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Living with Esophageal Cancer November 2024 Update 1

In addition to everything else, my wife is now taking blood thinners. About a month ago, she had another scan. It showed that her tumors had reduced in size, but also that she had two pulmonary embolisms (blood clots in her lungs).

The PET/CT scan will be in about two weeks. This is the final verdict on the effectiveness of radiation and chemotherapy treatments. This is the benchmark of the best she will be or her “new normal.” The day following the scan, we will meet with the oncologist.

Thus far she is still on an essentially liquid diet. The exceptions are these: she can eat some cream-based soups and her oatmeal breakfast if she runs them through the food processor and liquifies the heck out of them first. The only somewhat solid food she can eat is slices of apple. She chews the apple slices and can swallow some of it. The rest she spits out onto a napkin and then tosses in the trash. Due to the lingering effects of chemo, she still can’t eat anything cold, so ice cream is not an option at this time. Also, anything with spices or tomatoes (including soups) are not something she can eat.

All her medicines are crushed into powder and mixed with liquids, or she can’t take them. Nasea is her constant companion, and she can’t sleep well at night. Amazingly, she has only lost 35 pounds since July. She has trouble walking and we now have handicapped placards in both cars. She needs either my help or that of a shopping cart to walk more than a few feet.

She has an amazingly positive attitude, but it is horrible to watch her suffer.

I plan to update again after the next scan.

Living with Esophageal Cancer October 2024 Update 2

Chemo didn’t happen last week because the white cell count was too low. We are planning to try again tomorrow. If the white cells are again too low, then I think we are done with chemo.

Meanwhile my wife says she has lost 30 pounds since being diagnosed with her cancer again. Previously, I told her that I expect her to lose 50 to 60 lbs. before this “treatment” is over.

Eating is literally a pain. She has to take medicine just to allow her to eat. Foods (more correctly liquid substances that she eats in place of food) cause pain when she swallows them, and the pain continues all the way to her stomach. The amount of distress that she endures is amazing. She is happy and positive even in the face of the difficulties that she is experiencing. A side effect of the medicine is that she is sleeping much of the day. She is also weak.

I think she is beat up and broken and part of me hopes the chemo is over. I think we have crossed the line between medical care and torture, at this point it is simultaneously both.

Her radiation burns are slowly healing. The two open sores are healing up and get new dressings on them each day. The discolored skin is still visible but improving. You just can’t help but wonder what the tissue inside her body looks like if the outside is this messed-up.

Living with Esophageal Cancer October 2024

As October begins, my wife is struggling to eat. Most of her nutrition is via a plastic soda straw. She also has severe burns from the radiation treatment. These burns cover an area between her shoulders and from her neck to her arm pits. Her skin in this area varies between being brown or black (dark in color). Near her right collar bone are two large sores about the size of silver dollars. She is using a pill crushing device to pulverize her medicine because it hurts too much to swallow any capsules. She also has been given liquid versions of some other things she needs to take. Nasea is her constant companion.

She is in good spirits as always, however; this past week she did not experience the rebound that had been the case between weeks of chemotherapy. This week will be yet another round of treatment.

Meanwhile, the meeting with the radiologist last week promised some degree of relief in the future. Hope that’s the case.

Lots of waiting in my immediate future.

Living with Esophageal Cancer September 2024

Note: My second post for August was never completed so here’s the update covering the last few weeks.

This week my wife completed her 25 radiation treatments. She was told that there will be two more chemo treatments in October. This is in addition to the previously scheduled five that she has had. Chemo weeks are full of nausea, vomiting, dry heaves, lack of sleep and of course breathing difficulty.

The results of the treatment thus far is that she is on essentially a liquid diet. Nope, ice cream is not on the menu. A known side effect of her chemo is that she is hypersensitive to cold. Everything must be at room temperature or slightly warmer. Many foods don’t taste the same.

She has lost close to thirty pounds thus far, even though she is trying to eat high calorie foods.

Yesterday for example, it took about five minutes to successfully swallow a pill that was about the size of 1/4th of an M & M candy.

I have lost count of the number of medical people recommending that she get a feeding tube. She is not interested.

The radiation doc has said that in a few weeks, her esophagus will begin to work better.

Mid to late November she will have another set of scans to see what impact her treatment has had on the cancer.

It has been a blessing to have my father-in-law here for the last several weeks. Sadly, this is not his first rodeo with seeing a loved one slowly fade away.

My parents popped in one weekend and their visit was probably the best one we’ve had with them in our twenty plus years of marriage. Miracles do come from such tragedy.

Our church here has been very supportive as have others in the community.

On days when her dad drives her for treatment, I am expected to continue working on the house. I have been painting, installing flooring, door and window trim, and other things as needed. The craft room is up and running and I also have a shiny new desk upstairs for computer work. Soon my toolbox will be delivered and then I can get my stuff in the garage organized.

Why isn’t Trump Winning by More?

The answer is simple but also complex.  I will try to break it down for you as only I can. It’s wild, Kamala is the farthest left politician ever nominated and has a douche bag of a running mate.  Polling has shown a tie, or maybe a 1 percent edge either way.  Its close.

1.  He isn’t likable.  Trump is very polarizing, you either love him, hate him, or live under a rock.

2.  He keeps spewing rhetoric no one wants to hear.  Rigged elections, voter fraud, mass deportations.  Stop it!  The election was 4 years ago, he lost.  Granted their were shenanigans but folks don’t want a January 6 redux if he loses again.  The deportation thing should be softened to be we are going to deport criminals here illegally.  We are a nation of immigrants, I have no issue with the hard working folks, the criminals I do.  However you cannot vote if you are illegally here.

3.  Kamala is focusing on her agenda??? LOL sure.  The media has done a good job of not asking her hard questions.  However Harris is staying positive people like to hear that.  Again, we are not fans of her agenda, but positivity compared to Trump is helping her.

4.  Name calling, insults and personal attacks are juvenile.  Its childish, you are running for President of the US.  Not in a comment section of a right/left wing website.  Act Presidential, you will win.

There you have it.  Trump likely loses the popular vote, NY, CA and IL are too populated and any Democrat will win.  The Democrat will win big.  The individual swing states are what I am blogging about.  I think it s odd such a liberal nominee can be tied in pretty much each swing state.  

Folks its going to be close, very close.  If you live in a swing state; make sure you are registered to vote.  Vote!  Its sounds dumb but i know of 3 republicans who either have never voted, or never registered to vote.  Yup, all 3 have Trump memorabilia on their vehicles/person.

The Chief

Living with Esophageal Cancer August 2024 Update 1

The first week of chemo is now over. As before, the second day after infusion was the worst. Thankfully we have the next week off.

On deck are 25 treatments of radiation that run concurrent with more chemotherapy. Yep, five days a week for five weeks. Radiology is now part of the treatment regime. Our consultation was moved up by a week. The finding was that radiation would be possible, but surgery was not. This is the second doctor to say that surgery is not possible in this case.

The folks at the church have been very kind to us with all that is going on.

Our workers, Joe, Josh, and Zack are all doing their best to help us have a place to house guests. Up next is paint, tiling, and building the Murphy bed. The electrician and HVAC test guy are expected later in the week.

My wife also has been subjected to a bunch of new tests. Some of the results are beyond our comprehension as they involve proteins and genetics, but a new CT scan showed 10 millimeters (one centimeter) of grown in her largest tumor in two weeks (July 30 to August 14). That is about four tenths of an inch. The growth in her neck is now 3.8 cm x 2.6 cm; no wonder her breathing and food consumption has gotten so difficult. Also, tumors are wrapped around arteries branching from her heart. “… encasement of the right brachiocephalic artery as well as proximal right subclavian and right common cartid arteries which is newly apparent.”

Tuesday chemo and radiation continues …

Kamala Harris Lady of the Evening

When you ponder Kamala Harris, the lyrics to “She Works Hard for the Money” must be the first thing to pop into your head. Kamala got her start sleeping with Willie Brown, the former Speaker of the California Assembly and ex-mayor of San Francisco. Oh, King Willie was married at the time. He was 60 and she was 29.

Per her scrubbed Wikipedia article, “In 1994, Speaker of the California Assembly Willie Brown, who was then dating Harris, appointed her to the state Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board and later to the California Medical Assistance Commission.”

Kamala had a different set of patrons than Gavin Newsom, but both were involved in San Francisco politics at the same time. As Gavin was maneuvering for the Governor’s chair, Kamala was following the track to a different statewide office, the Attorney General.

(Gavin put his gubernatorial ambitions on hold for eight years because Jerry Brown outmaneuvered him. Gavin cooled his jets as Lieutenant Governor until Brown was term limited out.)

Harris refused to be the chief law enforcement officer of California and instead only enforced laws with which she personally agreed. Most notably, she refused to defend voter approved Proposition 8 which amended California’s Constitution stating that marriage was only between one man and one woman. Harris also used the power of the State of California to prosecute “an antiabortion activist who had made secret recordings and then accused Planned Parenthood doctors of illegally selling fetal tissue.”

Harris moved from the AG Office to the US Senate.

Harris has been called the “Whore of Babylon.”

… we might just be witnessing her grand entrance on the world stage in the form of Kamala Harris – “sex-worker” to the elites – whose payment wasn’t money (so far as we know) but political advancement. It’s pretty much common knowledge that Kamala “sex-worked” her way up the political ladder from total obscurity to where she currently has a reasonable chance of becoming the most powerful political figure in the world.

Is Kamala the ‘sex worker’ of Babylon?

Frankly, it’s a bit shocking to watch the dramatic implosion of radical feminism that Kamala’s ascendency as the world’s top woman represents. All of the relentless and passionate work women across the globe have done for decades to promote women as equal in all ways to men based upon merit is going up in flames before their eyes.

“Kamala Harris — she’s the original ‘Hawk Tuah’ girl — that’s the way she got where she is. And the party’s going downhill if it’s in her hands,” Lace said.

His comment refers to a viral TikTok clip in which a woman is asked the question, “What’s one move in bed that makes a man go crazy every time?”

“You gotta give ’em that ‘hawk tuah’ and spit on that thang,” the woman replies, alluding to oral sex.

Fox Business guest slammed for calling Kamala Harris a ‘Hawk Tuah girl’ in sexist outburst

If Kamala rose thru the “glass ceiling” it was on her back.

Even Democrats don’t like Kamala

Biden’s out, Kamala is in. Don’t be fooled: policies won’t change.  Just like Biden wasn’t the one calling the shots, Kamala Harris won’t be either. She is the new figurehead for the deep state and the maidservant of Hillary Clinton, queen of the cabal of warmongers. They will continue their efforts to engulf the world in war and taking away our liberty.

Tulsi Gabbard

Her husband is just as bad. His previous marriage ended after getting his nanny pregnant, and then forcing the nanny to get an abortion.

Kamala is obsessed with killing the unborn but that is stating the obvious.

She is the handmaiden of evil and mistress of Moloch.

Living with Esophageal Cancer July 2024 Update 3

In something akin to a bad version of Groundhog Day, my wife is getting back on the chemo treatment routine. Friday, the port will again be installed in her chest. Tuesday, she starts chemo. It’s a yucky one with a pump to administer the drugs over several days. Once some test results come back, the drug cocktail will be adjusted.

We also get a consult with a radiology guy in about two weeks. Whether she is even able to get radiation is yet to be decided.

As for staging, per her doctor, she could be classified as either stage four or three, depending on which definition you wish to use.

The oncologist said that the cancer is incurable and mentioned palliative care. He said she may have one to two years depending on what they can do for her. Sorry, but her breathing is getting more difficult and until something changes with the large tumor in her throat, she is at risk (in my opinion). Oh, the necropsy in her large tumor is due to the tumor growing so quickly that parts of it don’t have sufficient oxygen, hence tissue is dying.

As a result of what is happening, the one-week trip to Canada in a month is cancelled; however, her dad is still driving up here.

The garage will be mostly sheet rocked by close of business on Friday. Also, parts of it have already been taped. Next week it should be possible to paint parts of the garage. The bathroom is also progressing and will also be ready for tiling in a few more days. I finished wiring for security cameras today and installed a few exterior lights. I’m glad we found some help to get the place livable before her dad arrives.

More updates as the situation warrants.

Living with Esophageal Cancer July 2024 Update 2

Last week was the PET scan. We had the results within 45 minutes of leaving the testing facility. In addition to the two tumors that we knew about from the recent CT scan, two more were found in my wife’s upper chest area. One is located near her collar bone and the other in the bronchial area. Per doctor Google, both these tumors are frequently associated with lung cancer.

Both tumors in her neck were measured larger than when the CT scan was done. Whether this is accurate or just due to different techs reading tests by different methods is unknown. The large tumor is now 2.6 cm and in the tracheal esophageal groove. This is the area immediately below the valve in your throat (epiglottis) that directs air to your lungs and food to your stomach. The groove is in between the trachea and the esophagus. This is the tumor that has changed my wife’s voice and also limits her ability to breathe. She also has some trouble swallowing liquids.

The second tumor is in the supraclavicular lymph node

The lymphatic fluid from the head and neck regions is filtered by the lymph nodes in the neck area. Specific to the right supraclavicular lymph node is the drainage of the mid-section of the chest, esophagus, and lungs, …

Supraclavicular lymph nodes

The third tumor is in the subcarinal lymph node. This is area where the airway branches into left and right lungs.

The fourth tumor is in the prevascular lymph node.

The prevascular lymph nodes (3A) are all located behind the sternum and anterior to the superior vena cava and left carotid artery.

Anatomy, Thorax, Mediastinal Lymph Nodes

The first two tumors are in the neck and the other two are in the upper thorax. As you can see most are in and around the respiratory system. The two new tumors are often associated with lung cancer.

Earlier this year (February), the CT scan of her chest was clear (the neck was not scanned by the last test).

Biopsies are scheduled for later this week.

It is clear to me that radiation is off the table, leaving chemotherapy as possible treatment. Surgery on her neck is not likely so are we really gonna fix anything or just make her comfortable?

After Biopsy

The biopsy came back as expected; namely, the esophageal cancer has returned. The report featured two phrases of concern. The first was “moderately to poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma” and the second “adenocarcinomas from the gastrointestinal tract and lung.”

This roughly translates to the cancer is aggressive and suggests that it is taking up residence in the lungs. The lung diagnosis is consistent with the two new lymph nodes and her symptoms including shortness of breath.

After consulting doctor Google and my few friends in and around the medical field, this is my take on the situation, my wife has stage four cancer and has four to six months left on the planet. I sense that other folks feel that way too, but they are leaving the bad news delivery for the doctor to give to us next week.

Palliative care (a medicine or form of medical care that relieves symptoms without dealing with the cause of the condition) looks to be the likely offering from the doctor.

I will update as necessary.

Trump…Don’t grasp defeat from the jaws of victory!

Editor’s note: this post was submitted to me just hours before Sleepy Joe Biden withdrew from his re-election bid.

Trump has had a good couple of months.  To be honest I had tired of Trump’s self-serving act and supported Ron DeSantis during the short-lived primary.  The name calling, personal attacks, and insults are petty and come off as childish.  It was funny with crooked Hillary, but I think this is what caused his defeat in 2020.  

Blogger note:  I will be supporting and voting for Trump in November.

Then I saw a different Trump; with the exception of him going after Nikki Haley pretty hard. He acted like a former president who wanted his job back.  At the first debate, he never attacked Biden, just made a couple comments about his speech and him not making sense.  It was brilliant…. now the democrats are the party of chaos.  Then Trump was shot by a left-wing whacko. He survived and he gave a great speech.  I was sitting here thinking aloud he may get damn near 400 electoral votes.

Then the old Trump once again re-appeared.

His selection of JD Vance told me what I feared most.  Vance is a Trump loyalist. He will not have much of any role. He will be a yes man and a cheerleader.  This was done because Mike Pence didn’t step in and try to overturn the election.  Vance also called Trump a Hitler and a couple other choice words.  I am sure they mended fences, but I don’t like what I see.  Sometimes it’s good to hear other ideas, not close yourself in an echo chamber.

I didn’t need to hear about prime time speaking slots from Eric and Don Jr.  but this is typical that family makes everything all about themselves.

I did watch Trump’s speech, it started beautifully with him telling the story about the assassination attempt and honoring the man who was killed.  He told us he would do a tax cut, close the border with a fence, end the wars in Russia and Gaza, and get inflation down and interest rates down.  He gave no substance, but no candidate really ever does anymore.  Then Trump went full Trump talking about the stolen election and voter fraud 4 years ago.

Blogger note:  Yes, I believe there was quite a bit of shenanigans that election night, from “broken water mains” to “every major swing state city stopping their count” but can we be honest, it’s been 4 years, get over it.

The worst part of this is the hair on fire conspiracies that come from it.  They will say Trump will end abortions via executive order, he will stack the Supreme Court, and overturn more protections for marginalized groups, and he will overturn the constitution and become a dictator.  None of this is true but our whack jobs bring out theirs.

For all the MAGA groupies:  Trump is running against likely the second worst president in our history and one who appears frail, pale and lacks the ability to put together a sentence.  Trump is only beating Biden by about 4-5 in each swing state.  Trump is so hated by a large part of the population that even this matchup could come down to the wire.  If Biden is replaced, all bets are off, anything could happen.  Also vote for the entire GOP ticket, this included senators and congressman, Trump is going to need about 55 senators to get what he wants.  Recall his own party fought with him a lot during his first term.  It’s disturbing. I’ve seen polling where Trump is up 4-5% yet our challenger trails a far left democrat by the same margin.

The Chief