Recent OS Cancer Diagnosis / Treatment Plan

Hi, I had my surgery last July.There is normally a 6-8 week break between the first 4 cycles of chemo and the surgery to give you time to recover and get as fit as possible for the oesophagectomy which is a major operation. I also had a break between the surgery and the last 4 FLOT chemo cycles. If you have any questions his team should be able to answer them. Which hospital is treating him ? There a lot of us on this forum who have been through this treatment and surgery and will help. It’s tough but your brother will get through it with your support Linda x

Hi Igraine.  That's very useful info, thank you.  The lead hospital is Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, with some services also being provided by a local hospital.

Your support is much appreciated.    

Hi. There should be a defined timeline for your brothers treatment. I expect that Aberdeen will have an upper gi specialist nurse to coordinate it all.. At least this is the system for most of the major English hospitals. I am sure if you ring them and explain your supporting role they will help you. Reading the profile for your brother it is interesting as I had a background of prostate cancer and high psa before I had chemotherapy for my oesophagal cancer. This chemo also killed off my prostate cancer much to my surprise.However I did not have Flot but I had the radiotherapy/chemotherapy protocol which is a different route to surgery. I am not sure why the oncologists choose one route over the other. If I can help with any further info. on the surgery etc.please don't hesitate to ask.

Hi Anglars.  Thanks for that info - I'm glad that the treatment had the side benefit of successfully addressing your prostate cancer.  My brother does indeed have an assigned CNS, although I don't yet know his/her contact info.  

I'm planning to next visit my brother within the next week or perhaps two, by which time I very much hope that there will be at least some more clarity on the colon and prostate hotspots.  Although we speak on the phone I tend to lean on the morale-boosting side where possible, as some aspects of this situation are better handled face-to-face if possible.  

Thanks for the kind offer re surgery info. At the moment the focus is on the newly-commenced chemo, but I may well revert to you once I have done some more reading.  I've seen your profile and it's certainly encouraging to see your successful surgery experience.   

Hi,

One thing your brother should be prepared for is the likely side effects of the FLOT chemo. While there are many possible side effects, the ones he is most likely to encounter are nausea, diarrhoea/constipation (I had both) and peripheral neuropathy. This is an extreme sensitivity to cold in his extremities (mainly fingers & toes). The freezer should be totally out of bounds and he should wear gloves if lifting items out of or into the fridge. It is important to take precautions like these to avoid any permanent nerve damage. I went through my pre-op FLOT in December/January so had to wrap up like an arctic explorer if I ventured outside at all. The chemo will probably wreck his taste buds so eating loses any pleasure. This is what happened to me so I just tended to think of food as another form of medicine. Some weight loss during this period is inevitable but he should try to minimise it as much as he can. After the FLOT, it is important to regain as much weight and strength as possible in preparation for surgery. High calorie foods are the way to go and you’ll be able to get plenty of suggestions on here. Hope this is helpful.