Hi my partner has his final staging t... - Oesophageal & Gas...
Hi my partner has his final staging test today (a laparoscopy with general). Has any one got any hints or tips that I should be aware of?
When he comes round and gets home he will more than likely to feel some awful pain in upper back,shoulder area as air is used in the procedure and this pain will be trapped wind.The wounds shoul heal pretty quick as only about 3 small incisions.Bit sore for a while but bearable.Be tired of course when he gets home.Hope that helps
I hope that it went well?
There then comes a period of waiting until the Multi Disciplinary team has discussed things in the case conference and come up with a decision for treatment. It is in fact a long, frustrating period, notwithstanding that it is probably only a few days, and you just have to try and be patient until you discuss the future with your surgeon/oncologist and specialist nurse.
It is always a good idea to write down the questions you have in advance, because it is difficult to absorb everything from the session, and to think of everything that you need to ask.
Alan
Thanks for these answers.
Things got a bit more complex as the PET scan showed up something in the groin lymph node - so they took a bio-opsy at the same time as they had him in hospital. My partner is now also going to have a bone test as well. Is this common?
Any advice is welcome. Thanks : )
I think that when you go for these tests they do tend to do as many as may be relevant so that they get as complete a picture as they can. It is probably the way that consultants ask their junior doctors 'Have you checked for this?' etc, plus the scanning is available at hospitals and they tend to use the equipment they have when opportunity arises.
Lymph nodes are the motorway junctions through which cancer tends to spread, so they are important from that point of view, but it is not common for people with problems in the oesophagus / stomach to suddenly have something cropping up in the groin.
There are a surprising number of cancers that are of unknown primary origin, ie we do not know where it first started, but I would suggest that you simply have to wait and see. If it is that far away from the main source of the current trouble, it is probably a question of not being more likely to be malignant than any other lump or bump we get investigated where they often tend to be far less serious. But the big issue is that you do not yet know, and you cannot predict the result of the tests.
Having trouble with cancer in one part of your body does not mean to say that everything else that might seem unusual somewhere else is sinister. It is just that it sometimes feels that way.
Thanks for the answers : )
Ok so back from the bone scan today (results to follow at some stage) and we got the biopsy results. My partner now had oesophagus cancer and Hodgkin lymphoma which is a seperate cancer. Chemo starts on Monday (24/12).
It feel like just when we've got to grips with things it all changes again. I think we're in shock TBH.
You are not alone - some people do have more than one cancer at once - and just because you have two lots, it does not mean that your chances of long term survival disappear. It may be that the two cancers have had separate origins, which is better than one cancer having spread. Treatment for two lots can be successful, and do not write off your aspirations for successful treatment just because of this. You will have to cope with uncertainty though.
I do think that it is an extra challenge to get your head round, and it probably means that the treatment has to be more coordinated / complicated. I do not know enough about chemotherapy to know whether there is one medication that will zap both at once, but that is something that your medical team would know about.
I think that the same principles apply - you have to try to be realistically positive about your treatment - you do not have to pretend to be cheerful all the time - but you have indeed had a big shock and it will take time to adjust to it.
You might want to think about those that you choose to tell about your situation - it is quite difficult informing friends and family, and dealing with their reactions. But instinct and intuition are very good things and you will know how to deal with it best. Others may ask you all sorts of questions that you do not know the answers to yet. So you might want to think about your questions for the medical team on Monday, and even write a list.
Thanks Alan. Onward & lets see what tomorrow brings while enjoying today.
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