Frank Carter

First post: Feb 7, 2018 Latest post: Dec 7, 2018
This is my second bout with cancer.  Esophageal in 2009 that was treated successfully with surgery, chemo, radiation and 1 year off to undergo all the treatments.  This time around I have stomach cancer.  I noticed symptoms somewhere around October / early November 2017 where I had trouble keeping food down.  Over the next couple of months it got to the point where I could keep very little down and had lost about 25 - 30 lbs, existing primarily on Ensure type drinks.  Ensure gets old after a while and I don't recommend it to anyone watching their diet / calories, but it's loaded with what I need to keep me going.


The Plan:
I have a Sutter Health Surgeon, Dr Gregory Graves, in Sacramento, who has assured me he can help.  The plan:  remove my entire stomach, construct a new stomach out of 2 feet of colon, sew it to what is left of my esophagus near my neck and to my small intestine.  Sew my colon back together where the 2 feet was taken and watch for any leaks at the sewing sites.  I should be in Intensive Care for 3 - 4 days and in the hospital for 10 - 14 days collectively.   Recovery will be lengthy / months and will be followed by chemo.  So it will be a very long year or so.   The end game is that I should  eventually be able to eat as most any normal person does.  My fingers are crossed..  


Maria & my sister Carol (as usual) will be my "reps / advocates" while I'm in the hospital.  They unfortunately have a lot of experience watching out for me...  Hospitalized for back surgery, heart attack and esophageal cancer . So they have had the training...


I will post updates as things of interest happen, and I asked both Maria & Carol to post updates when I am unable, like surgery & hospital updates.


Please feel free to forward this link to anyone you think may be interested in following my progress.


In the past I used to send email to a distribution list of coworkers, friends and family on my progress.  I think this is a better option and I do find it personally refreshing (probably not the right word) to tell people what is happening...  


Take good care of yourselves my friends & I'll do the same
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