘ but we do understand that it’s an unpredictable disease as this was explained to us from the very start .
This won’t automatically mend what it’s left behind for him of course .Nerve damage causing the permanent loss of hunger or thirst , chronic acid reflux , osteoarthritis in his knees , hips and top of his spine ( probably caused by the chemo and prolonged malnutrition during his lengthy diagnostic process ) .All treatment related and managed to a certain degree with meds , but he has a quality of life now that he wouldn’t have had without it and has been NED for four years , so we’re very grateful for everything that has been done for him .
I think cancer survivorship is also learning how to celebrate while still carrying what it left behind . So today we did just that ! Tomorrow isn’t a certainty for anyone so we’ve learned to just live in the now !
Sending hope and positive vibes to all on the forum
J x
