Hi all. After getting my initial diagnosis om October 7th. I am now sat here in my hospital bed 4-5 days post op so thought i would update everyone on where i'm at and see if there is any useful tips for the, no-doubt difficult, weeks and months to come.
Afterr successfully completing FLOT chemo (covered on another post) inwas in for the op this Monday, 23rd Feb. According to the surgeon, who i managed to speak with in detail yesterday' the operation went well and she removed everything that she wanted too. Crazy to be told there.was no actual tumor there as such. More.just a thickening of the wall lining of the oesophagus which would have eventually grown into something more sinister given time.
Much to myb frustration and disappointment, i ended up having open surgery as oppose to minimimally invasive or robototic surgery so look and feel like ive been run over by a combine harvester.and have the scars to prove it. First few.days in ICU were pretty tough but pain relief was plentiful and the staff excellent so i've now cleared this part of the recovery process.
As of tea time last i was moved from intensive care and had drains removed from both my stomach and left lung, leaving just the main right hand chest drain to come out.
After the drains were removed I was also told I could try my first solid since since Sunday dinner (to test the system) which was another major milestone having been pretty much nil by mouth for 5 days, small sips of water aside.
Dinner consisted a small cup of broth (not completely smooth), followed a smooth strawberry yoghurt. Ate the broth slowly and experience no notable issues. Small amount of heartburn and burping, all of which seemed perfectly normal in my view.
importantly, everything seemed to be going well so around an hour later I decided to try the yoghurt. This was not nearly as successful and u experienced something that.i assume to be dumping syndrome. Basically about 20 mins after eating thenl yoghurt i started to feel real funny. Almost as though I was sinking into my chair and about to faint. Skin went cold and clammy, heart racing etc etc. Essentially not very pleasant, despite only lasting half and hour.
Interested to hear how people have navigated this period and what foods have worked and.vice..versa. determined to.gdg though this as painlessly as possibly so need to.be taking advice from people who have physically walked the walk.
Apologies for the bad spelling, grammar and punctuation. Taken me about an hour to write this and i've been back and forwards attempting to correct stuff whilst also periodically clicking my morphine pump which completely counterproductive.
