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Unfortunately my mom has never been given the option of surgery. She has no holes in her esophagus, but the bottom of her stent is partially blocked. Her doctor said she is asperated and cough is due to asperation and the narrowing of her esophagus. She coughs when she eats or drinks. I need to add thick-it-up to the liquids but she still coughs.
Thank you so much for the prayers and support.
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My mom was dx in April 09 with mets to lymph nodes, and lungs. She had the stent placed in, did radiation followed by ongoing Chemo since July.
Three weeks ago, she started to cough. It became worse and no relief from cough drops. She coughed so badly so she vomitted. Finally she coughs so badly especially when drinking liquids. But she never has fever. I brought her to the ER and she was admitted on Monday. The doctors ordered the upper GI followed by endoscopy. They discovered that some liquids go to the airway to the lungs instead of going down to her esophagus, and the bottom of her stent is partially blocked by soft tissues. We don't know whether it is canerous or not yet.
Her doctor had a conversation with me and my dad that there is nothing they can do to help with the cough. Her esophagus is not functioning well due to radiation and chemo. The speech theorapist evaluated her and recommended NPO. She was given 2-3 months by the hospital doctor.
She will have a PET scan on Tuesday and I will report the results next week. For some time, I suspected that her chemo had stopped working since her hair grew back and her skin rash came back. She has been on Taxol at reduced dosage only. Her second opinion with Stanford hospital suggested to switch to Xeloda + Carbonplatin, but her onc wanted to wait for the PET scan.
I am not sure if I want mom to suffer from more chemo, but I certainty do not want to give up hope.
Any sharing or suggestion will be highly appreciated.
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Hi Stacey,
Happy New Year!
My mom has been undergoing chemo treatments since July. She had a CT scan just before Christmas revealing either remission or minimal activities. We are waiting for her PET scan to be scheduled. She had been doing fine maintaining her weight with minimal side effects, except for low RBC (around 3) and fast heartbeat (over 100). During the past two weeks she has been coughing and feeling weak. Her doctor would like to continue the current treatment and will make necessary change according to her PET results.
God bless you and your family too. Let's keep praying for all the EC patients and their families.
May
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My mom has stage IV EC with mets to lymph nodes and lungs. She has been on Taxol since July. Recently her hair started to grow back and her skin rash which was gone shortly after chemo is back. I am wondering if these are the signs that chemo stopped working on her. Her recent CT scan showed the lungs mets stayed the same, some soft tissues grow in the distal of her esophagus. She has been coughing with a lot of thick and foamy mucus.
Thanks for your response(s).
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That is great news! I read from an article that the turmeric starts to work within one day. May I ask where do you buy Turmeric? Do you use the curry powder used in cooking, or different one? I have been cooking food with curry for my mom.
Thanks for the posting!
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Evelyn - My mom has nodules in both lungs and many lymph nodes are involved. She was given 6 to 12months in April. Now it has been over 8 months and she is doing even better than at diagnosis with radiation and chemo except for her pain. Only God knows how long each of us has on this earth and He has a perfect plan for you. My thoughts and prayers are with you. Thanks so much for responding my questions. You have been an inpirer for many of us.
May
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Hi Phyllis,
I am so very sorry to hear your loss. I remember your husband was dx about the same time as my mom. While you miss him dearly, please have comfort that he is resting in peace. No more pain or suffer.
Thank you for your prayers. I will pray for you and your husband. Please take good care of yourself.
May
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My mother uses Fentanyl patch for pain. It has 50mcg, 75mcg, and 100mcg depending on his level of pain. It stays for 3 days, and then replace with a new one. She used to have vicdin for pain, but it upset her stomach. After we switch to Fentanyl patch, she does not have stomach problem any more. However, every pain killer has some side effects, including nausea, dizzy, constipation etc. So she is taking the stool softner and anti-nausea medicines as well.
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I am sorry to hear what your husband is going through. I remember back in May/June, you were going to check with his doctor why radiation is not offered. Did he ever get radiation? If not, you may want to bring it up with his doctor again since he is not responding to chemo. I suspect the tumor might be blocking the esophagus so he is having problem with solid food.
Please stay strong and be hopeful for your husband. My prayers and thoughts are with you.
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My mom had a stent placed in early May. She has had excruiciating pain ever since then. It helps her swallow food. Mom is primarily on porridge, noodle soup etc. When she has solid rice, I always cook soup for her to go with rice. Except for the pain and not being able to lie down to sleep for over 4 months, she has improved a lot. Her appetite is way better now and her weight has been stable during chemo. Does your husband have any pain after the stent is placed in? Mom's doctors can't figure out why mom is having so much pain. But they refused to take out the stent since it is too risky. I wonder what is other people's experience with the stent.
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