Newly diagnosed with oesophageal cancer and the Fear

Hi I was diagnosed with oesophageal cancer last month and I have had a laparoscopy and having an endoscopic ultrasound tomorrow. I wondered if anyone has any ideas how I can help the absolute overwhelming fear that I am experiencing. I am having really bad dreams and hardly sleeping. The smallest mention of cancer on TV sends me into a panic and I am so worried about upsetting my wife and 20 year old son. It seems to never leave my thoughts. 

  • Hi Karren glad to hear your son has got a date for the Oncologist 

    It moved pretty quick for hubby first time around

    He has now been told he needs another lot of chemo and we already have the date for that.

    Suggest a grab bag for chemo days

    Something to do ...ipad etc head phones drinks / preferred food ( the soup at hospital was too lumpy for example so hubby takes own in a thermos)

    Its very individual I know but having the little things helps 

     

  • Thanks, yes good idea regarding taking stuff for chemo days. Glad your hubby is having more chemo to help him as well. 

  • Hi Karren 

    Thank you and I hope things go well for your son too

  • Hi how is your son doing. Have you been given a Chemo date yet?  I am into week two of the second dose of chemo and it is so much better than the first one. As Mouser has said, it is amazing how much easier it is to eat now. The fatigue is a little heavy but that’s better than the nausea. Hope all is ok with you 

  • Hi all. Hope everything going as well as possible for everybody. 
    An update on where I’m up too / what you’ve got to look forward to. 
    Had an appt / chat with surgeon last week. She says procedure is 6 hours. Suppose it’s all the prep before and stuff after that adds up to the 10-12 hours I had been told.  So that’s better 


    spent all afternoon today seeing anaesthetist and a pre op appt taking blood / ecg / lung function test etc. 

    all went well and I came out with a date for operation 10/4  which is 8.5 weeks after my 4th chemo. ( 6.5 weeks they call it after being signed off from xxx) 

    again they stress to get as fit as you can for operation. Muscle strength is what they said and make sure you use the spiro thing regularly as we need good lung capacity. 

    I actually feel the best I’ve felt in a long time and knowing the operation is going to knock me back is playing on my mind. 
    Therefore I’ve just booked a last minute weekend away in a cottage Shropshire. 
    Fingers crossed for decent weather xx

  • Hi Boxbrain. So you're feeling alright then? Second dose seems better than your first dose? It's great that you can eat! Brilliant. Yes, Deans been 'staged' and chemo starts on 27th March. He has been on a couple of alternative things (I researched them as have a science background but not at all an expert) & he feels great most of the time he says. Somehow his eating has improved in the last 8 or 9 days. He did have a feed tube fitted at laparoscopy on 10th Feb but (touch wood) he hasn't needed it so far. Hes got his liquid nutrition on prescription & hes having vegetable fingers, noodles, veg soup etc. He's grateful for, but not looking forward to chemo or the op but will go with it all obviously.  

  • Offline in reply to Mouser

    Hope you have a fab weekend away, what a good idea. It must feel counter intuitive when you feel the best you have felt in a while to then go into surgery.