What are the final stages of life with esophageal cancer?

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My father-in-law was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in 2006. After a 2-year fight and undergoing chemo and radiation treatments, we are afraid we have come to the end of the road. We have been told a number of things about how long he has, however, we have not been told what to espect when the end is near. Anyone have some insight into our preparation, or what we should expect?
My first piece of advice to you is spend as much time with him as possible. Tell him often that you are all there for him, and if he is uncomfortable talking about his condition, let it go. He needs to get it straight in his mind before he can talk about it. The best time to consider hospice care is when you can see that the doctors and hospitals really cannot do anything for him. As long as he is still aware and can make his own decisions, it is important for him to say it is time for hospice. You should also have him appoint someone as his health care proxy agent in case he is unable to make decisions. Someone who knows what he would want in certain situations. It is very hard to know "end of life" symptoms, except, they basically stop eating and drinking. They sleep all the time and are very hard to wake up. When they are awake, they are somewhat withdrawn, or they get a burst of sudden energy and talk a lot. And at the very end, the breathing gets quite irregular. I know this is a lot to think about, and it is nothing pleasant to think about. My heart truly goes out to you. I honestly feel your pain. Your father-in-law, you and your whole family will be in my prayers. Try to stay strong, but do cry when you need to. God Bless.  (+ info)

What would the treatment be for mild esophageal dysmotility?

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Had an uppper GI and the radiologist said no reflux, but I did have mild esophageal dysmotility.
I have no symptoms of either GERD or esophageal dysmotility (what would that be?) Upper GI showed no reflux, hiatal hernia or stricture.
"Medical treatment of esophageal motility disorders involves the uses of agents that either reduce (anticholinergic agents, nitrates, calcium antagonists) or enhance (prokinetic agents) esophageal contractility. Despite the beneficial effect of the various drugs on esophageal motility parameters, the clinical benefit of medical treatment is often disappointing. "

Your esophagus is the inside of your throat and a 'dismotility' is a lack of a full range of motion.
I personaly would advise that you look into organic and natural foods as a basis for changing what you eat, then move on to various sugestions regarding the reduction of acid producing foods in your diet ( coffee, sugar, simple starches etc.). Good luck!!  (+ info)

Is there a national walk for esophageal cancer?

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my stepfather died from esophageal cancer, and i am interested in doing a walk and raising money/awareness for the ACS and EC in particular. does anyone know of a walk that is done for esophageal cancer? i have looked online and haven't found one that is national. only local ones. i am in the philadelphia area, if that helps.

i know i could just donate money, but i think doing a walk says a little more.
There is no walk programmes arranged for Esophangeal cancer. It is mostly included in the Breast cancer awareness progammes as it is connection to that area. You can donate whatever you want to the organisations like Susan Komen or Avon Breast cancer awareness walk and let them utilise it. I hope you agree with me, as any cancer is cancer and it kills the patients. -  (+ info)

How can you get Esophageal cancer?

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I swallowed a dime and I was wondering can I get Esophageal cancer?
No you will not get esophageal cancer. However, if the dime gets stuck in your GI tract and causes an obstruction then you might get an operation.  (+ info)

What are the changes of a baby surviving being born at 30 weeks with Pulmonary Atresia?

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I am now 29 weeks and 1 day. And my doctor was thinking about taking my baby out early. Do you think its a good idea?
Perhaps you mean survival rates of a 30 week premature infant with pulmonary atresia?  (+ info)

How do certain foods weaken the lower esophageal sphincter?

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I have read that certain foods can weaken the LES (e.g. chocolate, citrus fruits). How does this happen, and is this a temporary weakening that occurs only shortly after eating the food, or is it a long-term, cumulative effect? Or is it that they increase acid and/or pressure in the stomach, increasing the risk of reflux?
Its a bit of all you mention, if you eat too much in one sitting it pushes the muscle up and the acid rises.You can try a bed wedge to stop the acid from rising and leave at least 4 hours before between dining and going to bed.
Bending over also causes the acid to rise up , I have very bad acid reflux and inflammation of the oesophagus's and can hardly eat a thing without getting the burning feeling in my chest.
The reason why the foods you mention are bad news is because any food that turns to acid when digested has the increased risk of it rising .
Funny enough lemons although are acid they turn to alkaline when digested so if you think you may be suffering from reflux try to get your diet 80% alkaline and 20% acid
Good luck if you are suffering.  (+ info)

Are there any good websites to find recipes for cooking for people with Esophageal Cancer?

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I need to find recipes for bland (non-acidic) soups and purees. Things that are not spicy and that are easy to swallow.
You know what? The best way to make people with esophageal cancer feel better and at the same time have enough energy to have their therapy done properly is to put them under enteral nutrition until they finished their treatment and have recovered their initial weight (before being sick)!
You can find that on TONS of medical publications!

I'm sure that you really wanted to help but WHEN YOU'RE FIGHTING THIS TYPE OF CANCER AND FACING A STRONG CHEMOTHERAPY, YOU MUST EAT ALMOST TWICE THE AMOUNT OF PROTEIN AND ENERGY THAT YOU SHOULD BE EATING NORMALLY!
example: for a man of 70kg (154 lb witch is quite light for a man) you must give to him 700g (1.54 lb) of beef meat or 16 eggs or 22 yogurts per day every day!!!!
Forget about your soup unless it's only for pleasure (but it'll full the stomach and make him feel like "I don't want to eat nothing more!")
You have some ABBOTT or NESTLE or NUTRICIA clinical nutrition kind of yogurt or purees that are hyperproteinated (they taste great) and if you are SURE that he will take the right amount of proteins: use it (pharmacy only) but believe me it's almost impossible to make it in a normal way!  (+ info)

Is there any treatment for the esophageal varices?

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I am 460 lbs. I have Type II non-insulin dependant Diabetes, hypertension, obstructive sleep apnea, and hypersplenia.

I was scheduled for Gastric Bypass surgery on April 5th, 2007 but they aborted the operation due to the esophageal varices. The GI specialist that my bariatric surgeon sent me to says there in NO TREATMENT. Yet my surgeon will not allow a second opinion. Please leave any advice you have.
The treatment for esophageal varices is directed immediately to control the bleeding, and then long-term medical therapy. Immediate control of bleeding is usually performed by endoscopic means. In fact, bleeding can be initially controlled in approximately 90 percent of cases. However, the failure rate for endoscopic therapy is between 10 and 30 percent. Thus, longer term therapy is required in order to prevent a patient from bleeding.

Variceal hemorrhage stops spontaneously in approximately 62 to 70 percent cases. However, recurrent bleeding occurs in 40 percent of patients within the next 72 hours. In fact, 60 percent of patients will rebleed within seven days of their initial bleeding. Although this type of bleeding will stop, it is the high rebleeding rate and the complications from acute hemorrhage which make control of bleeding mandatory in both the initial period of the variceal bleed and the chronic state after the patient has been stabilized.

Variants of esophageal varices are gastric varices. Gastric varices are dilated blood vessels that are found predominantly in the stomach. The true incidence of gastric varices is unknown. However, investigators have reported a wide incidence ranging between 20 and 70 percent in patients with esophageal varices. When gastric varices are identified without coexisting esophageal varices, a splenic vein thrombosis may be present.

Another variant of portal hypertension is portal hypertensive gastropathy. It is present in 50 percent of patients with portal hypertension. These patients have dilated arterioles and venules (small veins). This abnormality is seen usually in the fundus and cardia of the stomach (approximately 2/3 of the stomach). It is rarely seen in the antrum (last 1/3) of the stomach. It appears to have a "snake skin " or "reticulated" appearance.

Long-term treatment of portal gastropathy and gastric varices is with beta-blockers. They usually take the form of propranolol, a nonselective beta-blocker. These medications allow the pressure within the veins to be decreased, thus reducing the chance that bleeding will occur. Increased incidence of portal hypertensive gastropathy is noted in patients who undergo sclerotherapy for esophageal varices in the past.

Other treatments for upper GI bleeding associated with esophageal varices include vasopressin, vasopressin with nitroglycerin, somatostatin, balloon tamponade, TPSS (transhepatic portosystemic shunt), transhepatic catheter embolization, shunt surgery, gastric stapling and sclerotherapy with or without any.

=]  (+ info)

What are treatment options for Lower Esophageal Sphincter problems if meds haven't worked?

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My wife has reflux so bad that even bending over to pick up a box will result in reflux. The medications have not helped. She has only seen an internist at this point who does not seem to know much about such problems. What are other options besides meds? And if surgery is the option, what is the surgery called. And is there a particular specialist, besides a gastroenterologist, who should be seen?

Thanks for any help.
its surgery and called Nissen fundoplication,it can be done by laproscopy also  (+ info)

Surgical treatment of tricuspid valve atresia?

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I read about the sequence of surgeries: first the Blalock-Taussig shunt, then the Glenn operation, and then finally the Fontan procedure. Why is this sequence used? Why isn't the Glenn operation and the Fontan procedure done at the same time, and the Blalock-Taussig shunt skipped entirely? Thanks.
I have Tricuspid Atresia, but my surgical treatment was different. I had the Glenn procedure at six months; the Modified Blalock-Taussig at 10 years; and the Fontan at 21. But I was born in 1966, and they were using a different form of the Glenn back then. Today it is known as a "Bidirectional Glenn Shunt", and sends blood to both lungs. My Glenn only goes to the right lung -- according to my Cardiologist, they changed the way the operation was performed in the mid 1980's.

A "by-the-book" Modified Blalock-Taussig dictates the use of a Gortex tube to create the shunt, but surgeons like to keep things as simple as possible. The less time the patient is out; and the fewer times that he/she needs to be operated on, the better. So if it is possible to use existing blood vessels to create the shunt, the surgeon will do it.

The sequence of operations is dictated by what various medical tests show the doctors is the best route to take. And after the first operation, of course, the patient has a completely different anatomy. That also dictates what will happen next.  (+ info)

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