My mum (74) has recently been diagnosed with a gastrooesophageal junction tumour. We are awaiting biopsy results however the medical team are absolutely certain this is malignant. We have been told that the treatment pathway is likely to be chemotherapy and a total gastrectomy. To say we are absolutely floored by this news is an understatement. Currently my mum is unsure whether she wants to go through with the operation due to worries about her quality of life post surgery. I would really appreciate hearing of other people's experiences (both challenging and successful) within the age range of 65-80years. We have found other forums but with younger people's experiences of a gastrectomy. I appreciate any contact. Thank you.
Hi Smudge017 and a very warm welcome to the online community which I hope you'll find is both an informative and supportive place to be.
I’m Anne, one of the Community Champions here on the Online Community, and although I didn't have the same type of cancer as your mum I know how difficult making treatment decisions can be.
The online community is divided into different support groups so I'm going to recommend that you join the oesophageal cancer group, which is a great place to ask questions, share experiences and get support.
To join, just click on the link I've created and, once you've joined, you can start a new post in the same way as you did here and join in with existing conversations by clicking on 'reply'.
It would be great if you could put something about your mum's diagnosis and proposed treatment into your profile as it really helps others when replying to you and also when looking for someone on a similar pathway. It also means that you don't have to keep repeating yourself. To do this click on your username and then select 'Profile'. You can amend it at any time and if you're not sure what to write you can take a look at mine by clicking on my username.
"Never regret a day in your life, good days give you happiness, bad days give you experience"
