My 61 year old husband of 38 years was diagnosed with EC on 02/01/07. Since then our wonderful life has turned into a frightening nightmare of tests and waiting. The military doctors want to send him back to Walter Reed but we live within 15 minutes of the University of Heidelberg Klinikum (hospital) which we have gone to for various other surgery and are very comfortable with. I have lost faith in the American doctors and Army hospitals over here because Bill has been going to them for appointment after appointmen and test after test for the last year. The answer is always hurry up and wait - it took two months to get an appointment with Internal Medicine..........
Does anyone have any positive information on Walter Reed? We're not even sure what to do at this point. He has an appointment through the German system for a PET tomorrow and I guess this will tell us where we are in this - not sure what stage or anything else. He also has an appointment with the head of the department at the University hospital. Should we also seek the second opinion fro Walter Reed?
Then there was the idiot who basically told my husband that if the PET showed any metastasis then he should basically just forget any surgery and just receive treatment for pain mangement. He's not in pain, he has no trouble swallowing and I watched all the fight go out of him after this wonderful medical person got done with him.
Have since gone through our German connections to a highly recommended doctor who put the spunk and confidence back in him. It was this German doctor who got us the appointment witht the chief at the university.
This is the hardest thing we have ever gone through and I am trying to be strong for him however now he feels that this is all his fault - yes, he is/was a smoker and yes, we enjoy a good glass of wine with dinner.
I do know from what I have read that the distal adenocarcinoma which the German doctor seems to think it actually started in the stomach junction is not the usual squamous cell one associated with smoking. Please - do any of you have any positive infomation?
PLEASE HELP US