Our Journey

We have been to many doctors in our search to find the correct treatment for Jules esophageal cancer. We have seen his primary care physician, Gastroenterologists, Oncologists, Radiology Oncologist, and Surgeons. He has had a Fluoroscope, Upper Endoscope, PET and CT Scans and hopefully next week a Esophageal Ultra Sound. That is a relatively new test and the only place in Phoenix now that you can get it is Mayo. It will be available in 2 weeks somewhere else, but we cannot wait two weeks. Hopefully he will have it done at Mayo on Tuesday 3/16. The doctor who is going to do it has the week off, but he is going to come in specially just to do the test. Isn't that amazing!

There are many things which we have found as blessings and things to be thankful for:

Jules had his yearly physical in October and started taking vitamin B12 by his doctor's suggestion. This caused stomach irritation which started this whole thing. If he hadn't started taking B12 the cancer symptoms may not have shown up till later.

He had a pain in his back and right arm which is what actually made him to go to the doctor. This pain disappeared after his upper endoscopy (which possibly resolved a pinched nerve?).

We found that the cancer is only in his esophagus. I never thought that we would be celebrating anything after a cancer diagnosis. It sounds strange, but we try to concentrate on the positive and that is definitely positive!

We were sitting in the waiting room at St. Joseph's Hospital today waiting to see Dr. McBride and we were talking about this journey we are on. We got home and there was a package from my childhood friend Janice. It was a book titled, "Cancer Journey: A Caregiver's View From the Passenger Seat". It was written by a friend of Janice's, Cynthia Zahm Siegfried. We started reading it together in the waiting room at Mayo's. The first couple chapters sure sound like what we're going though now.

We have met with or talked on the phone with 2 people who had esophageal cancer who have shared their experiences with us. It's very helpful and a blessing to talk to others who have gone though what we are going through now.

There are so many people and churches praying for us and that is certainly a blessing! We feel encircled in love and care and God's arms.

There are so many people who have shared every cancer fighting food and cure with us. If we could read and consume all of this it would take us about a year to decide that treatment we will go with. We have gotten heavy boxes filled with charts, magic fluid, on and on all with cancer fighting properties. We have read parts of books ourselves on cancer fighting foods and what to eat to prevent or fight cancer. I just want you all to know that we have made some changes. We are using that "lard" called coconut oil for frying potatoes, stir fry etc. We are having smoothies with whey protein powder and sprinkling Tumaric on everything, eating asparagus and avacados. We have a juicer that can turn veggies etc into juice. Actually the Gastroenterologist said that he should stick with liquid and pureed foods, so I think that it is a miracle that he is able to eat regular foods at all. He has become a "slow eater, tiny bite taker" and I don't think I'll call Mrs. Piggly-Wiggly for the cure yet because Jules is staying strong by eating slowly, chewing well (as taught by Mimi) and taking tiny bites. He can spend 45 minutes eating breakfast. For example for this morning he had cereal (healthy kind with lots of whole grains) with dried cranberries and raisins, a sweet roll and half a cup of coffee. The sweet roll was given us by this cut old couple from Maricopa, AZ who have been coming by to pick oranges from our trees. She baked this chocolate almond German style sweet roll for us, so we have to eat it! Anyway, we do our best, but right now I am just trying to keep Jules healthy for whatever treatment is to come.