Recovering From Surgery

Recovering From Surgery

It has been a little over 7 weeks since surgery.  I would say my recovery is going pretty well since I last posted on September 29.

We met with Dr. Dunst, my surgeon, about 4 weeks after surgery.  The weekend before that meeting I started drinking and eating different liquids and soft foods, the first I'd had through my mouth since surgery.  We reported the results to her and she gave me the green light to eat anything, but to be really cautious with each new food - little bites, chew a lot.  The only foods she warned me off of were steak and carbonated beverages.  She also reduced my time on the food pump from 18 hours a day to 8 hours a day.  I'm getting about 1000 calories from the food pump and the rest through eating.  I've held my weight steady at around 228, which is at least 23 pounds overweight.

I've been working at the office for three full weeks, starting just after I was reduced to 8 hours a day on the food pump.  Prior to that I was working full time from home for a couple of weeks.  My total down time from work was about 2-1/2 weeks.  I did not work at all for the two weeks starting on my surgery date and I worked 1/2 time for the 3rd week.  Sitting in front of a computer monitor and working is not very much more taxing physically than watching TV.  I was paid the entire time.  I had a week of vacation and the rest was covered by disability insurance that Symantec had.  What a great way to spend my vacation.

I've been walking for exercise.  For the last 3 weeks I've been walking with Steve Zeigler and Steve Scalpone during lunch at work.  We have a loop mostly through parks and on trails that is about 2-1/2 miles.  My brother Powell joins us on Friday sometimes. On the weekends I walk with family.  Here's a picture of Martha and I on a walk last Sunday (10/27) taken by Caroline:

I'm still kind of tender in my abdomen.  I feel some pain in two specific places, one is at the biggest scar, when I move in certain ways, mainly picking something up with my right arm or pushing with my right arm.  It is repeatable.  But interestingly, it goes away while I'm walking.  So it may be more a stiffness pain.  But it is real when it happens and it hurts a little.  I definitely adjust what I'm doing to avoid it.  Getting in and out of the car is always adventure.  I used to grab my laptop and get out with it in my hand.  Now I just get out then walk over to the passenger side door and grab the laptop.

Oct 30: Chemo Round Two Begins

Oct 30: Chemo Round Two Begins

I just finished my first round of chemo.  My schedule is to go 4 times, once every 3 weeks, so I'll be done with treatment 9 weeks from today if all goes as expected.  As I well know, done with treatment does not mean it gets better.  The 3-4 weeks after my last chemo session will be when I'll feel the worst.  Also, I will definitely lose my hair this time.  

I had chemo and radiation over a six week period prior to surgery.  Why am I having a second round of chemo?  When my surgeon, Dr. Dunst, removed most of my esophagus she sent all the tissue to pathology to be examined.  The report came back that I had six lymph nodes and three contained live cancer cells.  The original tumor had shrunk, but had not been totally "killed".

Only six lymph nodes?  Dr. Dunst said this number is unusually small, she said the pathology lab knew she'd be calling back so they double checked.  Yes, only 6.  She expected the number to be in the 15-22 range.  She does not know why there were only 6.

Three of six lymph nodes have live cancer cells in them.  This fact is why I'm in chemo for a second time.  The cancer cells have proven they can "travel" since they've moved to different lymph nodes.  Have any live cancer cells gotten out of the lymph system and traveled to other parts of my body?  There is no data to know this right now.  I've talked with three doctors about this, my surgeon, my original oncologist (chemo guy), and an oncologist Dr. Dunst really respects at her hospital.  All three said "we do not know if cancer cells have traveled."  All three seemed to say either "it is likely" or "why take a chance?"  That is, you should have another round of chemo.  So I am.

I've been dreading this day for weeks, ever since Martha and I decided it was the best course.  The chemo drugs I'm taking are quite different than last time and being given at full strength.  In the original six week chemo-plus-radiation, the purpose of the chemo was more to enhance radiation than as chemo by itself.  Also, the fact that I was taking chemo every week meant (I think) that they had to give me a less powerful dose.  I believe my Oncologist said "50% strength".  Now I have a 3 week interval between treatment in which to recover so I'm getting full strength.