overwhelmed after oesophagael surgery, where do i start

Hi Jules 

I would imagine that it’s more than normal to feel emotional and down after all you have been through and you shouldn’t feel bad about it ! Do you still have the feeding tube in place ? If so could you not use that until you get your head around a diet or even half and half until you feel strong enough to think about what you can eat or not ! And yes tomorrow will be a better day and if it’s not don’t be too hard on yourself everyone on here says it’s a marathon not a sprint and I’m sure you will be telling me that in a couple of months time when I’m all at sea after my operation!

just take it easy and don’t be too hard on yourself 

sending love and hugs Tricia xx

My one and only piece of advice is that you're at the very beginning of a very long recovery process. I've not had any sort of appetite or even thirst since my operation. They remove the vegal nerve which is responsible for those urges.

Anthony x

That’s interesting to know !!

thank you both of you, yes j peg still in so will be hanging on to that, and thank you for the advice its making a lot of sense, next big task is what do i do about working or reduced hourse, dont fancy having dumping whilst on the phone !!

57 years old,  christ what a crazy 14 months, and tricia please dont let my experience put you off any op, it was so nice to have some upfront honest advise of whats coming, the op its self seems a blur, in done, out, now crack on.

have a good weekend x jules

You won’t put me off Jules it has to be done and it’s good to be prepared and know the hurdles other people have gone through ! Just take it steady and don’t rush back to work !

hugs Tricia x

Hi Jules,

Try not to get yourself stressed out about the whole eating thing. For the first while, your main source of nutrition will be via your feeding tube. Your dietician will monitor your weight and your feed volumes can be increased or reduced as necessary (bear in mind that you won’t be burning as many calories as you probably would normally). Anything you are able to eat is like the icing on the cake. Some days you’ll manage not too badly and other days you won’t feel like eating hardly anything at all. Over time, the amount you are able to eat will very slowly increase and your feeds can be reduced and eventually stopped altogether and your feeding tube removed. For some people this might take a month. For others, it could be six months or even longer! Everyone is different and it’s not a competition. It is unlikely that you will ever return to your pre-treatment weight (I’m about 12lbs down and generally hovering at just under 12st). For some people (who were overweight beforehand) that’s a very good thing for their general health. Be patient and give yourself time. Bear in mind that there are people who are 5+ years post surgery who still consider themselves to be on the recovery pathway. This is not a quick fix cancer. It’s a long haul and you will have good and bad days along the way. I am nearly 11 months post-op and my good days vastly outweigh my bad. Keep your chin up! CB

I think you need to be kind to yourself. You have been through so much and I am in awe of the way you handle such a tough journey ….. your sense of humour and positivity shine through …… be as emotial as you want, it’s normal and it’s allowed. I will be facing this with my husband before long …..  I hope

My husband has FLOT cycle three next week with the rest of the journey ahead of him. Thank you for all the experience and advice you give ….. so clear and reassuring

Hi CB I think I have got a bit ahead of myself with my eating ️ last night I had a small amount of Chinese take away (first time and today we went to see Dave’s   Brother and his wife their hobby is eating huge amounts I had a third of a fish ate the batter ( naughty ) and and against my protest a portion of chocolate trifle ! I now have a temperature and a stitch under my jej tube.. is it overeating things I haven’t had before or some sort of surgical problem. Drinking loads of water as have a real thirst! Oh and a few chips which I haven’t had before ️

help please from you lovely people 

Tricia x

I had lots of good advice on this forum when I was starting out on my journey so I’m just trying to pass it on in as honest and frank a way as possible.