Oesophageal 3

Hi Speyside1,

Thank you for getting in touch with us and welcome to our online community.  My name is Adrienne and I’m one of the Cancer Information Nurse Specialists at Macmillan.  I see that you have joined a couple of our forums.  I hope you are finding them to be helpful and supportive. 

I’m sorry to hear about your husband’s diagnosis of oesophageal cancer.  Usually, one of the most common symptoms of this type of cancer is difficulty swallowing but this isn’t always the case.  Oesophageal cancer doesn’t usually have any symptoms in the early states when the tumour is small and when it does, It can present in many different ways such as continuous acid reflux, feeling or being sick, a cough that won’t go away or even a hoarse voice.  As these symptoms are so generalised, it can take some time for the cancer to be found and sometimes, it’s not until the person presents with swallowing issues that the cancer is found.  Hopefully, as you mentioned, the treatment your husband is having is doing its job and shrinking down the tumour to prevent any issues from occurring. 

As I’m unsure of the plan going forward, it’s difficult for me to advise on what questions may be helpful to ask the oncologist in a few weeks’ time.  If you don’t already know, it might be helpful to ask when his next scan will be to check his response to the current treatment.  It may also be helpful to ask the aim of this current treatment plan, what happens next and how long he is likely to remain on this treatment if it is working and shrinking the tumour down.  Another question may be whether or not surgery will be an option in the future. Our information on Questions to Ask Your Healthcare Team might be useful to look at and give you an idea of what you would like to ask at the appointment.

You mention that your husband is struggling with tiredness (fatigue) and loss of appetite from time to time.  It might be helpful to look at our booklet on Coping with Fatigue which has some tips on managing fatigue as well as information on looking after someone with it.   I’ve also included the link to our Building-Up Diet booklet as this gives tips on adding energy and protein to every day foods. 

It's important that you look after yourself too Speyside1.  Supporting your husband can take a toll on you so please do reach out for support.  Whether from a friend, a family member or by calling us on the support line. 

I hope this information was helpful and please don’t hesitate to get back in touch with us at any time.

Take care and best wishes,

Adrienne

Cancer Information Nurse Specialist

You can 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:  AMc/AD