Advice about options

Hi strawberry girl im on the same journey as you until you have the staging done you wont know what route the mdt team will put you on hopefully it will be just the op and thats it ,i was staged at t3n2 mx.my treatment was 4xflot chemo then op then 4 xflot to mop up any microtastesis .unfortunately my body did not like the first chemo so a break of a month then different chemo .i am unable to swallow anything so all feed down an ng tube in my nose ,the only thing i can advise is eat anything you want to keep weight on at mo as it is so easy to lose ,it is soo scary but once you have a plan of treatment it will settle your nerves a bit ,i am really sorry you have had to join this forum but there a a lot of people who have been through this .i am sure they will also be in touch 

kindest regards and sending you a virtual hug Donna 

Thank you Donna. I’m trying not to worry but as you know it’s very difficult. I’m eating fairly normally but no meat. I hope you recover well and keep strong. This forum has been a goldmine of advice and it’s so lovely to share with people who are going through the same thing x

If you are offered surgery, most people would agree that this your best chance of beating this!

There are a number of contributors on this forum who have been through it all, the whole roller coaster, and still want to encourage others to be positive. I am a survivor. I always was. For me there wasn’t an option, I was going to survive. My diagnosis was nearly six years ago and in August we are having a family celebration, celebrating 2,000 days cancer free.

There have been advances since my chemo and surgery. One of the biggest changes is exercise and fitness. Patients are encouraged to exercise during chemo and referred to a centre for to get them fit after surgery.

I was talking to a surgeon in Addenbrookes today and she said that a positive attitude had an enormous effect on outcomes. So Get fit and positive and you’ll give yourself the best chance. You’ll have so many people here to encourage you and listen to you when you are finding it tough.

Thank you Brent. Yes I'm staying positive. My family won't allow me to be anything but! I've read your posts and the advice you have given has been fantastic. And I will take the advice about fitness. I do have a feeling it will be surgery and I will take the advice from the medics. Thank you so much for replying x

Hi strawberry girl, sorry you have joined the group. However there's always hope and having a positive attitude really does help. Write down any questions you have before you go to appointments and write down the answers. You must be happy with any decisions on the treatment and believe it's going to work. I was 57 years old and had been a smoker for about 45 years, I was diagnosed with a T3 N2 M0 staging. I chose not to have any chemotherapy and radiotherapy prior to surgery after discussing with my wife and son. They both agreed that it was my decision as I was the one who was going through this. That was in July 2016 and I had the Ivor Lewis surgery in October 2016 and in hospital for 12 days. I was 57 kilo's when discharged from the hospital and had a jejunostomy feeding tube for about 12 weeks. I had a check up 2 weeks ago and the consultant surgeon was happy that I have continued to gain weight, I am now 97 kilo's ! I cut down smoking but still smoked up to the night before I went in for surgery. I was doing deep breathing exercises several times a day and because I couldn't eat and was struggling to swallow ensure milkshakes I was drinking juiced leafy greens. Feel free to ask any questions and good luck, kind regards Frank.

Thank you for the sound advice. Here goes to the start of the journey to recovery x