Oesophageal Cancer

Hi. So sorry to read about your husbands diagnosis but you have come to the right place to get support. I think we have all found that the initial news and then the detailed diagnostic stages are perhaps the worst part of the process. Timescales vary across the various NHS trusts  but I would suggest an average for the diagnostic stage is say 3 weeks and treatment would normally commence in perhaps around 4 weeks later. Some proceed to surgery with or without pretreatment  and some just have treatment. It all depends on the diagnosis. Your best advisers will be those that have followed a similar path to what will be proposed for your husband. I am one of those that had surgery and was diagnosed 3 years ago at the age of 79. No one gets a quick fix and few find the process easy  but there are a lot of positive stories out there. So my message is stay positive and patient. I hope things go well for you both.

ItI comes as a bit of a shock to say the least ! Everything will fall into place bit by bit he will have a load of tests for them to give him a staging I was T3 N0M0 which if you look on the macmillan site it will explain this to you! Don’t look on Google it will frighten you to death !!! I was lucky that mine was curative and had my surgery in March and now feeling fit a well some are not but there are so many options and even if surgery is not one of them go on to live active lives. Anglars is the wise old chap of this group and I second his advice to you ! Stay strong it’s often worse for the partners Tricia xx

1. Hi , sorry to hear yous are going through this . I found out i had the same cancer in febuary , i was 49 . My mum had the same cancer 5 years ago , we both had four lots of chemo , the op , then four more chemo . Mums was worse than mine but her op wasxa success but hers come back two years later to her brain and it was in covid time so they couldnt , wouldnt do much i looked after her at home till she passed . Im now four weeks past my last chemo , ive had a cough , and they testing for aspiration but im slowly recovering . They took 48 lynth nodes when doing asophagectomy and they were clear . Posativaty is key , i have young children and ive had to stay posative for them but ofcourse i was scared . I pray to my mum im not into god , but it calms me . Im now eating better but have lost lots of weight but thats ok . I wish u all the best x there are so many positive storys on here and ive rang mcmillan loads to talk to them for support etc x all my love to you and your family ... tony .

Thank you Anglars, 

• All that information is useful as we don’t know how long is too long when waiting for tests. It’s amazing that at 79 you went through all this and it’s really wonderful to hear it. I appreciate your support very much. Meanwhile we sit and wait ! 

Hello Tricia, 

Everyone is very kind to reply so fast. I’m so happy that you’ve had a good result and are feeling well. The surgery seems to be the best thing if you can have it as you say. Even though it’s sounds terrifying. No I’ve stopped Googling, there’s no point as I’m not a medic and don’t understand most of the jargon. And it’s too wise ranging to help really. Putting my faith in the NHS and hanging in there . Ann 

Hi Tony, 

• your message was so moving and my heart goes out to you. You are so young and coping with this with a young family must be unbelievably tough. And your poor mum going through the same illness. My mum died in 2019 after a horrific time with anal cancer. So much stress and sadness on your shoulders. I talk to my mum a lot and wish she were here. It’s great to know you are recovering and the tests were clear. My husband is the positive type and I’m pretty tough so we will give it our all. I will be keen to know how everyone is doing as time passes. Love to all , Ann