Hi there,

My boyfriend Dave has EC. His first symptoms were the same and by the time he had his scope they said he had a tumor and we were referred to a surgeon. We live in Ohio and we go to Cleveland Clinic. I do believe where you go for treatment plays a big role in the success. The treatment he is having is very agressive. It consisits of % days of 24 hour chemo and twice a day radiation for one week and just radiation the second week. We are now waiting for surgery which will be in late november. Then 6 weeks or so after surgery we repeat the chemo and radiation. The doctors have all told us that by the time you present with these symptoms you already have a tumor that is probably cancerous. I hope that in the future they can find ways to screen for this cancer like other types of cancer. Prayers are with you.

Susan

a VERY good friend of mine was just diognosed with stage 2 . the symptoms that he had where trouble swollowing, dyspaghisa. his DR's are saying that he can be cured from chemo and radiation therapy. what is the stage your boyfriend is at?

Hi ALL !!!

Your stories sound very familiar. I was having trouble swallowing. Things felt like they would get stuck in the back of my throat. I would either work it down or lose it. My wife got fed up and dragged me kicking and screaming to the Gastro. He immediately found a stage 3 tumor at the junction of my esophagus and stomach. Did 2 months of radiation and chemo, and then had surgery in Nov 2004.

And I'm still here. But in all this time, I have never met, in person, another survivor of Esophageal cancer. That, I think, speaks to the challenge of defeating this beast. The point is: it CAN be beaten. The percentages are creeping up all the time!

Talk to your docs, research the internet, and talk to some of the terrific people on this post. Information is your best weapon against this beast. Keep moving ahead, and the very best of luck to you all!!!

We're putting/keeping you all in our prayers.

All the best,

Fred

Hi ronnie and all others.

Dave has a stage 3 tumor at the base of the esophagus leading to the stomach. Drs say that with chemo and radiaition, which he has already had, that we can beat this. we are now just waiting for surgery. He did get the high fever after 2 weeks of the treatments and was in the hospital for a few days. He still has tiredness and trouble swallowing at times. Every day is different. Our prayers are with you all. We need to stay positive about this and yes faithful too.

Hugs to all
Susan

I, too, was diagnosed as Stage 3. Had chemo/radiation and surgery. End of next month will be my 2 years after surgery scan/scope check-up. So far, my scans have been clear (knock on wood) and I'm praying they will be again next month. I may have to postpose them just a week or two until early December depending on insurance changes. I had difficulty swallowing up until the time I had surgery, so that wouldn't be so uncommon (I think) for your boyfriend to still be having some swallowing issues at this point. You're both in my prayers. Brenda

I noticed a year before my husband was dx that he would choke on his syliva while having a conversation or his voice went a little horse. I would always tell him to cough or clear his throat (he was not a smoker at the time.) Then before he was dx he had problems swollowing and woke in the morning feeling exhausted, at times felt as if he could pass out, and his heart would beat hard. He was only 45/46. The doctor said his heart was beating fast like that because he was bleeding internaly, his hemoglobin was at a low of 8. It is now a year later after his surgeries for 2 cancer's (esophageal stage 3,N1,M0 & thyroid stage 4) and he still has difficulty swollowing, dumping, passing out, sweats, cold, weak, concentration. His job suggested he go on disability or put him on a PIP (they can terminate you), he opt for disability. Just had a follow up scan that showed a nodule on his lung, so we have a follow appt. for another scan. One of the best books we read that helped us get thru all this is "Love is a Journey/Couples faceing cancer." I helped me understand many of the feeling I was having I was not alone and it gave me tools to apply and live by. I had a mantra "The Greatest of these is Love, and Love is Patient and Kind." You are not only battling a disease, but fighting how it impacts your life so you need to learn or relearn lessons on how to cope individually and together. So many people think cancer is something you treat and then you are on your marry way when you are a survivor, but this type of cancer you have a lot to understand and learn on how to cope. With that said...it is nice to have each other, a net work, a bond, an outreach of those who understand.

How often would it be that everyone or their family members would have a hard time swallowing food??? Everyday or just some days???

Hi LindsayB2:

With me, every time I rushed thru a meal without chewing completely, I felt it get stuck. I would either wash it down or lose it. My wife (bless her!) beat on me to go to the a gastro doc. I've got color photos of my tumor. It just looks horrible. I looked once, and that was enough.

My gastro got the ball rolling.

Six years later, I'm under chemo for recurrences. I've had so many CT scans, fluorescent lights glow as I pass.

I'm still fighting, as are many others on this post.

We pray for them.

All the best,

Fred

My hubby had the hiccups....that was it. No pain, no trouble eating, nothing. He went for a routine physical, and his doctor found all tests to be fine, but she didn't feel comfortable about it. She suggested a thorough gastro exam, and that's when the tumor was found, where the esoph. and the stomach meet. It was hard to locate it, according to the gastro dr., but he did find it. It took 2 months of additional scans and tests before we actually began a treatment program of chemo. It's stage 4.

Hiccups seem so unimportant, but, in some cases, they can indicate a major issue.

My very best wishes to everyone who is dealing with this ugly problem.

Augusta68

Speaking of Hiccups - Did you know one of the many side effects of Chemo is Hiccups? Look it up on the net if you are under going treatment and have this side effect.

I didn't know hiccups are a side effect of chemo. Weird part is that hubby's hiccups have disappeared since he began chemo. I've learned so much about how each individual experiences all of this differently, and that has helped me to ignore the statistics. No one really knows how treatment will affect a patient, and it seems irresponsible for any doctor to give a prediction of how long someone can live with any illness. As Fred said, we are not statistics....we are individual people.

augusta

Hi all!

The varying side effects are curious. Prior to my surgery, I had regular migraines. After surgery, I have not had another one. Side effect? Any thoughts?

All the best,

Fred

My husband had migraines all the time before finding out he had EC. After surgery and for a short time being EC free he had none. When his EC returned he started to get headaches, once again. I remember hearing, but have forgot, why that is so.

I've never had any headaches (knock on wood) :-) I did have chest pain (indigestion) for decades (off and on that Tums took care of) and some jaw pain some months before finding out that I had EC. I don't know that the jaw pain was related to the EC, but they checked out my heart and it was fine and I've not had any jaw pain since starting the chemo and from then on. I really think we can certainly have some things that are common to each other and others that may just be specific to us or smaller in number.

Loved MD Anderson and Dr Ajani was wonderful....
my husband had trouble swallowing, started to vomit after
eating and severe chest pain while running , 1 week later came
the diagnosis stage IVB ...inoperable, no radiation, chemo only
maybe 6 months, he fought and lived 18 months... Bless the survivors
and those newly diagnosed....Choose Hope and fight ....