| The
Patient Experience
These
first-hand accounts are from actual Loyola University
Health System patients who received care for gastrointestinal
cancer. Their stories offer a unique perspective
on the Loyola patient experience. We hope you
find them helpful.
Patrick's
Story: Playing to Win
Liz's Story: Life's Most Valuable
Lesson
James'
Story: The Light of Hope
Playing to Win
Patrick Bowler, 55, was a youth football
coach who played to win. So, when he was diagnosed
with advanced gastric cancer, he approached it
the same way. He was going to “beat cancer,
to win.”
The
first signs of a problem came when Patrick experienced
a loss of breath while playing basketball, but
a cardiac stress test was normal. Then, he felt
fatigue and acid indigestion. Antacids helped
some. When his fatigue became extreme, his stools
turned black, and food got stuck in his throat
and didn’t go down as fast as normal, he
knew something was wrong.
Tests
showed Patrick had a tumor at the top of his stomach,
closing off the esophagus. “My (local) doctor
said ‘I’m sorry.’ And, that’s
all he said,” explained Patrick. Then Patrick
met an oncologist from Loyola. Along with the
medical oncologist, he met a surgical oncologist, radiation oncologist and
nurse – all of whom were part of the Gastrointestinal
Oncology Center at Loyola’s Cardinal Bernardin
Cancer Center.
In
one day, Patrick learned how Loyola’s experts
wanted to treat his cancer. “I was pleased
that they were thinking the same way I was: Get
at this thing and get it done. I told them that
was the first good news I’d heard.”
After
his single visit with Loyola’s GI cancer
specialists, Patrick started chemotherapy treatments
four days later. One of his former youth players
was getting chemotherapy at the same time as Patrick.
Patrick told him, “I used to be your coach,
now we’re on the same team. And we’re
going to win.”
Chemotherapy
was followed by radiation to his stomach. Then,
Loyola’s surgical oncologists – gastrointestinal
surgeons who have been specifically trained in
procedures to remove physical cancers –
removed his stomach and attached his esophagus
to his large intestine.
Patrick
has made some adjustments since surgery. He eats
less and more frequently. But, “I eat better
than I ever did. I eat everything,” he said
proudly.
Occasionally,
Patrick talks with patients who have a similar
diagnosis and are unsure about their situation.
He couldn’t wait to see one such patient.
“I told him, ‘You’ve got to
see me to believe this. I was where you’re
at right now. And I’m good to go.’”
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Life's
Most Valuable Lesson
As a high school English teacher, Liz Nielsen
had always found reward in teaching. But, she
learned her most valuable lesson about life when
hers took a turn for the worse.
Suffering
from jaundice and nausea, Liz sought medical treatment
at her local hospital. Tests revealed she had
ampullary cancer, a tumor in the area where the
bile and pancreatic ducts empty into the small
intestine. These tumors often block the bile duct,
leading to jaundice. Because even a small tumor
can obstruct the bile duct, signs and symptoms
of ampullary cancer usually appear earlier than
do symptoms of other pancreatic cancers.
Liz’s
local doctor recommended she see the experts at
Loyola’s Gastrointestinal (GI) Oncology
Center in the Cardinal Bernardin Cancer Center.
After members of the multidisciplinary GI oncology
team reviewed Liz’s test results and met
to discuss the best treatment plan for Liz, they
met with her to share their findings and recommendations
– all in one day.
She
underwent surgery to remove portions of her digestive
tract, which was then reconstructed. Loyola’s
GI oncologists – surgeons who have undergone
extensive specialty training in procedures to
remove solid tumors of the gastrointestinal tract
– perform a large number of such surgeries
on patients with complex cancers of the pancreas,
esophagus, stomach, liver, colon and rectum.
Surgery
was followed by radiation and chemotherapy. During
her treatment and hospitalizations, Liz’s
Loyola doctors kept up on her progress. “I
was amazed at how things work at Loyola. People
get e-mails if you’ve been their patient,
and they keep tabs on you whether or not you’re
undergoing treatment with them,” Liz explained.
“I think it’s just fantastic.”
Liz
remains cancer-free, and she gets regularly scheduled
check-ups and tests. She reports that she is eating
better and getting more exercise. “I have
a little bit of insight that I wouldn’t
have had if I hadn’t gotten sick –
insight about what’s important in life and
what’s not,” Liz explained. The experience
“really does teach you to prioritize and
really appreciate things. I try to look on the
bright side every day.”
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The
Light of Hope
When
James Thillen received a diagnosis of esophageal
cancer along with a poor prognosis from his family
physician, he decided to see the experts at Loyola.
They restored his hope – and his health.
James
first experienced symptoms of his esophageal cancer
when he had difficulty swallowing, and then he
began to cough up food when he ate. He went to
his family doctor for some tests. “When
he walked in (with the results), he had tears
in his eyes,” James said of his doctor.
“So I knew something was wrong.”
After
doing some research on the internet about Loyola,
James came to Loyola’s Gastrointestinal
(GI) Oncology Center to meet with the medical
team. Some additional tests were recommended.
Then, the multidisciplinary GI oncology team reviewed
the results and met with James to discuss their
recommendations for treatment. “Everybody
has a little input,” he said of the center’s
medical experts working as a team to formulate
a plan. “Everybody had ideas. It was very
good.”
Loyola’s
GI cancer experts needed to be very aggressive
in treating James’ cancer. He would receive
chemotherapy and radiation at the same time followed
by surgery to remove his esophagus. Loyola's surgical
oncologists are gastrointestinal surgeons who
have been specifically trained in procedures to
remove physical cancers.
Since the surgery, James eats smaller amounts
of food and eats more often. He returns to Loyola
every six months for check-ups, and after three
years he is going strong.
His
treatment was difficult to tolerate, he admits.
“But it worked, so how can you argue with
it? I think I made the right choices or I wouldn’t
be here.”
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If
you would like to make an appointment or need
assistance to find an appropriate physician, please
call us at (888) LUHS-888.
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