Allan lives with his best friend in Eastbourne and shares his personal experience with Oesophageal cancer in this blog. He now has a feeding tube and is passionate about helping others who may also need similar treatment.
In 2016 my right leg became blocked, and I couldn’t walk for long. After various visits to the hospital, it was decided for me to have a Femur Tibia Bypass. My leg was blocked from the groin to the ankle. I had 90 staples fitted and was left with a scar all down my leg. In 2018, lung cancer was found in my right lung, and then I was diagnosed with cancer of the Oesophagus in the same year.
Regarding my cancer of the Oesophagus, I had trouble swallowing and had a massive bleed in the stomach. I attended the hospital on various occasions during 2017 & 2018 which led me to have an Oesophagectomy. It was Christmas 2018 that I had the Oesophagectomy, this became a very tough and emotional time in my life. It was the first time I met a Macmillan nurse.
I couldn’t have coped without my best friend Pam who I’ve known since 2012 and has helped me a lot during all my illnesses. Even coping with her own illnesses, she managed to cope with mine.
"My main advice for anyone going through what I've been through is to seek help from anyone close to you, your best friend or Macmillan is always out there for you. That's how I've coped and got help. Try your best and cope, don't say no to the operation and learn from it. You are never on your own."
I had several bad effects from the operation. I also had chemotherapy in 2019. After the operation, I tried to eat but I just couldn’t manage to swallow, it became blocked or came back up leading me to vomit on several occasions. I had 15 dilations of the oesophagus because it became blocked. Neither of these dilations seems to work. It was decided in 2022 for me to have a Jej feeding tube. I had a jejunostomy in the summer of 2022.
I was having 2 litres of Peptisorb per day as I couldn’t eat or drink. During my time with my feeding tube, I’ve had several occasions on which I had to have my fixation plate of the tube re-sutured and had a couple of new feeding tubes. I recently had a stent put in my oesophagus. This was my second stent, the previous one didn’t work. I don’t hold much hope for this one to work but we will see.
I have recently done a booklet on my life with a feeding tube. The main reason for doing it was to let people know how I've coped with the various illnesses in my life and how to use a feeding tube. I wanted to share my experience with how I've coped with not eating and using the tube, so others are aware of the challenges.
We’d like to thank Allan for taking the time to share his personal experiences with us. Please make sure to use the comment box below to send your best wishes to Allan.
If you are affected by Oesophageal cancer or are living with a feeding tube and need support, please consider the following support options.
