Hi Hendo.

I am new on here today and so pleased you have posted this.  My husband was also diagnosed with Oesophageal cancer  in October last hear.  His has also spread to all of his lymph nodes and is in his liver too, with traces on his adreanal gland.  He is having his 6th Chemo tomorrow... (ECX), which has been horrendous, but he hasnt had any radiotherapy.   The Chemo made him unbelievably nauseous, and used to be in bed for up to 10 days with the retching. But because the nausea was so bad, my husband was  prescribed an "expensive" anti sickness tablet which has made a massive difference, and now has very little nausea.  I cant remember what it is called but I will fnd out and let you know.  I also have 2 children, 21 (Yesterday!) and 17 and I have found it draining supporting them and my husband, and kind of neglected myself.  My depression deepened and I had a breakdown 5 weeks ago and have been off work since then.  I agree it is very scary, as we know it is terminal, and he is 52 which feels too young to die.  Your children are youger, and assume your partner is also younger than my husband, which makes things even sadder.  You say you dont know what to expect and I think the unknown is one of the hardest things to deal with.  I feel as though there is no one who understands what we are going through as a family, which is why I was so pleased to see your post.

Take care you are not alone.  xx

Hello , I'm so sorry to hear of the terrible ordeal you're going through. My Dad was diagnosed with oesophageal junction cancer on Friday . Sadly it has spread to his lungs and liver. He seems to be going downhill rapidly . It is such a horrible disease and so cruel . Try and stay strong for your fiancé and children and look after yourself - I hope he starts feeling a bit brighter when the treatment stops . 

Take care , xxx

Dear Tasbean, 

So sorry to hear of the dreadful situation that you find yourself in. The cancer that your husband has seems very similar to the illness that my Dad was told he had last Friday . It has left the family in total shock. I don't know about you - but I find it impossible to get it off my mind - and am struggling emotionally. How are you and your husband feeling now ? I guess I felt a little relieved to read your post - to be able to chat to someone going through the same ordeal . Take care both - and hope he feels a little bit better soon .                        

Hi Hendo/Archie/Tasbeen,

I've been down a similar route since I was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer of the oesophagus/gastric junction in October 2013 and I expect to retrace my steps sooner or later. Please click on my username if you'd like more details about my journey so far.

I'm now a year past the most optimistic prognosis I was given when I diagnosed in 2013. I don't know why, but I guess it shows that sometimes these estimates can be wrong.  

I wish you all good luck with the chemo, it can be gruelling but if it works it is worth the aggravation.

Best wishes
Dave


 

Hi Susie,

Thanks for posting. I'm pleased to read that your surgery and chemo had such a good outcome.
You may not realise it but your story is inspiring! When I was first diagnosed it was hard to find any good news stories about OC. 

Best wishes
Dave

Hi DaveK

Its great to read your story, particularly from someone where the tumour had spread outside the oesophagus.  The last Chemo was today (hurray) and the post Chemo Scan is on 8th April to see how much it has shrunk. Two Oncologists have both said that it could start to grow back anytime between 1 - 12 months, so the awful waiting begins.  But in the meantime we have two holidays to look forward to in May and June :-) 

Hi Tasbean,

Great news about the last chemo session - that must be a relief for you both.
Good luck with the results! They told me the same thing, but so far I've been lucky but it's always a stressful wait for the scan results.

Hope you have two great holidays!

Best wishes
Dave

Hi davek,

What inspiration it gave us reading your post !

It's so positive to read about you, and has given my Dad something good to concentrate on.

I hope you don't mind me asking ,but have you changed your lifestyle in any way since the treatment ? My Dad is a smoker ,and I feel it's unfair of me to ask him to give up at this stage ,as the damage has already been done.Just wondering on your views or maybe other people in this situation and what they have done ?

Take care ,

Archie.

Hi Archie,

Thanks for your message. I keep posting in the hope that my story will bring hope to other people in my situation. When I was first diagnosed I struggled to find any good news stories about OC but doggedly clung to my belief that I'd do my damnedest to be part of the one in twenty group who beat the odds. 

I've not made any significant changes to my lifestyle. The only changes I've made were simply to help  reduce the levels of acid reflux by cutting out white bread, oven chips and most red meat (I'm OK if it is minced or casseroled). I worked out what to cut out by trial and error. The one thing I do miss is rare steak - but that's the one food guaranteed to make me feel ill and start vomiting within minutes!

I didn't drink much alcohol while I was on chemo, even the smell of itmade me nauseous, but that was only temporary. I tend to avoid neat malt whisky (a favourite) for the same reason as rare steak - but putting water in my whisky is a small price to pay. Alcohol has been linked to the type of OC I have (adenocarcinoma) and I should probably stop drinking but frankly I can't see the point at this stage though I don't drink to excess. 

I've never smoked, so I've not had to go through the stress of quitting. I guess any time is a good time to quit for general health reasons. My Mum was a life long smoker and she struggled really hard to quit when she was admitted to hospital for cancer treatment. She did quit though and I think that made her that bit more able to fight her cancer  and survive as long as she did. That really needs to be your Dad's call though, like any other addiction someone can only stop if they really want to stop,

I hope this helps answer your questions :-)

Best wishes
Dave