Post Ivor Lewis November 22

Good morning

• Recovery can take several months it is a massive operation and lots of moving around of internal organs. The jey is to take things slowly dont try to run before you can walk. My hubby had his op in a November and couldn’t get out due to the cold so walked laps of the house to build himself up. Recovery can be a bit slower if he has post op chemo as hubby didnt feel up to doing anything. Just as a bit of a timeline my hubby was 50 at time of surgery and he was back doing his manual job in 7 months. Keep fighting. 
  sending lots of love for a smooth recovery 
• Helen x

Hi Helen, that's great news about your hubby, My husband is 74, but was very fit, otherwise he wouldn't have got the operation.  Good news yesterday, no cancer in the biopsies.  He hasn't decided about post-op chemotherapy yet.  His choice, but I feel he's been through enough.  I will tell him about the laps of the house and we do have an exercise bike.

Thanks, Ruth.x

Hi poppybunyan….My husband had his op at beginning of October…op successful but got double pneumonia and was in intensive care for 44 days after…almost losing his life on two occasions.  Home now but still very weak…we go out for about 20 mins a day but he,s feels breathless…after effects of the pneumonia. We saw the oncologist the other day and he has suggested that he may not be fit enough for the follow up FLOT chemo…having passed the optimum time line for starting due to the 9 week hospital stay.  The tumour and nodes (one cancerous and 29 removed) all showed a clear margin so thats good news. We,re thinking over what he,s been told as he doesn’t feel fit for more chemo but it,s such a big decision to make?  Has anyone else had this situation?  He is 68 and was fit before the op…..

Hi wanted to just share my husband's experience.   He had his operation in may last year.  He had FLOT chemotherapy before his op.  He recovered well from the op but continued to have problems with eating.  As his food pipe kept closing up.  So had to have a number of dialations.   He to ran out of the optimum time for the second round of chemotherapy.   So after listening to the doctors he decided that the benefits did not outweigh the negatives.  They said that there was not enough data to back up any benefits that he would get at 12 weeks post op.  He had quite a lot of numbness and tingling in his fingers and feet.   The consultant said that this would be much worse with the second round of chemotherapy.  So he decided not to have the chemotherapy.   He is still having swallowing issues.  Going in for his 10th dialation this Tuesday.   He definitely doesn't regret putting his body through the chemotherapy the second time around.   I just don't think his body could have coped.  Good luck

, thank you so much for sharing your experiences……lwe have talked so much about it over the last couple of days…I feel my hubby is not fit enough at the moment…if he decides against further chemotherapy I am hoping he can concentrate on building himself back up…so he can start to enjoy his retirement which was just about to start when he went in for his op….

My experience was nine years ago. I was doing well after my surgery with no cells in my nodes so I was unsure why I needed any more chemo. However, researching the available literature I decided to embark on the same ECX as I’d had pre op. Unfortunately three days in, I was rushed into A&E and stayed in for 10 days (the same as for the surgery). I didn’t complete the first round and didn’t continue!

A friend of mine on this forum, opted not to have any chemo, he just want the cancer out! He did so well for so long but…

Chemo has changed so much since I had it. It hasn’t got any easier though almost certainly more effective. I’d say worth it if you can but it’s tough - and it’s tough to decide. There’s no right or wrong for an individual that’s why studies include many many patients so they can say “ on balance…”

It was two years before the new normal was established. But I lead an extraordinary life now. So good luck to all of you starting out on this journey. Stay positive and believe that it will get better in time even if you feel worse today than you did yesterday.

Good luck and well done to all you carers. It takes a different kind of strength to watch someone go through all this. You are marvellous!

Thank you for your useful insight BrentS…nine years on…Wow!  And obviously fit and enjoying life!  Good luck going forward!