This is my 101st post on Butterfly in Norway. How time flies! Ed and I have had over two years of our grand expat adventure. We have visited 40 European cities, and we have the map with push-pins to prove it! This last month the road took a turn in a strange and frightening direction. On September 20th, we found out Ed has esophageal cancer. It's fairly rare, but also pretty deadly. We have optimism because we have lots of things going for us. We have each other - very important. We have great family and friends who have offered support and advice and help, and we really appreciate all of them. We have the hospital that is the center for all esophageal cancer in Norway. They have all the latest diagnostic equipment, and they are not afraid to use it! We hear that Europe is a great place to be if you have cancer. Can't say I wanted to find that out, or any of the other things we've had to learn, but it is good news.
It all started out slowly, with a biopsy to check whether his rising PSA numbers were prostate cancer. That was in August, and yes, they were. No big deal. After we got back from vacation, they wanted him to have a PET scan of his skeleton, since prostate cancer can spread to bone. When they wheeled him out, they asked what he had done to his back. Then they wheeled him back in for a PET and CT scan of his back and chest. Wham! they wanted him to have a gastroscopy with biopsies of his esophagus the next Monday. That was the 20th, when the kick in the stomach part of the roller coaster ride started. The gastroscopy showed 7 cm of cancer on the lower part of his esophagus. Since then, he has had a CT scan with barium swallow, an ultrasound endoscopy, and a biopsy of his spine. The second kick in the stomach was that the ultrasound showed that it has gone through the wall of the esophagus and affected some lymph nodes. Next week on Wednesday, he starts treatment. The whole plan has not been determined, since there hasn't been time for the results of the biopsy of his spine yet. They are leaning toward radiation first. We will be talking to the head doctor early in the week, and hopefully we'll meet the whole team.
There is a cancer association right down the street, staffed by volunteer nurses, who hold classes and facilitate meetings for patients and caregivers. We talked to a nurse there, and Ed felt good about that connection. I found an online community in the UK called Macmillan that has been a big help, emotionally. That is where I met David, the author of the blog You Win Again. Ed's sister, Lynne, has been to a support group meeting in Phoenix and put us in contact with Jerry, an esophageal cancer survivor and member of FightEC.org, another good source and helpful person.
October is breast cancer awareness month and tomorrow is going to be a sunny day. We are going up on Floyen to hike for the fight against breast cancer. Then we will have our new next-door-neighbors over for coffee. It will be a good day.
Neal and Deanna, our son and daughter, will be coming out for Thanksgiving week. That's the end of November, for readers not from the US. ;) We are really looking forward to seeing them. If you can't come visit, Skype and e-mail are wonderful ways to keep in touch. We both love hearing from you all.
It all started out slowly, with a biopsy to check whether his rising PSA numbers were prostate cancer. That was in August, and yes, they were. No big deal. After we got back from vacation, they wanted him to have a PET scan of his skeleton, since prostate cancer can spread to bone. When they wheeled him out, they asked what he had done to his back. Then they wheeled him back in for a PET and CT scan of his back and chest. Wham! they wanted him to have a gastroscopy with biopsies of his esophagus the next Monday. That was the 20th, when the kick in the stomach part of the roller coaster ride started. The gastroscopy showed 7 cm of cancer on the lower part of his esophagus. Since then, he has had a CT scan with barium swallow, an ultrasound endoscopy, and a biopsy of his spine. The second kick in the stomach was that the ultrasound showed that it has gone through the wall of the esophagus and affected some lymph nodes. Next week on Wednesday, he starts treatment. The whole plan has not been determined, since there hasn't been time for the results of the biopsy of his spine yet. They are leaning toward radiation first. We will be talking to the head doctor early in the week, and hopefully we'll meet the whole team.
There is a cancer association right down the street, staffed by volunteer nurses, who hold classes and facilitate meetings for patients and caregivers. We talked to a nurse there, and Ed felt good about that connection. I found an online community in the UK called Macmillan that has been a big help, emotionally. That is where I met David, the author of the blog You Win Again. Ed's sister, Lynne, has been to a support group meeting in Phoenix and put us in contact with Jerry, an esophageal cancer survivor and member of FightEC.org, another good source and helpful person.
October is breast cancer awareness month and tomorrow is going to be a sunny day. We are going up on Floyen to hike for the fight against breast cancer. Then we will have our new next-door-neighbors over for coffee. It will be a good day.
Neal and Deanna, our son and daughter, will be coming out for Thanksgiving week. That's the end of November, for readers not from the US. ;) We are really looking forward to seeing them. If you can't come visit, Skype and e-mail are wonderful ways to keep in touch. We both love hearing from you all.
As ardent and ethusastic travellers I hope you find yet more inspiration from such beautiful scenes and memories past, present and future to cope with the one long journey on which neither of you ever imagined to embark. It's my fervent wish that 'You Win Again' also.
ReplyDeleteKind regards
David
Thank you, David. I'm wishing for you to win again every day!
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