- Joined
- Sep 26, 2008
- Messages
- 8,160
Hello everyone,
I'm not normally the type of person that announces their problems publicly and spreads them all over the internet, but I've received a request from 300 Bucks to let the forum in on what's happening with me.
Back at the end of June, my left lung collapsed and during the treatment for that (severe emphysema) it was discovered that I might also have cancer in my right lung. Both lungs are in such fragile condition that even a needle biopsy was too risky, but the results of two PET scans have determined the diagnosis to be accurate.
The cancer is stage four and has spread to my mediastinum and involved some lymph nodes there around the esophagus which causes some very painful problems when trying to swallow at times. I was sent back to Los Angeles again where they installed a stint in my esophagus but that itself proved to be so painful that two weeks later, they removed it. At the time of that surgery, they installed a g-tube direct into my stomach and that's now how I get 99% of my nutrition and 100% of my medications.
I'm undergoing a thirty treatment round of radiation treatments in the hopes of shrinking the tumors so that I can go back to eating normally even if just for a while. The last PET scan showed a rib with cancer in it and there's just nothing to be done for that. They are radiating it also but there's little hope of stopping it at that point.
When the treatments are done, Hospice is going to step in and help my son with me. It's not like I require 27/7 care, but he insists on helping me with my feeding whenever possible. He is also the best we've seen even among all the nurses, at changing the dressing for my g-tube. Having Hospice involved will hopefully give him some time away on his own that he won't be worrying about me.
I didn't mean to write a novel, but it's hard to tell what's going on without the narrative getting a bit lengthy.
Thanks to all of you that care,
Dave
I'm not normally the type of person that announces their problems publicly and spreads them all over the internet, but I've received a request from 300 Bucks to let the forum in on what's happening with me.
Back at the end of June, my left lung collapsed and during the treatment for that (severe emphysema) it was discovered that I might also have cancer in my right lung. Both lungs are in such fragile condition that even a needle biopsy was too risky, but the results of two PET scans have determined the diagnosis to be accurate.
The cancer is stage four and has spread to my mediastinum and involved some lymph nodes there around the esophagus which causes some very painful problems when trying to swallow at times. I was sent back to Los Angeles again where they installed a stint in my esophagus but that itself proved to be so painful that two weeks later, they removed it. At the time of that surgery, they installed a g-tube direct into my stomach and that's now how I get 99% of my nutrition and 100% of my medications.
I'm undergoing a thirty treatment round of radiation treatments in the hopes of shrinking the tumors so that I can go back to eating normally even if just for a while. The last PET scan showed a rib with cancer in it and there's just nothing to be done for that. They are radiating it also but there's little hope of stopping it at that point.
When the treatments are done, Hospice is going to step in and help my son with me. It's not like I require 27/7 care, but he insists on helping me with my feeding whenever possible. He is also the best we've seen even among all the nurses, at changing the dressing for my g-tube. Having Hospice involved will hopefully give him some time away on his own that he won't be worrying about me.
I didn't mean to write a novel, but it's hard to tell what's going on without the narrative getting a bit lengthy.
Thanks to all of you that care,
Dave
