Advise pleaseeeee

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Hi all, I really need some help and advise feeling very lost at the moment.

On Monday my dad (57 years old) was rushed to hospital vomiting blood and black stools.

Has lost weight over the last year and recently found out has had trouble swallowing.

On Tuesday he had a endoscopy done and biopsy taken, we are still awaiting results of the biopsy however they have found a 3cm lesion and have said it looks like cancel of the oesophagus.

He has been referred to Mcmillan and have to wait 2 weeks to have a CT scan to see if it has spread. 

What we can't understand is if the biopsy results haven't come back yet why the referral etc, do they know something we don't.

Feel so lost and unsure of what todo.

Any advise ans help would be greatly appreciated.

  • Emzi 

    I am really sorry to hear about your dad, it must be such a shock for you.  From my experience, the doctor will be pretty sure a 3cm lesion is cancer.  I had a colonoscopy and they told me right away that they were pretty sure the tumour was cancerous  even before the biopsy results.   
    The next step is to get as much information as possible in order to decide a treatment pathway so it’s a difficult time for you as there’s a lot of uncertainty!

    The medical team won’t have the answers until they do a lot of tests- I had a CT, two MRIs…. Then there is Multi Disciplinary Team meeting to decide on treatment.

    This is the worst time and the waiting is agony!  The only thing to do is to keep busy and focus on doing things to help your dad.   Macmillan will provide help and support so do call Telephone receiver them.  I also found Maggie’s Centre really good if you have one near you.

    There are lots of really positive stories from people on this group so hang in there!  Once you know what you are dealing with, it will get easier!

    Take care

    Jac

    Life is what happens when you are making other plans!  
     
     
  • Hi Jac 

    Thank you for your reply.

    If you don't mind me asking did you have any symptoms? I've been reading up on Google not always the best thing todo but quite a few sites are saying that once the symptoms have started it means the cancer has grown etc.

    I belive the reason for my dads bleeding upper Gi was because the leison had ruptured ? 

    Just So many questions.

    The waiting is just awful.

    Xxx

  • Hi

    I have had cancer twice - stomach cancer four years ago and bowel cancer fifteen years ago!  So not oesophageal cancer!

    I did have symptoms- when I had Bowel cancer I had bleeding and was constipated and four years ago I felt sick and lost my appetite, so went for tests.

    It’s so hard for you as you want to know the answers but until all the tests are done, the doctors won’t know what they are dealing with!  Google is the worst! The information from the Oesophageal Patient Association was really good and I found it useful.  Stomach cancer is similar to Oesophageal cancer 

    https://opa.org.uk

    Your dad is young and the treatments can treat the cancer!  There are so many people who share their stories on this site and it’s important to try to stay positive!

    I tried to focus on things I could control as I realised I couldn’t change what the outcome of the tests would be!

    I used Headspace, which helped me to cope with anxiety and the panic! It also helped me sleep. It uses mindfulness techniques.

    It might help to write down your questions and ask the Macmillan nurse who is looking after your dad.

    Doing things to help your dad will really help him through this!

    Good luck!

    Jac

    Life is what happens when you are making other plans!  
     
     
  • Once again thank you for your reply.

    Thank you for your info I will definitely be looking into them all.

    I know my dad is really going to struggle and he has never really been one to talk about things like this, has always been scared of gp etc but I'm sure if I can give him as much info as possible it might help him.

    We have always been very close and he knows no matter what I am always here for him, I just feel useless. Doesn't help that he moved 200miles away when he separated from my mum 2 years ago.

    Me and my brother are going to see him this weekend as a suprise so hopefully will make him feel a little better and will try and have a chat about things.

    Xxxx

  • Hi - sorry to hear about your Dad. My Dad was recently diagnosed and is still having tests. It’s been 5 weeks now with various tests and the waiting is absolutely awful. I read pretty much every single thing I could on google but he was told by the hospital to stay well away from google as a lot of the information is way out of date and also every single person reacts differently to treatment so they can’t say how one individual person will be affected which I suppose does make sense.

    • Hi there. I just wanted to say how sorry I am that you find yourself in this situation. I was diagnosed with OC in February and it has certainly been a roller coaster. Like you I spent hours on Google reading up on my condition but in reality my journey bears no relation to what I discovered online. I think I was looking for reassurance but everyone is different and it is much better to rely on your team who will look after you.I also understand how hard the waiting is. The advice I was given was to get some good nutrition when possible, keep as fit as possible and stay positive. 
  • So sorry to hear you are going through this too. That’s absolutely right I was looking for reassurance too but realised unfortunately nobody, certainly not google can give that, in fact probably makes it worse to be honest it did for me! How are you doing now? What is your treatment plan? 

  • I was given chemo at first but then became very ill. Turns out that there was a hole in my oesophagus and it had caused a lung infection. It took a while to recover and then they told me that I couldn’t have the operation as the cancer had spread to some lymph nodes. Luckily I recovered from the infection and am feeling pretty well. I am waiting for a scan and then they will decide what treatment is next. The oncologist thinks radiotherapy will be the next option and maybe more chemo. Things change so quickly and you can’t predict what will happen but I am trying to make the most of every day. I am eating better and walking a few miles each day. I’ve definitely stopped using Google!! I hope your dad gets a treatment plan soon-best wishes to you. 

  • Hello Emzi,

    Welcome to the community 

    I am 57 and was diagnosed with Stage 3 Oesophageal Cancer in April 2017. 

    Google has some benefit but is a mix of so many good things and many misleading . My daughter and I made a blog of my journey so far ;

    https://wordpress.com/home/myoesophagealcancerjourney.wordpress.com

    It's nothing to deep but hopefully a guide to some of the new terminology you will get used to over the coming weeks and months.

    There are some great members on this site - many of which are incredibly supportive and try where possible to remain positive, given the amazing capabilities of our medical profession.

    Give your Dad my best wishes on his journey - feel free to ask anything anytime - many people here can help you.

    Pete