Has anyone had an oesphageal stent fitted and how have they found eating with it in place, what sorts of foods can be eaten and how does it affect swallowing. Your experiences would be welcome, hopefully more positive than negative. I understand that following the procedure it will be a soft food diet and that care needs to be taken.
I have a tumor at the junction of the oesphageus and stomach which was treated with FLOT chemotherapy 2 years ago. It is non operable but stable. The past 12 months the scar tissue had made the opening into the stomach smaller - 8mm - which is making swallowing anything other than liquid type foods impossible and even liquid types can be difficult and uncomfortable. 3 weeks ago I had had a balloon dilation to increase the opening to 12mm but it hasn't helped a lot. The surgeon said if the dilation didn't help sufficiently then a stent would have to be put in place, which will be the next stage. I have been given all the information about stents, spoken to the Macmillan nurses at the hospital, all has been helpful but not particularly positive and has made me apprehensive. I am just wanting to hear from someone who has one in place, has found it manageable and a help. I need some positive news about stents to reassure me this is going to be beneficial. At the moment I am struggling a lot swallowing and eating, not eating much and loosing weight, so anything has to helpful. I appreciate your comments.
