Oesophageal Cancer Recovery

Hi 

I came out of hospital mid November and I am finding it hard to adjust and still get some pain.  

I had my follow up in early December and I found it very useful, it’s a good chance to ask questions, and I saw several of the other specialists which gave me reassurance and some good information.  

I am doing a lot of things I did before the op including walking although I am slower and get tired quicker now.  Next week I am going to have my scar stretched as I am struggling with food getting stuck and then being sick, but I was warned this would happen at some point and it is normal.  

my understanding is that the op takes about 6 months to fully recover from its a major op and a lot of the recovery is internal, so I was told to slow down and stop expecting too much of myself.  

I hope that helps.  

Jac

Thank you Jac, this helps a great deal

Welcome to the forum David

Well done on your continued recovery from such a serious surgery, it is great news to read that you have been able this surgery and that you are back on your feet managing 5k walks

There are a lot of people on the forum who have had a similar surgery and I am sure they will soon be along to give what feedback they can. 

I would never be too concerned about follow-up appointments it is always best to have them to be left wondering!

Best of luck with your continued successful recovery. 

Lowe'

Thank you for your reply and kind words Jac

Thank you Lowe in taking time out to reply

Hi David,

It's great that your operation went well and that you are walking a lot. Hopefully your surgeon's appointment went well. My husband's was to just check in and give him the histology results.

He had his op mid Apr'22 and did so much walking when he got home, which he thinks really helped. His mop up chemo ended in Aug'22 and mid Oct'22 he flew out to the US for two weeks for work. He's back at the gym and golfing and living life to the full.

His side hurt for a while and then was uncomfortable (like the muscles were knotted and needed to be stretched), but it's better now. For a while he felt uncomfortable after eating but he's learnt to not eat too much (little and often) and that it's OK if he doesn't clear his plate! He sometimes just rests a while after eating. 

I assume you will be offered mop up chemo and if you can do all the sessions that's great. It's tough, but really worth it. You need to listen to your body as everyone's recovery is different. 

Wishing you all the very best.

Di

Hi Di,

Thank you for your feedback which s very encouraging.

The consultancy meeting went well, I was graded T4 positive due to the tumor only being 1mm away from breaking through my esophagus wall and spreading further. They took out 22l lymph nodes and all were cancer clear and the cancer had not spread any further. 

I am glad that your husband has recovered so well

David

I'm so pleased that your results are so great and that the tumour has gone. We found it hard remembering that after my Husband's tumour had gone as it seemed we had spent so long with it (although in reality it wasn't that long really). There was no "Bell Ringing" moment that you see on TV, but clear lymph nodes is amazing and exactly what you want to hear. 

Wishing you a speedy recovery

Di