Hello Thetelfordwofl62

I'm sorry to hear that you've recently been told that your cancer has returned and that this time it's inoperable. It's understandable that you will have lots of questions and concerns. 

It's difficult for us to say what stage your cancer is. I'd suggest getting in touch with your Consultant's secretary and explaining that you need a letter, or a copy of a letter previously sent to your GP, that outlines your diagnosis including any staging information and that it's inoperable. This will hopefully be enough information for you to move forwards with sorting out the necessary financial paperwork. If you need some further advice then do get in touch with the Macmillan specialist financial guidance team. 

We've quite a few members here on the forum who are living with or have previously had oesophageal cancer. Have a look at this thread and maybe think about posting a message there to introduce yourself. I'm sure that you'll get some supportive responses from the group. I'm also going to tag in our lovely [@davek]‍ in the hope that he'll see your post and drop you a message. You can read more about his story by clicking on his profile but Dave was diagnosed with inoperable oesophageal cancer quite a few years ago now. He had a remarkable response to chemotherapy and is doing very well. 

If there's anything you want to chat through with one of our team of nurses you're welcome to call them on 0808 800 4040, Monday to Friday 9 am to 5 pm. I'm sure they will be happy to offer any advice and information they can. 

I hope all goes smoothly for your treatment commencing on the 7th. Keep in touch and let us know how you get on. 

Best wishes, 
Jenn
Cancer Chat moderator 

Hi Marc

So sorry to read about your relapse. Your care team at the hospital, or even your GP, will be able to advise on what stage you are at. There's also some useful information at www.cancerresearchuk.org/.../stages-types-and-grades

Terminal is harder to define, it is a term rarely used by medical professionals and is often wrongly conflated with Stage 4 and incurable.Terminal is sometimes used when death is expected within 6 weeks, Stage 4 means that the cancer has spread to parts of the body distant from the location of the primary cancer. Incurable means that any treatment is aimed at treating the symptoms or slowing down the spread. The common cold is also incurable but it obviously isn't terminal. 

It isn't harsh at all asking this, you need to know what you're dealing with. On the Finance side, getting written confirmation is important as you may automatically qualify for PIP which is not means tested. Your local MacMillan may be able to get your application fast-tracked. 

I hope this helps.

Good luck

Dave