Four Years from Diagnosis

Hi

Four years ago tomorrow I got the diagnosis that I had oesophogeal cancer. I had just turned 59 and although well overweight I felt fine except for difficulties swallowing. Anyway, after the normal scans  (CAT and PET) and a laparoscopy it was thankfully confirmed that it had not spread and that it was caught early (Stage 2). I then did 2 months of FLOT treatment, had 6 weeks to regain strength and then had the oesophagectomy in April 2022 in Oxford. All went well with the operation and I  came home 7 days later. After another 6 weeks weeks of recovery I elected to have another 2 months of FLOT treatment - I had coped with the first round well so I saw no reason not to make sure that everything had gone even though the surgeons were confident that they had got everything.

Since then I have concentrated on being fitter - I had always been fit when young but after doing my ACL when I was 25 I piled on the weight. During the illness and subsequent treatment I lost about 40kg so I wanted to make the most of my new slimline figure!! I have been doing weight training twice a week since and I now feel really strong. I also play golf regularly and started running again. Two years after the operation I ran the London Marathon raising money for MacMillan.

I know that I have been very lucky for a number of reasons:-

• it was caught early
• it was a small tumour (2-4cm)
• I was relatively young (59)
• I had fantastic care from the NHS both locally in Bracknell and at Oxford
• I had fantastic support from my wife, family and friends (and work too)

I have just come back from my regular check up with the oncologist who has no concerns so I don't need to see him for another 6 months.

So why have I joined now - 4 years later? To be honest at the time of going through the treatment I didn't want to know too much. My wife joined this forum and got the support she needed and told me about anything that she thought that I should know. Now I felt that I wanted to share a little about my experience and maybe provide some support for others. I also want to share a positive outcome - I am healthier now than I have been for 40 years. Obviously I have no idea what the future holds but I am making the most of a second chance.