Stage 3 oesophageal cancer diagnosis

Hi Pondfish. I have read both of your posts and appreciate that there are a number of things that make your decision much harder, not least Sciatica, which is an absolutely awful pain to bear and can affect the ‘real’ you over a period of time. Taking everything you’ve said my first thought was that if you have the Chemotherapy, you can see how you respond and then make another decision further down the line regarding the operation. I did have the operation (aged 63) and was surprised at how well my recovery has gone (9 months since the operation). The one thing I would say is that everyone is different in the way they respond and recover. It sounds like you have been given such a lot of information to consider and you need time to process everything you have been told.
I hope you find calmer times and begin to piece things together. With very best wishes, Julie 

I absolutely agree with the advice regarding sciatica and decision making. 

I was on high doses of pregabalin and nortryptiline for pain. I could not stand long enough to shower. And when taking this medication it definately affected my decision making. (pain was resolved by spinal surgery).

 Unfortunately living in pain for 3 years with limited mobility to exercise and keep fit is why I am now deemed borderline unfit for chemo & surgery.  Such a blow as now I am pain free and can do 10,000 steps a day. 

Hi Rosie. Sorry to hear that you’re struggling to get the treatment you want. You certainly sound fit enough with 10,000 steps a day and the stage of the cancer. You say you’re deemed borderline so I hope that you can persuade the medical professionals you are a good candidate for treatment. Take care. Julie

Thank you Julie. The thinking is that the chemo surgery chemo route is tough for those who are fit. As I  am borderline before the chemo starts I am unlikely to be fit enough for the operation given what chemo does. 

Thank you Julie and Rosie, some great advice. I think that's a good plan to start the chemotherapy and see what effect it has on my medication etc. If all goes well I would then have easier decision regarding the operation. My surgeon will be calling me on Monday to discuss my treatment and will mention this. I'm sure he would agree it's a sensible approach. Rosie, I'm so sorry to hear that you suffered with sciatic pain and has effected your fitness. For myself, they thought my pain was caused by 3 slipped discs and was recommended to have disc fusion in 2008. However they later discovered a lipoma on my spine and could have been the cause, so no operation took place. I am in pain 24/7 but the medication I've been on since 2008 makes it manageable. I still have after all these years, days laid up when I over do it. I did pass my fitness test although I didn't let on how painful sitting on that bike was!! Obviously I do worry about my overall fitness for the op as it does fluctuate.           Thank you both for the great advice and understanding, all the best Dave. 

All the very best to you too. Julie