Just over a month ago, I went to San Francisco for a work trip.
I had a lingering cough, but after talking with my primary care physician and going to the clinic twice in January, I did not think I was contagious.
When I arrived in San Francisco, I noticed I was short of breath walking from the terminal to the Uber pickup area. For a moment, I wondered whether I would have made the trip if I had known I would feel that way in the airport. But I was there, and I figured I could visit a clinic if it got worse.
I made it through the workdays relatively well. What changed things were a couple of nights where I had coughing fits and then coughed up a small amount of blood.
To be clear, it was mostly mucus streaked with blood, not a large amount. I decided it did not require urgent care, but when I spoke with my wife, she insisted that I see my primary care physician as soon as I got back from San Francisco.
So, I scheduled the appointment with my primary care physician for the next morning. The earliest I could get was 9:30am. I was coming in from San Francisco at 6am. So, I figured that I’d get to the doctor’s office and then take a nap in the truck.
After I saw my primary care physician, he sent me to the emergency room for labs and an endoscopy.
Within a few hours of arriving at the emergency room, after they’d done the endoscopy, I was told that I most likely had stage III or IV esophageal cancer. In addition to tumors in my esophagus, imaging showed lung nodules and pleural effusions, suggesting that the cancer had spread to my lungs.
The past month has been a whirlwind of tests, decisions, and rapid changes.
Within two days of finding out that I likely had cancer, my wife, our baby, and I moved to Houston so I could begin treatment at MD Anderson.
I now have three implants: an inferior vena cava filter to reduce the risk from blood clots, a port for chemotherapy to reduce the number of IV sticks I need, and a pleural catheter so we can drain the fluid on my left side.
I start chemotherapy and targeted therapy on Thursday. It will be a long road, but we have a plan.
I’m deeply grateful for the support my family and I have already received from family, friends, and coworkers, and for the support we will continue to receive in the months ahead.
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