Really needing some hope and guidance right now

Lulu
Cheer up there is hope. I'm 80 now and have survived esophageal cancer. Several years ago I could not swallow anything but sips of water and went in for endoscopy where they found tumor in lower esophagus. I was also coughing up phlegm. I started chemo and radiation and the tumor shrunk 30% within weeks. The EC is gone now and I'm eating normally. I hope your treatment is successful and you let us know how it is going. I'll be happy to answer any questions.
Don

Thank you so much! I am sure I’ll be on here often asking for encouragement and advice.

This forum is full of people who survived (and thrived). You have some work to do and some lousy things to go through, but there is hope. Right now you wish you had a clear road map of how to get from here to cancer free. You have a lot of testing to go through before you get your map, and even then, it will be written on a dry erase board and changed frequently. You will have a lot of coaches in your medical team which is just now being built. You have support right here too. Best of luck in this scary time. Worry about what you can control and let go of the rest. Keep your stress as low as you can and eat as healthy (and as much) as you can.

I have it, it spread to liver. I am on second round of chemo. Prayer and faith have got me this far, so don't be scared. just listen to your oncologist and care team. I refused surgery and chose chemo. but that was my choice. You can make it just hang in there and do one day at a time. It sur makes you see the world and life different.

Like others here, I closely feel your anxiety and uncertainty at this very initial stage of your diagnosis and medical journey. Your experience to this point is strikingly similar to mine with one significant difference--I am 78 and you are a comparatively youthful 45. From the outset, that differential bodes well for you. Further diagnoses and treatment plans can be daunting, but you must face the uncertainties and go forward without hesitation. Most importantly IMO, there are cancer treatment venues with the highest national rankings/recommendations available to you geographically. There are two located in your general area (Atlanta and Birmingham) and I highly encourage you to aim for one: Wikipedia--"NCI-designated Cancer Center" has the complete list. You may need to have preliminary testing, especially staging, done before being considered for admission, but please follow through with this--you should strive to be in the best hands possible. There is far too much medical uncertainty at this point to offer you specifics, but you've found a place here on this Board where, as noted by others, a small universe of personal experiences can offer guidance and encouragement. Move forward in the company of others here who are taking or have taken the same path as yours.

Lulu, welcome to a club where nobody wants to be a member. I was diagnosed with stage 4 EC February 2021 and started palliative care March 2021. I wasn’t eligible for radiation or surgery and did chemo and immunotherapy for 2 years and am currently NED (no evidence of disease). Take a deep breath and ask lots of questions. Others mentioned NCI centers: https://www.cancer.gov/research/infrastructure/cancer-centers and this is a great suggestion. My treatment is at one of these centers. I was diagnosed when I was 60 and am still doing long distance biking, traveling and am grateful for support through these forums…check out Smart Patients too.
Rachel

I have to say, particularly as a relative neophyte to this experience, that the first sentence of your post is beyond memorable. Thank you for the chuckle.