Why more surgery?

Hi perplexed I really don’t feel qualified to give you any advice. My husband has just finished his chemo and while not pleasant was not too bad until the 4th which hit him like a ton of bricks. We are unaware of the staging etc of his tumour as they have not told us but did mention one or two nodules appear to have been affected. He had pet scan today and now we await the results which I pray will be ok for the surgery. I wanted to ask where I can find the information relating to OAP guide etc as I can not find the website and would be interested to read it. Let me know what we are in for !! 

I do however feel you really should have more information from the experts involved in your cancer care as it’s a very big decision to make.  I understand the decision is ultimately yours but to make that decision you need to be fully informed of all pros and cons and I think I would be inclined to ask the question “what would you do in this situation”. Also will you be having regular screening, what would the symptoms be if it did become cancerous. 25% is quite a high risk in my opinion, between 1 and 10 for me would be low risk. Also how long could they give you to make that decision, as you have not long had one and in a years time you may feel different. Wishing you all the best for whatever you decide.

Hi 

The website is https://opa.org.uk/. It was highly recommend to me by my surgical team and I understand they sometimes give talks etc. to members. 

I hope that helps 

Great thank you Jacpop

I totally understand where you’re coming from ..I’ve not been able to stop thinking about your predicament..I have two adult children in their early forties ..both with younger children and your situation really hit home for me ..Going through all this was hard enough with my husband but the thought of it happening to a person around the same age as two of my children is terrible and so unfair .

I know we are ‘strangers ‘ but ‘strangers are just friends you haven’t met yet’ (Jane McDonald lol ) but we all have an unfortunate link ..we are all behind you …stay in touch 

regards J 

Hi Perplexed 

My husband had his oesophagectomy 14 years ago and it was engorged lymph nodes that initially made surgery too risky.  He had 8 cycles of ECX chemo - the tumour all but disappeared and the lymph nodes returned to normal, the medical team couldn’t believe what had happened, some described him as a walking miracle.

His recovery was relatively straightforward, overnight in critical care and then 2 weeks in a room near the nurses station.  I was so worried about him coming home after such major surgery but he coped really well and knowing that the cancer (and many lymph nodes) had been removed was such a relief.  Yes, we’ve had the odd hiccup but, given the alternative, we’re so grateful that he’s still here and enjoying life.

I don’t know if this is any help to you, you have a lot to think about being younger (he was 56 when he had the op) but there are positive outcomes and I wanted to share ours.

All the very best to you. J x