Rick Gardner's Esophageal Cancer Story Page Five

Rick's Battle With The Beast

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December 19, 2006:

I had a repeat CT scan done on the 11th. Dr. Chaudhuri,  my surgeon, did not want to wait six months for a follow-up like the other two doctors. On Dec. 19, I picked up a copy of the report and read that I have metastatic cancer of the liver.  Meaning - the cancer has spread to the liver. Dr. Chaudhuri says the good thing is that we have "treatable time" - that I am in a much better position than an 80yr old who is in "poor health". Yes, this was a Good News/Bad News thing. The bad news is that metastatic cancer has a poor prognosis for a cure. I go for a PET scan soon (12/28), so here's praying that there are no further suprises waiting in store for me.  I already know that there will be more chemo & radiation ahead - also a surgery to implant radiation into my liver if the cancer has not spread elsewhere.

This page was last
updated on: July 30,
2007

Feb. 1. 2007 Another Battle Ahead....

Damn.  Not the way we wanted to start this year.  The PET scan showed two spots on my liver, a spot on my lung and a suspicious area in the lymph nodes behind my new esopha- stomach.     On Jan. 23 I had a new port put in and a dilation done. The surgeon then  turned me over to the oncologist.  The doctor's favorite phrase right now seems to be "Quality of Life".     At least this time I got a nice "port job" - it's in a reasonable area, not in the middle of my chest. And it doesn't seem to stick out as bad as the first one.  It does not hurt for people to hug me if it's done right. ;^)    On Jan. 29 I started a new round of chemo. This time it's 5FU, Leucovorin and Oxaliplatin. I take Zofran for nausea three times a day.  Since I feel like hell, I would hate to see how I would feel without the Zofran.   The regime is infusion at the center for a couple of hours one day every other week. I go home with a pump in a fanny sack (like last time) but only have to carry this for 48 hours. Then it gets disconnected and we start all over again two weeks later.   We'll do this for two or three months and see how it goes.

This winter has been spent burning up the wood we cut down from that fallen tree last year.  That's my newest hobby - bringing in firewood, feeding the fireplace.  It is now Feb. 4 and my weight has dropped to 116 in just a few days. This is in spite of my other new hobby - Juicing.  The guys at work bought me a Jack LaLalnne Juicer as a retirement gift.  I had just started to feel some benefits from it when I had to start the chemo.  The past three days have been especially hard. I cannot eat much of anything - either it just won't go down or won't stay down for long.  I sleep a LOT.   I am beginning to understand the Quality of Life thing. I want to thank all of you who have stopped here to read my story and taken the time to sign my guestbook.  My wife and I feel like we are in the midst of a war, and in a strange way it helps to know we have others by our side in this battle.

UPDATE March 23, 2007

It has been a rough couple of months. I got down to an all -time low of 105 lbs.  sometime around the middle of February.  My oncologist prescribed me an antibiotic for a sinus infection I suspected I had, and I really think that is what turned me around.   Within two weeks I gained back 7 or 8 lbs.      As of this writing, I am back up to 120 [fully dressed].  Just this additional 10 pounds has made such a difference in my energy level.  Another 20 or so and I will be feeling more like my old self, I hope. ;^)     We are wrapping up this round of chemo treatments at the end of this month I think. In April, my oncologist wants to do some scans for restaging and to see how much the treatments have helped.  Stay Tuned.......

UPDATE July 25, 2007

to this page

You can't keep a true kiteflier down.

He may get tired, but he will find a way...

We have been lax in updating this site, and we apologize.  The scans that I had done at the end of April showed that the cancer has not gone away but the spots on liver and lung are smaller. The chemo seems to be doing it's job. We remain hopeful that this is something I can LIVE with, and keep the nasty cancer cells at a minimum. My surgeon has pretty much relinquished my care over to the oncologist. He did say "Well, at least you are still relatively young and we have  "treatable time".  The oncologist just keeps reminding us that we are shooting for a Quality of Life, not quantity.  Like we could ever for a minute forget. I continue on course with chemo treatments when I am able.  Lately that has been once a month.  I struggle to maintain my weight at 106-108.  Very often after a treatment it will drop to around 100. Those are times when I cannot find the energy or will to get out of bed or do much.  I wish I could tell you that I am making the most of every minute, and that I am using my time wisely and tying up loose ends.  Truth is, we are just putting one foot in front of the other and taking each day as it comes. The worst problem lately is the neuropathy caused by the chemo.  (Neuropathy is numbness and tingling in hands and feet). It has gotten so bad that I cannot usually feel my legs up to my knees.  This makes me pretty wobbly look like a drunk when I walk.  I can only manipulate my fingers if I am looking at them. My lifetime of hand-work probably has given me an edge here, and I stubbornly continue to ignore what I "can't" do. The oncologist has removed the Oxaliplatin from the chemo cocktail, as that is the most likely cause of the neuropathy. At night I say a prayer of Thanks for getting me through another day and in the morning I say a prayer of Thanks that I have waken to see another sunrise.  I try to get at least one thing accomplished each day - but I must admit sometimes that one thing is just surviving.