Brand new diagnosis.

Sorry u r going thru this.
I am going thru this with my son, he is 65. We are taking him tomorro for his port and feeding tube. He opted to do chemo and radition first. His wife passed away last year, so we and his 2 daughters will be care givers., he's in Tulsa and we are in OKC, we will be making trips.
Keep a positive outlook.
Good vibes and info in this group. Prayers

I think they have mashed together my posts and I don’t think this part is even mine, not sure, I had difficulty finding past posts but I don’t want someone else who actually posted the following to not get replies ☹️“I am so overwhelmed and can’t seem to stop the tears. All advice welcome, what to look for, questions I should ask etc….. thank you”

Hi @ursula111, let me help with how to find past posts, etc. Here is the link to the top of this discussion that you started: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/brand-new-diagnosis/

People can post replies to a specific comment or add a comment. All posts are listed in the order they were posted. Here's more explanation:
- Replies and @mentions: How do I know who is replying to whom? https://connect.mayoclinic.org/blog/about-connect/newsfeed-post/replies-and-mentions-how-do-i-know-who-is-replying-to-whom/

You can see all of the past posts of a specific member by clicking their username.

Now back to you and your husband, Ursula. I'm glad to hear that the MRI indicated no liver involvement. I can imagine this is all very overwhelming. Check out these posts https://connect.mayoclinic.org/comment/751105/ where @armylife started their list of questions to ask pre-surgery consult.

Have you started a list of questions?

Keep forging ahead. I was diagnosed October 2023, 3cm tumor down by the gastric junction. Stage 3. Chemo in Nov/Dec 2023, esophajectomy February 2023. Pathology from surgery showed it got to 1 of the 18 lymph nodes. Started immunotherapy every two weeks after surgery. Fast forward, my last scan Jan 3 2025 was NED. Next scan is in 3 weeks.

Control the controllable, what you can’t don’t worry about. From day one my prayer was “Heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus Christ heal me”! And He has so far through the drugs and doctors.

I’ll leave you with this. My wife said to me early on “control the controllable. You can control your faith, attitude, nutrition, exercise, etc. If you do those to the best of your ability then everything will happen how it’s supposed to happen according to His will”. Keep positive. It’s medically proven that stress and anxiety have NEGATIVE physical affects on our bodies. Therefore, eliminating that and carrying a positive attitude can have positive affects on our bodies. I think that has contributed to why I am at where I am in this journey.

I wish you well and God loves you. My name is Danny MacDonald and my cell number is 678-414-0972 if you ever want to call and get some encouragement or discuss anything you are trying to navigate. My wife is in market research for a living and has been an absolute rock star through this, I think she could go pass the medical boards now 😂. Take care!

I failed to mention in June of 2024 I had my three month scan after surgery and it had metastasized to my liver. They did 6 weeks worth of Radiation in 3 days to destroy two little lesions on liver (radiologist used a machine called the Cyber Knife or something like that). Chemo again started July 10. End of September, week of chemo treatment 6 of 12, I was 129 lbs (started the journey at 240, was 191 going into surgery, 170 when I started the chemo again in July, 129 lbs 10 weeks later). That same week I had my next maintenance scan and it was NED. We were able to stop the chemo and continued with immunotherapy which I am still engaged in and will be until early next year then assess. Three months later on Jan 3 2025 as I mentioned in original post my scan was again NED.

Thank you Danny! So very kind of you to offer your help, so appreciated 🤗
So glad you are NED again. All prayers are needed and very welcome 🙏 .

The one thing is to do is to stay positive through this journey I know it is hard. But we are strong and we can get through this together

Well the surgeon said he won’t operate as my husband has early onset Alzheimer’s. He has had it for over 10 years now and functions really well, still drives, never gets lost but does of course forget things.
Surgeon said the long surgery would make it worse and he could not recover to baseline.
He is recommending chemotherapy and radiation and possibly immunotherapy.
We are not sure this is the right way to go. Majority of research recommends chemotherapy , radiation and surgery. He has never had any issues with anesthesia and it kind of feels like a discrimination in a way.
It’s so hard to know what is right.

Really sorry to hear that. Maybe a second opinion at a different hospital?

Hi Ursula. I had my operation 10 years ago I had mine in October 2015. And my wife and myself know just how you feel it's a big worry and can only say try to think like we did and stay positive. I had stage 2 .iam sure your husband will be fine .I will be thinking about you both and wish you all the best.. charlie