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Update on my Dad


HostTracy

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I have found out some more info about my dad and his cancer diagnosis. He has non small cell adenocarcinoma, it is extremely near to his esophagus and because of that inoperable. He will be starting radiation treatments on the 30th of this month. They will be lower dose than usual but for a longer time so as not to injure his esophagus. They did find 2 lymph nodes that are near and seem to be somewhat enlarged but they scanned him last week and there is no cancer metastasis. So it is still in stage 1 but like stage 1b because it ha increased in size since May. Non small cell carcinoma is good because it is much slower growing and has a much higher rate of beating it. We found out today that he will also have chemotherapy starting on the 1st of August. His odds are 80% with radiation only and 85% with radiation and chemo but it was the Dr.'s decision whether he could have both. The oncologist he spoke with today said that they have a lot better ways to relieve side effects today and he would have a choice to discontinue the chemo at any time if he felt he could not take it. My dad said today that he already feels better just knowing....it took so long to get answers and it gave him pretty bad anxiety. All in all I think we/he has had the best scenario there could be and we are all thinking positive.

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I hope all goes well with your Dad's  treatment and he makes s good recovery. I think the anxiety attacks are fairly normal after a cancer diagnosis and should decrease as he gains confidence in the treatment. I am pretty anxious when it is test time again.

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Thank you Sue we really are trying to be really positive here. I'm glad my dad feels some relief just having answers...I couldn't imagine. 

 

Heather I think we all agree on the same thing and his Doctor too. The moment he says stop he will have no more chemo. She is on the fence about him even having it anyway and only wants to consider it because it grew rather quickly from May til now. With it being still at stage 1 she says that the possible 5% chance gained by the chemo wouldn't be worth him being really ill or ending up in the hospital over and over. He has had Diabetes for quite some time and we just found out he has early stage kidney disease as well as COPD. It really may be too much for him. It's good he can choose to stop. Thanks you guys for the support.

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There are some new drugs for cancer and treatments for nausea. Hoping that he can benefit.

 

I pray you can spend time together and make memories.

 

Focus on togetherness and just live.

It is so hard to watch your parent like that. impossible to imagine they are not always around.

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Thank you Pam. Thankfully my dads oncologist said the same but that if he was just really not ok with the chemo then just say stop. They also told him because they are going at a lower rate with radiation just for a longer time span that his side effects will be minimalized. What you said about spending time with my dad and making memories is something I want too. My dad however I has a tough exterior...it's hard to get through. He will always say "Oh I'm fine" even when he is not. So I am going to have to get creative. Make it a sort of challenge...what to do next to spend time and make memories.

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