Treatment six months on, worrying weight loss and fatigue - anyone else have similar or advice?

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My husband was diagnosed in January with oesophageal junction cancer in the lining of the oesophagus. He was on immunotherapy and the capacitor chemotherapy tablets. He’s 83 and in the last months we went to London from Portugal (where we live) to have a scan, which said the tumour had shrunk and there were no other spread.

But the travelling wore him out and since we returned three weeks ago, he's been a bit vague. He’s sleeping on and off all day. He’s got no appetite apart from eating good breakfast. This is new. He did have before and I’ve gone out and bought lots of different stuff trying to help him to eat but he’s eating very little and his lost half a stone in the last 6 weeks.

We’re speaking to our Oncologist tomorrow so I hope he’ll have some ideas. He also has a heart issue and we saw a cardiologist on Monday who recommended a medication, but she wants the Oncologist to agree. He was on this med and they took him off it back in January and she said fatigue is common for those with heart issues not on this med, and he spends a lot of the day in bed up for two hours, bed for three hours.

Anyway, as all the other partners know it’s very worrying.

Any comments or observations welcome. Love and support to our club we'd rather not be in. FlushedHeart️

  • Hi Speyside I’m Tony one of the Community Champions, unfortunately the fatigue is ongoing I’m 5 years remission from 2 cancers and if I do too much and that is a lot less than I used to I am shattered and rest up, I would say also that flights would be extremely tiring for him all the time spent in the airport never mind the flight, as your seeing the Oncologist they will advise regarding the weight loss and there are plenty of liquid alternatives Forsips or any high calorie drinks should be given to him and rich cream items such as rice pudding etc

    This is an information on fatigue:

    https://www.macmillan.org.uk/dfsmedia/1a6f23537f7f4519bb0cf14c45b2a629/19836-10061/MAC11664_E09_Fatigue_IntPDF_20250213

    This is on Eating :

    https://www.macmillan.org.uk/dfsmedia/1a6f23537f7f4519bb0cf14c45b2a629/20444-10061/MAC13613_E04_R_eating_problems_and_cancer_20250319

     

    Hope the Hospital will help you I’m sure they will and remember you can always call the helpline number

    Take care both of you, Tony

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    Voicebox Cancer- Laryngectomy 2020 and Oesophagus survivor 2022

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  • thank you tony as you know its very hard we had also committed to selling our property and buying another before diagnosis

    im absolutely overwhelmed as my husband cant help and I wish we had never started the move that we now cant  get out of it and worrying about the money and his health and all the organisation is just awful