My life, and my fight with esophageal cancer. I'm winning.
Reclamation!
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I'm reclaiming this blog. It's been a while since I've been here. New computer, new keyboard, new respect for potential built-in followers already on Google's website. Welcome aboard.
23 August 2015 As the title suggests, there’s nothing new here, so if you’re looking for more news, you can go back now. Tomorrow I start the chemotherapy and radiation, and honestly, I’d rather not have to. I’ve been reading the information provided by the doctors, clinical studies, blogs, listening to podcasts (Jesse vs Cancer – not family friendly by any means), and hanging out on some forums, but I still feel like I’m not prepared for this. Despite how many people go through cancer and cancer treatments, it’s a disease that is very isolating. I have no idea what to expect tomorrow, and that’s partly because the treatments are very personalized. Bloodwork is done, and then the drugs are prepared tailored for exactly how you are that day. You may experience neuropathy, you may not. Your hair may fall out, it may not. You may end up with a different color hair after, or curly or straight, or you may not. You could get constipation or diarrhea (but not both) or you may not....
13 August 2015 July 1, 2015: A supper like any other. A cheeseburger with my wife and four kids. Unlike others though, I couldn’t swallow the cheeseburger. I choked on it, and coughed half of it back up in the sink. My dad, who has Barrett’s Esophagus, said “You’d better get that checked out.” Two weeks later, I had my diagnosis. After I cleaned up from supper, I went upstairs and messaged my doctor asking for an appointment (Hooray for the online patient portal!). The next day I had one for the day after that. I went into the office on Friday morning at 7 (right next door to work, so I wasn’t even late) and he set me up for a barium swallow at the local hospital the next Monday morning. I went to work, asked for the time off, and prepared for my routine exam. Monday came, I did the barium swallow, they could see that I was having trouble right then. By the way, (TMI alert!) you poop out heavy poops for a week after that. Little white things that sink right to the bottom of ...
26 August 2015 Okay, I’m convinced they’re trying to kill me. Not really, of course, but this is definitely tiring. My stomach feels like when you have bad indigestion, not like acid reflux, but the painful jabbing. I don’t feel up to eating much, or even doing much, but I’m drinking things, and trying to get calories into me. I need to keep my weight up. Yesterday I was down to 181.6. I was 195 in December, got up to 204 in February, and I was 194 when I started this in July. If I lose too much, I’ll end up with a J-tube to get sustenance into me. That bypasses the stomach and is inserted directly into my small intestine and comes with a pump. I’d rather eat on my own, thanks. I’m up doing this right now, and I’ll go walk on the treadmill today too. I need to keep my strength up. This is only the third day of treatment.
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