Barry Levine was “wholesome as a horse” for many of his life. He even did excessive depth CrossFit coaching. However in 2022, he began having hassle swallowing his dinner.
“It felt like meals was getting caught slightly below my rib cage,” he says.
When antacids didn’t assist, he went to the physician. They despatched him to a coronary heart specialist first. After a battery of checks, his coronary heart acquired the all-clear.
Then, he visited a digestive specialist. They carried out an higher GI endoscopy, the place the physician inserts an extended, skinny tube down the throat to take a look at the higher digestive system. When he awakened from the process, Barry acquired life-changing information.
“The physician stated he hadn’t biopsied but, however he’d seen sufficient most cancers to know,” Barry remembers. “It was a complete shock.”
One other Endoscopy to Make Positive
After the preliminary prognosis in August 2022, Barry visited Robert Marsh, MD, an oncologist working towards close to Barry’s dwelling in Gainesville, Virginia. Marsh defined that his follow works intently with docs at UVA Well being’s NCI-designated Complete Most cancers Middle in Charlottesville.
He despatched Barry to Vanessa Shami, MD, on the UVA Well being Digestive Well being Middle. She did one other endoscopy and endoscopic ultrasound to verify and stage the most cancers.
“As I used to be on the point of get put to sleep,” Barry remembers, “Dr. Shami walked within the room, and earlier than she even launched herself, she checked out me and stated, ‘Hey, you are going to get by way of this, and you must consider you are going to get by way of this.’ I used to be so comforted by that. She was superb.”
The endoscopy and biopsy confirmed the prognosis and stage of the most cancers. Now that he was certain he had esophageal most cancers, it was time to begin therapy.
Beginning Most cancers Remedy Near House
After prognosis, Barry was in a position to begin therapy near dwelling. He had 6 weeks of chemotherapy as soon as every week. He additionally had radiation remedy 5 days every week for six weeks.
Barry was in a position to proceed his work for a software program producer by way of most of therapy. He labored from his dwelling workplace along with his 2 golden retrievers by his facet.
“I’m very lucky that I labored for such an incredible firm that mainly stated for me to work as a lot or as little as attainable,” he stated. “Actually, I wanted the distraction.”
Protecting a guidelines of duties helped Barry preserve going throughout therapy.
“One activity was chemotherapy. The opposite activity was radiation remedy. I acquired by way of that, and it wasn’t horrible,” he says. “It wasn’t nice, however it wasn’t horrible, particularly if you see different those that look a lot worse than me.”
An Esophagectomy Earlier than the Holidays
After chemotherapy and radiation, the subsequent activity on Barry’s record was surgical procedure. He went to UVA Well being in November for a scan and to fulfill with thoracic surgeon Linda Martin, MD, MPH, on the Emily Couric Medical Most cancers Middle. She scheduled his surgical procedure for Dec. 23.
At first, Barry wasn’t certain about surgical procedure over the vacations.
“I stated, ‘Are you kidding me?’”
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Martin informed him she’d scheduled the surgical procedure for a quieter time as a result of she would wish a lot of the day for the process. She was going to carry out an esophagectomy, a surgical procedure to take away a part of Barry’s esophagus and a part of his abdomen. Then she would connect the remaining part of his abdomen to the remaining esophagus.
“The Happiest Man in Charlottesville”
Barry stated the 3-week wait earlier than surgical procedure was nerve-wracking.
“It’s the one time I ever actually acquired scared by way of this complete course of,” Barry says. “She stated, ‘I do know it may be laborious, however we’ll get by way of it.’ And we did.”
The esophagectomy went nicely. Barry was solely within the intensive care unit for 12 hours after surgical procedure earlier than he moved to a daily room.
“I used to be the happiest man in Charlottesville,” he says. “They took actually excellent care of me. I used to be by no means in ache,” he says.
Studying to Eat Once more After Esophagectomy
Barry went dwelling on Dec. 29 with a feeding tube hooked up at his waistline, which he saved for six weeks. His new activity was studying how one can eat once more with the assist of UVA Well being nutritionist Monica Hershey, RD.
“I say I haven’t got a abdomen anymore. I’ve a tube that’s my abdomen. And so, it is my new regular,” he says. He began out consuming pureed soups, cottage cheese, and different tender meals. Scrambled eggs got here subsequent.
“When my spouse made me that first scrambled egg, it was simply pure ecstasy,” he remembers.
Barry sleeps upright so he doesn’t regurgitate and get meals in his lungs. He’s realized to maintain wholesome snacks and meals with him and regulate his consuming habits to keep away from digestive issues.
“My greatest problem is that I can eat somewhat bit all day lengthy. I can not sit down and have a meal,” he says. “I am 64 now, and it is laborious to vary your life at this age, however I’ve to vary my life if I wish to keep alive.”
He is made a whole lot of modifications to his eating regimen, together with consuming:
- White fish, nuts, and different high-protein meals
- Floor turkey as an alternative of floor beef
- Plant-based burgers as an alternative of beef
- Fruit if he craves sweets
He avoids tomato sauce and sure dairy merchandise. He additionally stays hydrated with electrolyte mixes.
“I sort of miss consuming a giant burger on the grill or steak, however I am happy with the truth that I am consuming a lot cleaner and more healthy than I ever have,” he says.
Immunotherapy & the Future
Barry just lately completed 15 months of month-to-month immunotherapy. It’s a 30-minute therapy 1 day every month to strengthen his immune system and goal and kill any remaining most cancers cells.
His final a number of scans have proven no proof of most cancers. Whereas he nonetheless worries behind his thoughts, he retains a optimistic angle and doesn’t let his worries cease him. He’s wanting ahead to a cruise this fall with household and associates.
“We booked a penthouse on this cruise ship with a full-time butler, and we’ll take pleasure in a 2 week journey,” he says. “I’ve by no means taken 2 weeks off in my life.”
He’s additionally pondering of the way to make a distinction for others with most cancers and their suppliers. He desires to prepare a charity golf occasion for the Emily Couric Medical Most cancers Middle, leveraging the community he’s constructed in the neighborhood and within the federal authorities from his job.
Barry stated he’s impressed to provide again due to the wonderful care he acquired throughout therapy. His nurse navigator at his native oncologist follow helped him handle points with sleep, unwanted side effects, and different considerations. And the UVA Well being nurse navigator who supported him throughout surgical procedure, Samantha Rowe, RN, grew to become a Fb buddy.
“These nurses have develop into household to me throughout my chemo and immunotherapy,” he says. “I could not say thanks or God bless you adequate to those folks, the place I felt prefer it was significant sufficient.”