Not using feeding tube through post flot

Hi 

I had an extended stay in hospital of about a month and insisted they remove the feeding tube before I was discharged and found I coped well without it.  I did lose some weight during the.post op chemo but not too much and it’s stabilised now I have finished.  I had two dilations one before and one during the chemo and funnily the chemo seems to have helped my swallowing further.  I have another dilation tomorrow but that was my consultant’s suggestion rather than my request.  

Good luck with the chemo I found it hard but really pleased I did it. 

Thank for the reply with regards the dilation what made you have this was you struggling to swallow or stomach getting full and food not passing . Would just like to know the signs in case I get to this situation thanks . 

Hi JacPop, 

What is this dilation stuff you keep talking about? I assume it's stretching your Oesophagus somehow.  How is it done and why?

Hi Mark

i just started getting food stuck and unlike before water was not helping it pass so I had to be sick to get it out.  Sometimes I was being sick over the whole day.  When I had my dilation they had to stretch both the join scar and the bottom stomach valve as both were restricting what I could eat.  

I am under the care of St Thomas’s London and I discussed what was happening with the dietitian and she arranged the dilation.  I would say if you find your swallowing is getting more difficult then contact your team sooner rather than later don’t wait for it to get too bad.  

Hi  GeoFerret

Good question, it was explained to me that the scar tissue on the join contracts like all scar tissue can which may narrow the new Oesophagus and cause difficulty swallowing.  Added to that the bottom valve in your stomach can close up preventing food and water going into your bowels and backing up so you can’t eat or drink much without it coming back out.  

to help this they dilate your throat which is done using the endoscopy with a ‘ballon’ they inflate and stretch either or both areas.  I have had it done twice now and have my third booked in tomorrow.  I was told that it is very common to need this done at least once.  

It is very similar to having the endoscopy accept you can’t eat at all on the day they do the procedure and only very soft foods the next day.  

Hi Mark, 

I had pre op FLOT, then surgery (which was total gastrectomy) and then post op FLOT … and my surgeon never used a feeding tube with me or post op … so I made it through post op FLOT without one.

The post op chemo was the hardest, hardest, hardest, harrrrrrdest thing I’ve ever done in my entire life and it totally kicked my derriere and I literally hauled and crawled myself across the finish line with my Wife's amazing encouragement but that wasn’t feeding tube related … I was still able to eat OK etc, I just found the post op chemo super toxic which I guess is good as it would’ve nuked anything microscopic left behind as I felt like it was nearly killing me too, haha !

Surgeon said he’d rather get me going post op without a feeding tube and see how I got on and use one if needed, but his standard was to have me IV fed overnight post op for 6 days nil by mouth and then move onto food after that and see how you do.

I was 100kg pre op, dropped to 80kg post op and now up to about 85kg.

Hope that helps 

I hope it goes well for you. 

I had my post op flot 12 months ago, my op was March 16th 22. 

I had an overnight feed during my Chemo, but at a reduced rate about 700ml,