Best of luck PB, a Galway man wont need to be told twice to keep fighting
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Best of luck @Portumna_Bridge, fair fucks for the fighting youāve done so far. Hopefully itās an upward curve from here.
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Did you have any indication before hand or was it just by chance you found out?
I sat down one Thursday late last August and had trouble swallowing.
Iād had acid reflux for about 15 years, but I wasnāt suffering from it as if changed my diet and lost about 15kg in the previous year. So I thought this is stress related reflux as I was was looking after my wifeās very frail dad and would be going back to work at school. Took my nexium, and chewed my food more slowly and for longer. This made no difference, still had trouble with certain foods, had to force them down with water.
After a month of this I thought that I might have a gut infection- helibactor. Was going to get appointment with the doctor, but father in law passed away so had to look after funeral and family.
By Halloween it was getting so bad Iād have to run from the table to the toilet to puke as the diaphragm heaved when food was getting stuck. Then one morning when I could not even eat scrambled egg I told the wife what was happening and she ordered me to the quack ASAP. By now I was suspecting a hernia and I was hiding it at lunch with colleagues by eating only soup.
The doc was shocked and said I needed a scope within a fortnight. By mid November I had lost another 8kg and my only food was soft food like soup, yogurt, creamed rice.
They attempted a scope and tried 3 different sizes of cameras but they couldnāt get past the bottom of my oesophagus into the stomach . They showed me the growth that was constricting entry to my stomach and told me that my oesophagus was now as wide as my little finger . The biopsy came back as positive- I have Adenocarcinoma, oesophageal cancer caused by stomach acid. PET scan confirmed that itās confined to the oesophagus, and a lymph node with no presence in any other organs.
By December I was 80kg and only able to consume about 700 calories with great difficulty. Started chemo the week before Christmas, ( folfox) very aggressive treatment that I have had 4 cycles. Went down to 72kg and could physically feel myself getting smaller in the bed. Santa came and there was a full Christmas dinner but there were two empty chairs at the dinner table. I thought I was fucked and started planning my humanist funeral playlist, but by New Years Eve I was drinking prosecco and up looking at a blocked grey water drain from the kitchen.
Today after the chemo I can eat everything and can do everything without being tired. Itās only this week that things are feeling normal. I have to get my strength and conditioning back for surgery. They are going to scope me, PET scan me and remove the remains of the tumour and a lymph node next month.
Things could be worse. Itās my illness, not one of my children. Thereās no other organs affected. Outcomes for Adenocarcinoma and very positive today. Iāve buried a fabulous father in law who has been in my life 15 years and who I met 3 years after my own father passed away. I couldnāt be luckier with my family, my wife is heroic for minding me and keeping the show on the road. We will both be 50 in the next 15 months and are planning on something special.
Donāt ignore heartburn and acid reflux. Inform yourselves about Barrettās Oesophagus. Iām one of the unlucky 5% days whoās BO turns nasty and tries to choke you. The future looks good but surgery will be tricky. Iāll be fit for the final on 18th August. Hāon Galway
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Thats a great post. Inspirational- apart from the prosecco!
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A familiar tale . Keep up the battle And we might see ye in drumcondra in August
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Great post and one which must have been a very difficult post to write. Itād nearly make me want Galway to win the All-Ireland just so you could be there.
Nearly.
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Christ, thatās most informative. Thanks for sharing and Iāll be booking a check up shortly. I wish you the best with your battle and the ones to come
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Fine piece of writing
Well done sir
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Iām happy to share, left it a while as I wanted to have a positive story to tell. Look after yourself and do the follow up. You can never know too muchā¦
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Fucking hell. Youāre oneof the good guys PB, youāre showing tremendous courage here, best if luck pal.
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Fair fucks pal to have that clarity and perspective from where you are. A wonderful sentiment and eloquently expressed.
God speed.
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Great post. Fair play for sharing.
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We could do with you in the full back line you hardy oul bastard.
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You are a great man. All the best to you and your family.
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Very informative post @Portumna_Bridge I think we are all disasters when it comes to health and leaving the Doctor off until the last minute thankfully your wife gave you the boot required which is so often the way for Irish men. Be sure and keep us updated with your progress when you have the strength to or when your bored recovering in bed!
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I donāt know what it is, Iām brutal too. I think itās probably the fear of getting bad news and of realising youāre not invincible.
Iāve had similar symptoms to @Portumna_Bridge over the past 3 months and been through a lot of tests (bloods, endoscopy, chest X-ray, etc.) and they found an inflammation at the the bottom of the oesophagas but thankfully for me the biopsy showed up a very rare but harmless enough infection. Iām only starting to feel right now but I had the proper fear that there was something seriously wrong.
Itās hard to imagine what @Portumna_Bridge and his family have been through but itās very interesting to read his story and great to hear heās made such progress.
Also a lesson for us stubborn cunts to listen to your body
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Wow. Inspirational stuff PB. Keep her lit
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