Diagnosed with esophageal cancer Most scared of the Feeding Tube

David, I'm just checking in with you to see how you are doing physically and your experiences at Duke Cancer Center. I hope you are doing well.

I will have esophagus surgery on Feb 2 2023 I breezed thru chemo and 30 rad.I have to find out more facts about surgery .Does anyone have any facts on their surgery please help?God bless and Merry Christmas.Rik

i am on radiation 19 out of 28 today and this thursday 5th out of 6 chemo...i am having a difficult time with nausea/pain in radiation treatment area and eating has been a challenge; plus i get extremely fatigued at times and have to rest. smoothies , boost, premier drinks, eggs, toast peanut butter help with calories so i have not lost any weight since i started treatments over a month ago.

Hi I am feeling better this week after having 3 rounds of chemo and a few weeks with lingering side affects. I have another week off before Dec. 27 when I start 28 days of radiation and chemo ending Feb. 6 to try and kill the cancerous tumor in my lower esophagus. The good news is that the last PET scan after 3 rounds of chemo showed a 40% reduction. Merry Christmas and best wishes for the new year. Thanks for all the kind responses and well wishes.

I’m doing a group checkin. How is everyone?

@staceyrebecca, I can imagine you and your family are at their wit’s end. It is so hard to see someone losing weight. How did the meeting with the GI go? Any ideas?

@dsh33782 Don, have you started chemo and radiation now? Will you be away from home for the holidays?

@ddunavin, how did your appointment with the oncologist go? Any change to your diagnosis?

Good luck to you man!!!

Thank you Colleen,
On our way to Duke now. Meeting with radiologist, oncologist, gastroenterologist and surgeon tomorrow.
Yes, Holly has been my service dog for 7 years (I have seizures).
She certainly knows something is up.

@ddunavin, it looks like your PET scan results didn't attach with your post. But that is likely not necessary since fellow patients on a forum like this one aren't equipped to interpret imaging results, even if some of us have medical backgrounds. That is because a PET scan is but one piece of the puzzle. Your doctor is the person equipped to interpret these results because they have the full picture including your medical history, the results of the clinical exam, and other tests you've had done.

With the new rule that you get your PET scan results in real time has been mentioned by many people to be an advantage and disadvantage, most notably that it can cause a lot of anxiety. See comments about dealing with getting test results and how to prepare for your appointment in this related discussion:
- The Patient Portal—Help or Hindrance? https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/the-patient-portal-help-or-hindrance/

I love the picture of your puppy. I assume this your dog. Is he/she sticking closer to you these days?

I just received my PETSCAN results from yesterday. Meeting at Duke tomorrow to get results.
Can anyone read this and tell if it's metastasized?
Thank you,
David

My doc didn't think I was a good candidate for removing section of esophagus with the cancerous tumor. After 3 rounds of chemo, I look forward tomorrow to getting schedule for radiation and chemo for 6 weeks. I also am on only soft foods. Today its scrambled eggs and chopped ham, milkshake, salmon with masked potatoes, and cheesecake for dessert. I hope you can eat lots of high calory food to gain back some weight. I'm about 15 pounds lighter still. Best wishes and prayers for healing.