Thank you Alfmeister for your kind reply. I suppose I just have to wait. I will come back if I have any more questions or developments.

Hi

Your case sound so like my dad suffering back pain and sore stomach since September all scans dome except endoscope on boxing day he was diagnosed 28th December with osphegus cancer 

We haven't heard a single thing since meeting with specialists not happening until Wednesday we have my dad home on liquid morphine but feel he should be getting  some sort of support already x

Good luck xx

Dear PCD

im sorry to hear of your diagnosis, I am 46 with stomach cancer and by the sounds of it in a similar situation.  Please know that as hard as it seems diagnosis and the waiting for a plan is usually the most distressing time, you will be feeling out of control and uncertain of what is to come but once you meet your team and have options opened to you you will start to feel more secure  

i too was diagnosed with an ulcer after a few mild symptoms, it actually took another 2 endoscopies to find the cancer as it was all very innocent looking and biopsies where initially clear.  I will explain what has happened since so you may gather a little knowledge beforehand.

After diagnosis I had a CT scan the following week I had laparoscopy where my surgeon had a look around to determine that it hadn’t spread beyond the wall of stomach. He explained that the cancer could be in the walls and the ulcer could indeed be the tip of the iceberg and as scans alone are ambiguous a laparoscopy was needed to see it wasn’t in my pancreas. Thankfully the laparoscopy looked good and a treatment plan was sorted 4 cycles of FLOT chemo that was infused every 2 weeks, quite a harsh regime as would just be feeling better when the next round was due, but it was survivable    The plan then was another scan and laparoscopy to determine benefit of chemo, an operation to remove all or part of my stomach and a further 4 rounds of chemo  

currently  I am in hospital after having all my stomach removed on Wednesday, the chemo did have a good affect but he wanted to be certain he got it all and so I’m glad he took the whole thing. The past few days have been tough as you would imagine for such major surgery but it was performed by keyhole and was walking the next day. The lady in the bed next to me had her stomach part of pancreas, spleen and part of lungs removed and even she managed to get in a chair today. It’s not easy, eating is going to be a whole new experience and I’m expecting a journey but I am so grateful of having a road to travel as many stomach cancers are not discovered until they’re   Creating problems and are advanced . If yours wasn’t spotted on endoscopy I’m hoping you fall in to the same category  

my advice would be to eat and prepare yourself for what is to come which does involve weight loss, I initially lost weight before chemo just through stress but managed to regain it all and a little more before surgery, I ate whatever I fancied and could manage  

the stomach cancer group on the Macmillan site is very helpful for speaking to others and the Oesophageal Patients Association have a brilliant site with all information about living without a stomach. I hope you’ve found this helpful but please message me if you need to know more 

sending you my best wishes x

Hi pcd

I am so sorry to hear your news, you must be beside yourself with worry. I think that the next few days are your biggest challenge right now. The scan should give all the information needed for your doctor to assess the severity of your condition and whatever the outcome, you will have a more definitive idea of what is to come. 

My mother (78) has also been recently diagnosed with stomach cancer and she has told me since, that staying calm and positive for the initial period post diagnosis, in the face of such a distressing and serious condition is the most difficult challenge she has faced in life. She is being supported by a team of specialists and they are guiding her step by step. I know that her physical care is in safe hands; it is the psychological battle to ensure that she focuses more on hope rather than fear that is the tough part. 

As a fiercely intelligent and successful woman/mother of whom I am immensely proud, she says that she will fight to remain mentally positive for the time she has left by reading blogs and books that uplift her mood. Reading books and listening to audio books, as well as scouring YouTube for material that explores the spiritual aspects of illness and the mind/body link e.g. Louise Hay, gave her something to do to pass time and stop her head from perpetually venturing towards dark thoughts. I definitely agree with the advice to stay away from “Dr Google”!!!

My mum has always suffered from depression but never sought help. This worried me during the initial period of diagnosis as she was extremely sensitive to stress before she was diagnosed. In addition to her cancer treatment she recently started taking antidepressants to help her sleep and improve her energy levels and I know she has found them extremely helpful in keeping her mood on an even keel. She has also started counselling with a psychotherapist every week as I know there are a lot of things she doesn’t want to talk to me about as she hates to be a burden. Her words-not mine. 

I really hope the next few days go quickly for you and I wish you all the best. Whatever the outcome, you’re not alone in this. X

Thank you all for helping me to get through this extremely difficult period of waiting for information. Your kind words of sympathy and encouragement and the details of your cases are much appreciated.

To update, I today had the meeting with the consultant who explained the findings of the biopsy and CT scan. The biopsy confirmed cancer but the CT scan was good news - as there was no spread to other parts. The treatment plan is to do the stomach operation to remove half of the stomach and connect the rest to the intestines. No chemo is deemed necessary before the operation but first, a laparascopy will be done.

So now I have to wait for the surgery but feel relieved at the end of uncertainty after the meeting with the consultant. Thank you all again and I will let you know if I have any further news or have questions.

Regards, pcd.

hello I’m so sorry to message and reply to this thread after so many months but my partner is currently waiting for CT scan to determine how advanced his stomach cancer is. Stories like yours give me hope at what is a very daunting and scary time 

thank you for outlining what you went through 

Hi

No need to apologise, at times like this we need to hear the experiences of others it’s natural. I really hope that your partner has a good outcome from his CT scan. It really can be a scary time, but don’t lose hope. I’m now doing really well and am getting stronger, I’ve just been on 2 holidays and some normality has returned to my life.   I have spoken with many people recently and there is so much treatment available, even at stage 4 people can still get in remission with chemo. 

Good luck to you both. Much love xx

Please no need to apologise. I am very sorry to know about your partners situation. As Mikeswife has written we all been through this very difficult period and fully sympathise with you and your partner. Once the uncertainty is over and you know the treatment plan you will feel much better. I am almost normal now after my surgery about 5 months ago and have 3 monthly checkups with the consultant.

Best wishes and regards. 

Hi there

Sorry to jump on your thread, but I’m going through something similar as my husband was diagnosed with stage 3 stomach cancer on 14th June. The past few weeks have been a blur as we’ve visited various specialists and he started chemo. The plan is to have 4 rounds of chemo and then get his stomach removed.  It’s over whelming at times, but we’re getting through it together as best we can.    How are you getting on and has your partner had their CT scan?