Stomach Cancer/anewdawn

Dear Sabrina,

I have not heard from you in a few days. Is everything okay? I know when we spoke last you were very sick. I am hoping that you are not back in the hospital. Please let me know how you are doing. I hope to speak with you tomorrow. Dawn

Hi Dawn,
it's me Sabina, I sent you personal emails, did you get them? I've been doing better the last 2 days. I hope I can go on a good streak from now until operation which I haven't even gotten a date yet. Very frustrating! the waiting. How are you doing? Tomorrow I have 2 apts. in the hospital one is for pre admit blood work, and the other is for chemo. I don't know if i'll get chemo yet but I guess it's just to discuss it. Tell me something Dawn, how do you feel now after your whole ordeal. I mean general health? Do you have to take any daily medication? Let me know if you ever received my 2 personal emails to your email address.
Luv Sabina

Dear Sabrina,

Yes, I did receive your emails and I responded. Did you receive mine? I sent you pictures of me before and after my surgery. But when I did not hear back from you I thought maybe it did not go through. I am glad to hear you are feeling a little better. I am also glad to hear that you will be talking with the doctor about chemo and getting your blood work completed. To answer your question about how I feel now. It took a good year from completion of my chemo for me to begin to feel like my old self. I will never be what I was before the "Cancer" but every day it gets a little better. Eating was hard after the surgery. I still had problems with food getting stuck. But that has gotten better now and I can eat just about anything I want to as long as I eat small bites and take it slow. My energy level is not great, but I am able to keep up with my housework and prepare meals, grocery shop, etc. I tire very easily, but I know my limits and I try to nap during the day. I can honestly say I have more good days than bad. As far as medication is concerned, before the surgery I was taking 27 pills a day. Now I only take Zoloft 25 mg once a day and Nexium 40mg once a day, and Ambien 10mg at night to help me sleep. I have pills for pain, diarrhea and nausea if I need them, but most days I do not have to take them. I also take a multi-vitamin. But considering what I was taking, this is great!!! Oh and I forgot that I sometimes babysit my grandson. Which for me is a real accomplishment, since there was a time I could not doing anything for myself let alone someone else. By no means am I suffering and I do not regret being alive. My only fear is that the Cancer will someday return and that I wont be so lucky next time. I try to keep myself busy so that I do not dwell on it. Please contact me tomorrow and let me know how things go for you. I am praying that things begin to move quickly for you and that the waiting will soon be over. Stay strong and know that I am sending positive thoughts your way. Love, Dawn

Dear Dawn,
I never received any emails from you, and I looked everyday. I don't know if you got my last ones. I finally had my endoscopy done yesterday. It went ok, Today I met with my oncologist, and she explained what is to happen next. Monday I will have a laperoscopy to have a look around the outside of my stomach, and then I will be kept in the hospital for 7-10days because she wants to put a feeding tube in my stomach so my nutrition can get built up. I am down to 100lbs, very thin,and malnurished. I've been having so much trouble eating etc. The oncologist did say it was more than likely that I'd have a complete gastrectomy (my entire stomach removed). It just scares me to death. She said that my tumour is in the more advanced stages, but cannot prperly stage me until after surgery. I just pray I survive. It is so difficult to be positive with all this going on. I am such a mess emotionally. Cry all the time.Please email me Dawn, you are my biggest inspiration. Sabina.....

Dear Sabrina,

I have emailed you everyday. I am not sure why you are not receiving them. I have received yours and responded to each of them. I am so sorry that you continue to feel poorly. But I am glad that your doctor is finally going to do something to help you. Even though feeding tubes are a pain in the butt, it will definetly help you regain some of your weight. One word of advice, do not purchase alot of the nutritional supplement until you are sure your body will tolerate it. I tried two or three different supplements until I could find one that did not give me diarrhea and nauseate me. Meanwhile, we had purchased cases of it and had to throw it away. I cannot believe that they are going to keep you in the hospital for 7-10 days. Did your doctor say when they would give you the results for your laprascopy? Will they perform the gastrectomy while you are there? Or will they send you home and then schedule the surgery? I know you are scared. You would not be normal if you weren't. Just remember, my cancer was also advanced and they gave me little chance for survival. Keep telling yourself that. It is perfectly understandable that you are worried about surviving and that you are an emotional wreck. I can not emphasize enough that you have to be strong. The battle is about to begin and you have to be ready to fight this war. Remember, the Cancer is the devil and you are fighting for your life. Do not let the devil win. The devil(cancer) wants you to doubt yourself, it wants you to give up. DO NOT GIVE UP!!! You must win this battle for you and your family. Every time you look in the mirror, tell yourself I WILL SURVIVE!!! I know that your surgery is going to be tough. You will never be the same but that does not have to be a bad thing. You will adapt to a new life. You will learn to eat again and your weight will bouce back. It has taken me two years but I have gained 20 pounds and have learned to eat again. We take eating for granted until we can't do it anymore. You will have a new appreciation for food. The most important thing you can do is to take baby steps in reclaiming your life. This is how you MUST approach your upcoming surgery and hospitalization. Think of your FUTURE!!! Please email me your address and the name of the hospital you are going to be admitted into. Please ask your husband to keep me updated on your condition on this message board. I will pray for God to give you strength and to watch over you and your family. I know you are going to make it!!!

Dawn

Dawn S, you had the exact same symptoms I had when the doctors told me I had Gastroparesis. The burning esophagus, the bloody stools, etc. I got to where I was totally unable to keep any solid food down, and would vomit 3 to 8 times a day...I also had terrible diarrhea, which caused my electrolytes to bottom out. I went from 117# down to 79, and was starting to shut down, when a new doctor finally gave me a capsule endoscopy (camera that you swallow). When I failed to pass the camera, my surgeon went in and had to remove it. That is when they found the tumor, wrapped so tightly around my small bowel that I couldn't even keep liquids down...But that cancer turned out to be a blessing....After 20 months of NO food (all I lived off was my "mega malts, Boost, broth,jello, and flavored crushed ice.), I was thrilled when I woke up two days after surgery and was brought a tray of REAL FOOD! It was my favorite meal too! Everyone told me how well I had handled not being able to eat, and believe me, it was a tough call...I love to cook, and had a husband that loved to eat...Well, I did too...I lost my husband before he ever got to see that my cancer had returned, but that it wasn't really a paralized stomach..He would be happy for me, seeing me back to my normal weight again. You have to be aggressive in your treatments. If I hadn't pushed my doctors, I would not be here today...Learn everything you can, and talk to everyone you think can help...most of all, God. Hugs, Donna

Dawn,
It sounds like you are a wonderful person. I think I left a message on one of the other subject pages also, but wanted to give you my personal email address in case you could write me there about my daughter-in-law having surgery to remove her stomach. She desparately needs someone to talk to that's been through this and we can't find anyone who is positive influence. Thank you in advance for any help you could give.


diane.sale@pfsfhq.com

Sabrina,
I've read your messages and Dawn's responses to you until this last one. My daughter-in-law just had complete stomach removal this week and I've been trying to find some people out there who are doing well, so that I can tell her. So far, I've only talked to one person. I put a message earlier trying to get Dawn to respond since she sounded like such a positive person, but no response so far. I hope you've gotten over your surgery and I hope you're doing well.
Thanks,
Diane