operation

Hi Ilovegsds

I am sorry to hear about your diagnosis, but you are very welcome to this forum, where there is a huge amount of experience and information. It is always difficult to place your first post, so thank you for taking the time to do that. 

Many of the members here have had operations, also chemo and or radiotherapy, there is however different types of oesophageal cancer, is it possible that you could share a little more about your diagnosis so that we may answer more specific to what you are experiencing?

Hopefully some of the great folk here will be able to share their stories with you also, I hope you will return and share some more of yours.

Lowe'

I am a year on from surgery happy to chat anytime

Hi, I didn't have any treatment prior to the surgery. That was in October 2016 I was 57 years old and had lost a lot of weight. Getting yourself into a positive mindset really does help,be determined that you are going to get through this.  The recovery can take time but I am glad I had the surgery. It gave me the opportunity to stay alive, without any treatment or surgery I would have been lucky to have lasted 6 months. I have been enjoying life and grateful for every day. I have regained all the weight I had lost and I am eating well. I can honestly say that my wife and I have been closer since the surgery and love each other even more. I was fortunate enough to be able to not go back to work, I had food dumping issues that have eased a lot but I still get caught out with random turns. Nothing serious but I was self employed and couldn't agree to do work then have to cancel on the day. I also wouldn't be reliable as an employee. So I would say that it's well worth having the surgery. Good luck and kind regards Frank.

Hi, 

My dad recently had his operation after 8 weeks of chemo. It was a very gruelling operation they basically reshaped his stomach to take the form of his oesophagus which took around 5 hours, he has about 12 insertion sites on his belly. They then turned him around and went in through his shoulder blade to remove his oesophagus which was sadly abandoned due to the cancer having spread to his pulmonary artery however he had the majority of the operation complete. They had to break his ribs to get to his oesophagus and the scar on his back is the length of his shoulder blade. Just prepare yourself as it is not an easy operation and the recovery time can be anywhere from 3 - 9 months. His stomach his extremely sensitive due to the surgery and I would imagine that if the oesophagus removal had been successful that would have been even more painful. He is in a lot of pain now 8 weeks on from his operation mainly down to his broken ribs but we have been advised by the surgeons that this is normal. I hope your treatment works and best of luck!

Hi there,

Hope you're feeling as OK as possible during this difficult time. I'm a 58year old woman, I had 4 lots of chemo before my oesophagectomy then 4 weeks radiotherapy after. I found it best to not look too far ahead with the treatment and just deal with whatever was happening day by day. It's such a whirlwind of appointments and meetings and as I'm sure you already know, can feel really overwhelming. It's over 2 years since my operation (September 2018) and I'm doing and feeling so much better now. It's quite a big deal and natural to be scared of it but recovery does happen slowly but surely. For me it was worth it. To be honest waiting for the operation was the scariest bit of the whole 8months of treatment (feeding tube, chemo, op, radiotherapy). I hope this helps, it's different for everyone but I've read many accounts of and met people who are now thriving after the operation. Take it steady and if you need more details and support as you go along just ask here.

Thank you for your kind words.  I think I have been trying to take too much in.  I'm so pleased you are getting on so well.  I'm going to do what you suggested and take one step at a time.

Hi llovegsds

You've come to the right site and forum with some super supportive people here.

Here's a link to my blog

https://myoesophagealcancerjourney.wordpress.com/

I am over 3 years post op now and feeling fitter than I have in years. Its not an easy condition to deal with but it is doable and the wonders of modern science make it more manageable every day.

Stay positive, take your time and every day as it comes.

Don't do the journey alone. Ask anything, Any time. Theres great and genuine support here from many people who helped me with my journey too - and still do.

Best Wishes

Pete

So pleased to hear you're going to try take it easy. So easy to get bombarded and exhausted.The way I see it and had to see it myself, is you've got one job and priority now, to take best care of yourself and let the professionals (and those who truly wish to and can support you) take care of you too. No matter how scary or tough the treatment is it's all about getting you better.  Very best to you.

Thank you for your positive response.  

Hiya,

Welcome to the forum, a very helpful group, I had this operation in May 2020, due to the COVID situation and my drive to lose weight and get fit in preparation for the operation, myself and team all agreed I should not have FLOT chemo prior. So I became fully focused on the operation, I lost 2 1/2 stone in 8 weeks with cycling and diet, on operation day I was excited entering the hospital with the thought of removing the unwanted was going to happen, a successful 11 hour operation, and I strictly did as I was told, and was waiting at the door ready to go home on day 6, ( I haven’t needed any pain relief since that day), physical progress was slow going, but each day increased my walking distance, and by week 3 I was cycling and driving again. I then had 4 cycles of FLOT which was stopped due to bad side effects, that was tough going, i returned to work two weeks after chemo finished for a short term contract,  10 months on, it’s been a bit testing, but I’ve adjusted to suit and live a pretty normal healthy life, My main suggestion is think positive, eat healthy and exercise. What you put in is what you get out, A friend of mine who beat the odds with a different type said ‘change the environment which created the unwanted’ Happy to help with anything.

Take care and stay safe.

Glenn