1 year post op

Hi Sarah,

I’m about a year ahead of you. At the end of next month it’ll be 2 years since my Ivor Lewis. As a former teacher myself, I cannot believe that you are back to full time teaching! There’s no way I could manage that even now. Fortunately I was already retired by the time cancer reared its ugly head! Are you sure you haven’t rushed back to work too soon? Recovery from this op is measured in months and years. I can’t help you about the coughing as, although I did suffer with this for months after my surgery, things have been fine since. Recurrence is, of course, always a worry but I think you just have to make the decision that, having been given a second chance at life, you just need to get on with living and make the most of every day. Whenever I started my OG cancer journey back in Oct ‘23, I met, on this forum, a man called Dean (who went by the tagline Grandad65). He was a couple of months ahead of me and was so helpful and encouraging as I battled my way through FLOT, surgery and all the issues they presented. Many others will say the same. He passed away last February after his cancer came back. In his last post on this forum, announcing his bad news, he said “the rest of you keep fighting okay” That’s all that any of us can do - keep moving forward, getting on with life, having new adventures and making new memories - without continually looking backwards worrying about what might be. Although I never actually met him, I know that this is what Dean would want us all to do. If you are financially able to cut your hours at work - do it. Go on holiday (I am currently in Tenerife until the middle of March), take up a new hobby, go for walks, cycle rides or whatever in the fresh air. Spend time with loved ones - family, friend and pets. Enjoy every sunrise and sunset. You’ve been given a second chance. Make the most of it. 

Hi Sarah. Welcome back to the forum. From what I have been told and of course I am no medic then if you are now 12 months down the road from your Ivor Lewis with good scan and endoscopy results then your survival odds will have now increased dramatically. CB is so right in everything he says about grabbing that second chance. You are doing remarkably well if you are back working and you deserve every praise. I can imagine that the work situation must be very stressful whilst you are still in this recovery mode.

Also I have been told by my MDT that a significant % of Ivor Lewis patients cough when eating and also at other times. I certainly have had the problem and also like you I had post op. chest infection plus other complications. If you have not had a swallow test can I suggest you ask for one. Following mine, I now have dilation with my endoscopies and this has helped reduce my coughing significantly. As I understand it, there are two potential areas of restriction namely the site of the join and the pylorus and in my case it is the latter.  My only surprise about your symptoms is that it has developed down the road as I have had my issues with this from the outset. 

I hope you can get this cough sorted. 

hi you guys, your posts ring so true, about making the most of time, we actually got a xmas this year,and got dolled up new years eve, when we went away to a hotel, danced like some one possessed, couldnt give 2 figs!!  jan 8th 2025 was my op date, almost pinch myself how far myself and husband have come when this little shite came back, still remember vividly how hard the months before the op and after were, epecially mentally, deffo grab the counselling, ours has made a lot of sense and helped explain to my husband, how and why i react how i do, and how we can just learn from it, even if it means taking ourselves off for a bit seperately, we started counselling when the treatment just ended after the masectomy, we just thought wtf just happened, only to be back on the train when oesophogus cancer joined the party, our counsellor emily is cancer trained, and brilliant, but some friends have tried different ones until they find their match.  also i reached out to macmillan for a cancer buddy, lovely elizabeth called weekly or fortnightly, just an ear at the end of the phone, no judging, listened to me when me and neil were on our knees, when i was feeling normal, and when i was also anxious.  deffo recomend giving the macmillan line a call.

i started getting signed off monthly, and my gp was like, you are not going back to work any time, physically and especially mentally, so we are doing 3 monthly notes, so take it carefully going back, and listen to your body.

thinking of you lovelies starting this poxy journey, missing the ones like our lovely dean, but god it does make you think like cb said, grab it, do it, buy it, book it, enjoy it, 

love to you all jules x