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How long does recovery take?

StewT
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Hi Nurse,

I'm a 55-year old male. I've been successfully treated for Oesophageal cancer. I had four sessions of FLOT chemotherapy from January to March then an esophagectomy in May and another four sessions of adjuvant chemotherapy July to September. My final chemo session was on 2 September.

I also had a couple of minor complications - a bleeding ulcer before the operation and an infected PICC line after it.

I'm still suffering periods of fatigue and breathlessness, and coughing up small lumps of pale, whitish phlegm two or three times a day. I sometimes need to lie down and have a sleep for 1-3 hours during the day. I was quite fit before treatment started - jogging and doing plenty of exercise, but now find it difficult to find the energy. (I was a long-term smoker but stopped in January)

Is it normal to still be struggling 3 months after the operation and nearly 6 weeks after my last chemo session or should I be concerned? If this is normal, how long could it take before I start regaining some energy not feeling tired so much?

  • Hi StewT,

    I am Sharon, one of the nurses on the Macmillan Cancer Support Line.

    I am pleased that you feel happy to reach out to us for support and advice.

    We can give you general information, but it is important that you discuss your symptoms with your hospital team, as they will be able to advise you based on your known medical history and treatment. You may need a medical assessment to rule out reversible causes of symptoms.

    Each person will have a different recovery experience, dependent on complications of surgery, medical history and general fitness levels. Oesophagectomy is a major operation, and it can take several months to recover. In your case, recovery has been complicated further by going through chemotherapy treatment.

    Chemotherapy-related fatigue usually improves gradually once treatment has stopped, but for some people it can persist for several months and occasionally longer. You may find our booklet ‘coping with fatigue’ useful and the Chemocare website has tips on management of fatigue caused by cancer treatment.

    When you have an oesophagectomy, the valve that keeps stomach contents is removed. This can lead to small amounts of food or bile getting into your airways, resulting in a persistent cough as your lungs try and clear the fluid and can potentially lead to infection.

    Depending on the type of surgery you had, breathlessness can also be a problem for some time, but it can also be caused by infection or a leaking thoracic duct, which occasionally happens after surgery.

    This page on Cancer Research UK explains this in more detail.

    We always recommend urgent medical assessment for anyone who has worsening, new or persistent symptoms. Your hospital team are best placed to do this.

    It can take some time for you to get back to full fitness after surgery and treatment and can affect your mental well-being as well as your quality of life. If you feel it would help to talk things through with someone, please don’t hesitate to call us on 0808 808 0000.

    Take care,

    Sharon

    Cancer Information Nurse Specialist 

    You can also speak with the Macmillan Support Line team of experts. Phone free on 0808 808 0000 (7 days a week, 8am-8pm) or send us an email. Ref; SA/GH

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