Dave's Fight Against Esophageal Cancer
Donation protected
Dave was diagnosed with Esophageal Cancer in January of 2014 after having some testing done when... it hurt to swallow. Back in September of 2013 he started experiencing pain while eating. Since he did not have insurance, he tolerated the pain as long as he could. It wasn’t until he thought he was having symptoms of a heart attack in October did we decide to go to the ER. They ruled out the heart attack and took an ultrasound that showed his gallbladder was full of stones. They thought the throat/chest pain was a ghost pain from the gallbladder contracting. After having his gallbladder removed in November 2013 he felt better; for about three weeks. He tolerated the pain through the holidays, but was not really able to eat.
He finally had an endoscopy in January which showed a 10 cm tumor, (about 4 inches; 2 inches in his lower esophagus and 2 inches in this upper stomach). He had another endoscopy with ultrasound (EUS), to find out how deep the tumor was. The Esophageal Cancer was Stage 2A (T3, N0, M0) which meant it had not spread to his lymph nodes or any other organs (it did not metastasize elsewhere, praise God!). His next step was chemo/radiation for six weeks, then an eight week break and then he would be scheduled for an esophagectomy (removal of the esophagus).
Chemo and radiation began in March and ended in April. His chemo went really well, he really only got sick coming down off the treatment. The daily radiation took a toll on him, as it “burned” the inside of his esophagus and continued to make eating difficult. He rested a lot and was really able to recuperate. After his eight week “vacation,” as he called it, he had his pre-op appointment on July 1st. He was cleared for surgery with kudos for being in really good health, especially for his weight.
So here we are, sitting in the waiting room while he’s under the knife. Thank you for watching the page for updates and more importantly praying!
For more updates, visit https://www.facebook.com/groups/1402347150040066/
He finally had an endoscopy in January which showed a 10 cm tumor, (about 4 inches; 2 inches in his lower esophagus and 2 inches in this upper stomach). He had another endoscopy with ultrasound (EUS), to find out how deep the tumor was. The Esophageal Cancer was Stage 2A (T3, N0, M0) which meant it had not spread to his lymph nodes or any other organs (it did not metastasize elsewhere, praise God!). His next step was chemo/radiation for six weeks, then an eight week break and then he would be scheduled for an esophagectomy (removal of the esophagus).
Chemo and radiation began in March and ended in April. His chemo went really well, he really only got sick coming down off the treatment. The daily radiation took a toll on him, as it “burned” the inside of his esophagus and continued to make eating difficult. He rested a lot and was really able to recuperate. After his eight week “vacation,” as he called it, he had his pre-op appointment on July 1st. He was cleared for surgery with kudos for being in really good health, especially for his weight.
So here we are, sitting in the waiting room while he’s under the knife. Thank you for watching the page for updates and more importantly praying!
For more updates, visit https://www.facebook.com/groups/1402347150040066/
Organizer
Tina McAdams
Organizer
Oatfield, OR
