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Esophageal cancer treatment: Anyone have good experiences to share?

Posted by earnest @earnest, May 28, 2024

Hello troops. Does anyone have any good news about their treatments? All I've been reading are horror stories. Not very encouraging at all. I'm on my second week of radiation and chemo, and the first chemo didn't go well. Not meaning to add to the horror stories, but it made my stomach ache really bad. They stopped and gave me steroids, I think. Now I'm hearing these stories about leaking chemo causing pain, makes me apprehensive. So if anyone has had a GOOD experience, PLEASE share it!

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lionsfan | @lionsfan | 5 days ago

I'm 8 months out from FolFox 5 chemotherapy and proton beam radiation treatment. I've had my share of bumps in the road, but am currently cancer free and feeling much better. I've restarted my 2.5 hour x 5 days per week workouts and have gained 10 pounds back of my 30 pounds lost. Expect some low moments just so you're ready, but they may not happen. Everyone's different in how they respond. Stay positive and good luck.

REPLY
emersonmoon | @emersonmoon | 6 days ago
In reply to @stever1 "Way to go HealthyLynn. Your lifestyle changes alongside western medicine have served you well. It's now..." + (show)
@stever1

Way to go HealthyLynn. Your lifestyle changes alongside western medicine have served you well. It's now your job to continue with this to keep the environment of your body in a state where cancer can't live. I'd be very interested to know what changes you made with your diet, mindset, and exercise. I'm on this same path and I feel certain that with my lifestyle changes, the cancer will not recur.

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I’m interested too!

REPLY
stever1 | @stever1 | 6 days ago
In reply to @healthylynn "Hi Fellow Travelers. I want to update my experience with esophageal cancer treatments. A month ago..." + (show)
@healthylynn

Hi Fellow Travelers.
I want to update my experience with esophageal cancer treatments. A month ago I completed one year of immunotherapy; ipilimumab and nivolumab. This was the only western medicine/ treatment I received.
According to the recent PET scan and the endoscopy with biopsies I am cancer free.
This is great news and the changes that I have made, nutritionally, exercises, meditation and mindfulness will be a permanent way of living.
I am grateful for this opportunity to stay on the planet.

Jump to this post

Way to go HealthyLynn. Your lifestyle changes alongside western medicine have served you well. It's now your job to continue with this to keep the environment of your body in a state where cancer can't live. I'd be very interested to know what changes you made with your diet, mindset, and exercise. I'm on this same path and I feel certain that with my lifestyle changes, the cancer will not recur.

REPLY
1 reply
healthylynn | @healthylynn | Apr 7 12:40pm
In reply to @gdj "My experience has been similar to Don’s. My surgery was last August 3rd. I’m very fortunate,..." + (show)
@gdj

My experience has been similar to Don’s. My surgery was last August 3rd. I’m very fortunate, and grateful.

Jump to this post

Hi Fellow Travelers.
I want to update my experience with esophageal cancer treatments. A month ago I completed one year of immunotherapy; ipilimumab and nivolumab. This was the only western medicine/ treatment I received.
According to the recent PET scan and the endoscopy with biopsies I am cancer free.
This is great news and the changes that I have made, nutritionally, exercises, meditation and mindfulness will be a permanent way of living.
I am grateful for this opportunity to stay on the planet.

REPLY
1 reply
Mentor
Don Higgins, Volunteer Mentor | @dsh33782 | Feb 13 8:33pm
In reply to @mrmac1234 "Sorry for the typos lyphnodes and liver also effected . Six centimeter tumor and myself gives..." + (show)
@mrmac1234

Sorry for the typos lyphnodes and liver also effected . Six centimeter
tumor and myself gives broke through the wall and lining chemo has now
closed narrow my esophagus.

Jump to this post

mrmac
6 cm tumor sounds large. Are you able to eat using feeding tube now?
Don

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mrmac1234 | @mrmac1234 | Feb 13 1:00pm
In reply to @dsh33782 "mrmac1234 Hi, was stage 3 esophageal cancer with tumor in lower esophagus and local lymph nodes..." + (show)
@dsh33782

mrmac1234
Hi, was stage 3 esophageal cancer with tumor in lower esophagus and local lymph nodes showing up on scans.
I could not eat and I also had feeding tube I used for several months. After the chemo and radiation treatments started the tumor shrunk and I was able to start swallowing again. I know how scary it all is, but I'm better now. Have you had chemo and radiation yet?
Don

Jump to this post

Sorry for the typos lyphnodes and liver also effected . Six centimeter
tumor and myself gives broke through the wall and lining chemo has now
closed narrow my esophagus.

REPLY
1 reply
mrmac1234 | @mrmac1234 | Feb 13 12:59pm
In reply to @dsh33782 "mrmac1234 Hi, was stage 3 esophageal cancer with tumor in lower esophagus and local lymph nodes..." + (show)
@dsh33782

mrmac1234
Hi, was stage 3 esophageal cancer with tumor in lower esophagus and local lymph nodes showing up on scans.
I could not eat and I also had feeding tube I used for several months. After the chemo and radiation treatments started the tumor shrunk and I was able to start swallowing again. I know how scary it all is, but I'm better now. Have you had chemo and radiation yet?
Don

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Stage 4 at my advanced stage with my liver. Having lesion's sna's and limp notes will not give me radiation or any type of treatment other than chemo. Herceptin and keytruda

REPLY
lisa1teacher | @lisa1teacher | Feb 11 1:10pm
In reply to @luiscoelho "Breezed through mine, constipation at first, but it too subsided. I’d highly recommend the hydration treatment..." + (show)
@luiscoelho

Breezed through mine, constipation at first, but it too subsided. I’d highly recommend the hydration treatment the day after chemo and drink plenty of fluids, it really dehydrates you.

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I did the same with hydration. Also eat a little something before chemo.

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mrmac1234 | @mrmac1234 | Feb 11 12:08pm
In reply to @mrmac1234 "They will not operate, do radiation or anything else they strictly are doing chemotherapy herceptin and..." + (show)
@mrmac1234

They will not operate, do radiation or anything else they strictly are doing chemotherapy herceptin and keytruda. Because i'm stage four, and let's press to my lizard, left notes and other areas.

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It has metastasized to other areas delivered on top of my stomach lymph notes so this is what they are saying at this moment

REPLY
mrmac1234 | @mrmac1234 | Feb 11 12:07pm
In reply to @dsh33782 "mrmac1234 Hi, was stage 3 esophageal cancer with tumor in lower esophagus and local lymph nodes..." + (show)
@dsh33782

mrmac1234
Hi, was stage 3 esophageal cancer with tumor in lower esophagus and local lymph nodes showing up on scans.
I could not eat and I also had feeding tube I used for several months. After the chemo and radiation treatments started the tumor shrunk and I was able to start swallowing again. I know how scary it all is, but I'm better now. Have you had chemo and radiation yet?
Don

Jump to this post

They will not operate, do radiation or anything else they strictly are doing chemotherapy herceptin and keytruda. Because i'm stage four, and let's press to my lizard, left notes and other areas.

REPLY
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