Barb West

Welcome to our Caring Bridge website. We are using it to keep family and friends updated in one place. We appreciate your support and words of hope and encouragement. Either my friend Joanne, my sister Beth, or my husband John will help me to keep this site updated. Thank you for visiting.


Recently, after several weeks of discomfort while eating, I had an endoscopy done to determine the cause.  A mass was discovered on May 27th which was biopsied, and on May 29th a diagnosis of esophageal adenocarcinoma was confirmed.   This wasn't a complete surprise to me, as I had suffered from acid reflux for decades and developed Barrett's Esophagus as a result about five or six years ago.  So any esophageal discomfort was definitely a red flag.  


Today, Monday, June 8, I met for the first time with the oncology surgeon in Sarasota, Dr. Kenneth Meredith.  He ordered an endoscopic ultrasound to be done by Dr. Steven Kusera on Thursday, June 11.  This will pinpoint the "type and stage" of the tumor which will determine the timing of the treatment.  There is a 95% chance that I will have to have chemotherapy and radiation for six weeks, followed by six weeks of rest, before any surgery is performed.  This will insure the most positive long-term survival outcome.  So it appears that any surgery will not take place before late summer or early fall.


On Monday June 15 I will meet with the medical oncologist, Dr. Lingamurthy, who will administer the chemotherapy and radiation, if it is needed (as it almost certainly will be.)


John and I are in shock, as you can imagine, and it's all a little unreal at this point.  I'm sure it will sink in as time goes on.  We are very grateful for all of the prayers being prayed on our behalf , and we're very grateful for friends and family and for our deep faith in God.  


One of us will write again as this story progresses.  We love you all.