Female esophagel cancer sufferers

Hi Julia. I was diagnosed with OC last year. I am 71 year old female. I had chemo and then surgery to remove oesophagus.Not a walk in the park but enjoying life now. Hope everything goes well for you. I am here if you want to chat 

Hi Julia. I was diagnosed with OC last February. I am a 62 year old female who was pretty fit and healthy before this bombshell. It has been a difficult journey with lots of ups and downs but at the moment I am feeling well and making the most of things. I am not able to have the op and I am just waiting to see what treatment they can offer. I have had a stent fitted and ever since then I have been eating better and feeling stronger. I try to keep fit by walking every day which really helps. This forum is so good and it’s great to chat to people who understand what you are going through. Best of luck with everything. 

Saw oncologist today & I'm starting FLOT chemo in two weeks time. Having hickman line fitted as one of drugs is released over 24 hrs. Terrified of surgery but all doctors I've seen seem to think its the best option seeing as I'm fit enough. Still very frightened and its hard to keep positive. Suffer from mental health problems too which makes everything much worse.

Been studying treatments for OC and there' are several targeted therapies available for those who cant have surgery. Hope you find one that suits you and that you continue to feel fit

Hello Kelly . I had the FLOT  chemotherapy, It was to shrink the tumour in my oesophagus before surgery. I read all of the literature that I was given on FLOT and all a bit frightening about side effects. But they have to inform you of the worse that can happen . I had most of the side effects but not as bad as expected..  Before the start of the chemo, they fitted a PICC into my arm. That was so they could administer the chemo cocktail without having to have a canular put in every time. The PICC line has to be flushed through every seven days and the chemo was every two weeks.  I started feeling better the second week after chemo, but then after two weeks had to have chemo again  and so on for six sessions. After every session of chemo they fitted a canister the size of a cola tin , to the PICC line that I had to keep on for 24 hrs ,then go back  to   Oncology to have it removed.  I got into a  routine and just  got on with it. On having another scan one month after chemo I met with my brilliant team of Consultants  they informed me of what they were going to do to remove the tumour . After all really as far as I was concerned there was no choice but to have the op . 
     And now I have had the operation ,and four months on , have been able to eat most things after chewing well .  
  So don’t worry about your chemo, all will be well in the end.  I know people probably keep telling you to be positive . But told myself that I would beat this and have done well so far,  on being positive. 
     All the best with your chemo.  

I just hope I don't feel too ill. I'd like to be able to live a reasonably normal life. I'm quite an active person usually. Going hiking whenever possible & going to the gym. Although I'll probably have to give that up for a while. Keeping busy takes my mind off things. I just hope I don't feel too fatigued. If I'm laid up I overthink situations

I'd like to hear from those who managed to keep well during chemo. It may help me to have more positive attitude. Sometimes being positive helps people to get through things

Take each day as it comes. Some days will be not so good and others ok . But everyone is different and you could handle things well..

Hi kells, I am 54, female and had first round of chemo (4 lots) at end of February and had the surgery on June 7th. Apart from numb and tingling (like pins and needles), in my arms and legs and sometimes on my face, and a little bit of bloating and upset stomach on a couple of occasions I didn’t find the chemo too bad. I work part time and mainly from home and was able to work throughout my chemo, even taking my laptop to hospital to work whilst having the treatment!!  Surgery was nowhere near as bad as I feared and I was petrified beforehand but was home 8 days later.  Eating and gaining an appetite has been the hardest thing for me but I feel I’ve turned a corner this week (week 5 post op).  I’ve lost about a stone and a half since the surgery but was 3 stone overweight anyway.

Like yourself I’m a pretty active person and go to the gym, play badminton and walk my dog. Obviously haven’t been to gym yet since op or played badminton but feel ready to return to the gym next week just for the bike to begin with.  Am walking at the same pace as before the op now so that’s a good way of improving lung function post op.  I went to the gym throughout the chemo (not as much but could usually go on the second week after the treatment and just before second treatment began).

I have another 4 lots of treatment starting on 8th August just to zap any loose cancer cells following the op as my tumour was in a hard to reach/see place.

Good luck Kells, and I’m also here if you need to ask anything else 

Did you have oesophagel cancer?