Littlegirl Posted June 4, 2006 Share Posted June 4, 2006 My mother had her follow up visit with her oncologist this week. He did not review her results from the scan before her visit and the tech who did the scan did not have the original to compare it to. He sat and read the results and began to frown and shake his head 'no', and did not say anything for several minutes. (DO THESE DOCS NOT REALIZE THE IMORTANCE OF THEIR BODY LANGUAGE WHEN SOMEONE'S LIFE IS IN THEIR HANDS???) He said there was mention of the pleural effusion but no mention of the mass. He said they did not have the original scan so they did not know where to look for it. Call me crazy but the mass WAS 10 cm and I would think it would not have to be pointed out to the tech. We do feel good that at least we think the tumor has shrunk and nothing new popped up. However, we feel the tumor was too large to completely go away so quickly and wonder how competent the radiologist was. Anyway, mom is still having issues swallowing and feels it is getting worse instead of better so her oncologist wanted her to see a gastro doc. He said she probably has a constriction and just needs to have it stretched. The first 2 docs they tried to send us to did not have an opening until July so they got us an appt with someone that mom saw on Friday. This doc said that mom's throat probably just needed to heal and wanted to put a feeding tube in. We mentioned the onc suggested maybe she just needed her throat stretched and he said that does not work, and besides he would need to order a part to do that, blah blah blah. He said she should have had a feeding tube before radiation and he was VEY RUDE. He also mentioned twice that she would be asleep when he did this procedure so would not feel any pain. My sister pointed out that her pulmonologist said she should NEVER be put under general anesthesia due to her breathing issues and this doc yelled at my sis "I know what I'm doing." Needless to say we are looking for a new gasto ASAP. Mom is losing faith in all her doctors and is beginning to get discouraged. Does anyone out there have experience getting their esophagus stretched? We would GREATLY appreciate any input. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Wood Posted June 4, 2006 Share Posted June 4, 2006 Sorry your mom is having to experience a bunch of clods in her treatment. You are correct to seek others who will be more communicating and supportive. My wife's throat was also sore and felt swollen after radiation on her spine. We fed her liquids and soft foods in small increments during the day until it finally healed. Hope your mom's heels soon. Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kasey Posted June 4, 2006 Share Posted June 4, 2006 That would be ME with LOTS of experience getting my esophagus stretched!!!!! Had it done 4 times, in fact! Not sure what 'part' the doc needs to order to get this done I had SEVERE difficulty eating. Each time I had the procedure I went a little bit longer before having it done again. I started to feeling that I would ALWAYS be having a problem. My gastro (one of the two doctors here who treated me with compassion and dignity and concern) told me he was confident he could get me fixed up........and he did! Not sure what info you are seeking, but feel free to PM with specific questions if you have any. Sorry about the dealings with the docs. Unfortunately it is more common than we would like to believe! Kasey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richinsdakota Posted June 4, 2006 Share Posted June 4, 2006 Yea, dunno about the procedure, but isnt it a shame that a lotta docs these days are so da-n arrogant and unfeeling! Guess they stopped teaching compassion (bedside manner) decades ago. Ive found I jus gotta keep searchin till I find one thats a little more human, so youre doin the right thing. Good luck...Rich B. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aurora06 Posted July 13, 2006 Share Posted July 13, 2006 My mom had esophageal stricture. Dr. tried to explain it may have been a tumor pressing on her esophagus but the onc suggested it cd have been a benign stricture which anyone can get whether or not they have cancer. Conflict between the gastro and primary as to whether to try to strech it. Gastro thought it might be too risky. They tried several times to strech it but it didn't help. Finally they put in a stent to hold the esophagus open. Since she was becoming weaker the procedure was difficult for her and she was let down b/c it didn't help that much. We didn't know at the time she only had a short time left before we had to say goodbye. My guess is the "part" that the dr is referring to may be a stent. hope all goes well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RandyW Posted July 13, 2006 Share Posted July 13, 2006 Deb fought this disease for 3 years and never had a feeding tube even after 5 weeks of MAXIMUM CURATIVE RADIATION to the tumour area. There are other ways to get nutrition into a person. Have you tried the shakes like Boost And Ensure. You can also make your own smoothie mixes but try them at room temp and not Ice cold. There are a variety of rinses at walgreens that may help with pain. It should go away after radiation is complete and a week or two later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jendew Posted July 13, 2006 Share Posted July 13, 2006 A friend of ours who died at age 37 a couple of months ago with LC had a horrible time with it. He had his esophagus stretched, but it didn't work. He was on a feeding tube for nutrition. I hope you find some answers and soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Littlegirl Posted July 13, 2006 Author Share Posted July 13, 2006 This is actually an older thread that re-surfaced and I posted an update on another thread. We took mom to see a different gastro and he said there was no need for a feeding tube. He did the EGD and it was determined that mom's problem was a severe ulcer all the way around the bottom of her esophagus. He put her on Nexium twice a day and said she just needed some time to heal. Now she can eat pretty much anything, and he just bumped her down to one Nexium a day. The doc said the scarring from the ulcer could cause a constriction also and said he would go in and stretch it if it became too bothersome but it is not needed at this time. Mom does feel like some things get a bit 'stuck' if she does not chew enough before swallowing but other than that is doing great. Really relieved to find a great doctor this time and that makes all the difference in the world. Thanks, Karen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ztweb Posted July 13, 2006 Share Posted July 13, 2006 Oh my! What a mess! I cannot believe that the doc was this way...Yes, I agree a new doc please! My dad had some major esophagus pain, but it didn't last too long. They never discussed stretching it, but he did get a GI coctail before eating that helped a little bit. He did this for about a week. Good luck and God bless! Jen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RandyW Posted July 13, 2006 Share Posted July 13, 2006 Glad things are looking up sending prayers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maryanne Posted July 13, 2006 Share Posted July 13, 2006 I don't have any experience with the stretching but you are getting a lot of feedback on that. What an idiot that gastro. doc was! But I also feel you should get a 2nd opinion on an Onochologist. He was very uncompassiate and didn't seem to know what is what. I would get copies of all her results and take it to another Onochologist and see what they say about the radiologist report. But I would also get the films or copies or the films so they could see it besides just reading a result. It seems very confusing to me. See if there is a competent Cancer hospital in your area. Maryanne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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