Hi all new to the forum.Im Ken 55 year old male diagnosed on 22 june with adenocarcinòma at the esophagus stomach junction.i starting having difficulty swallowing food while o holiday i late Feb 2020 and saw my GP early march.i was told i needed an appointment to see the Uppe GI clinic at my local hospital as a matter of urgency.Unfortunatly we were put on lockdown with the virus so i did not have an endoscopy till 10th June ,on 22 june i got told bh consultant that i have cancer of the esophagus and i will need chem and an operatio to remove the esophagus and some of my stomach will be pulled into my chest to make a new one.I started to rapidly lose weight when eating became impossibe and then so did drinking more than a sip of fortisip.mh 1st appointment with the oncologist was on August 3rd 2020 and he admitted me tot he ward for rehydration and a drip feed until they could get me on a feeding tube.My weight as a regular gym goer and weight trainer hadd alway been around the 16 stone mark and by August i had dropped to 12.6 stone.I had the Nj tuve fitted on the 7th August and have bee having 3000 calories a day through the feed.i can also manage a bit of soup as long as it is smooth.
On 24th August i started treatment which is 5 weeks of chemo on a monday which consists of paclitaxel and carboplatin and 5 sessions of radiotherapy per week till i have had 23 sessions
I have 5 sessions of radiotherapy left to go now and 1 chemo ,so far so good.just a little bit of stomach ache and a small receding of hair.Still no sign of imprkvement with swallowing so good that the tube is in.
After treatment is finished i will have some rest of around 8 weeks before they do the operation to remove my esophagus.
I have not really suffered to much side effects only insomnia and feeling hungry.i have managed 12 sessions in the gym trying to get some muscle and strength back to help me fight the surgery.
Hopefully i will ne able to swallow again before the op so i can enjoy some meals with my family
