Hi Sally,

So great to hear such good news! That must have  given you both such a huge boost! Thanks for replying  and your good wishes for our meeting. 
 

keeping the faith for everyone 

Milly 

Hi everyone, 

I'm new to this forum. My dad was diagnosed with oesophageal cancer in March 2018 and has had chemo and RT. He was sadly unable to have surgery. He had a stent put in in April this year, but within the last month swallowing has become very difficult with him vomiting after most foods and he's lost weight and the community hospice team are involved. He had a barium swallow done last week which showed 2 areas of narrowing within the stent and they said they might be able to put another stent in to stretch it out or something? Just wondered if anyone in this chat has had a oesophageal stent replaced or re-stretched? If so did it help? 
 

Many thanks, 

Rachel

Hi Rachel,  I am so sorry to hear about your Dad, and know how much you are suffering.   Oesophageal cancer is a horrible difficult cancer to deal with.   I can't give you any advice I'm afraid, but lean on the hospice care team and ask for their support, they are the best people to help you at this time.  If the team think the stent will help then at the end of the day it is your Dad's decision if he wants to try it being replaced, and you can only support him and his decisions as best you can.  
Sally X

Hi Sally, 

Thanks for your message :) 

It is such a horrid cancer, so cruel! I think they are talking about him in MDT meeting tomorrow so will wait to see what they recommend about stents etc. 
 

Many thanks

Rachel x

Hi All,

Sally - I'm doing great :-).  I too have a love of toast, with lashings of butter and marmalade.  My other half looks on in an amazement on accasions.  I would say that my fitness levels are improving - still not up to pre-diagnosis levels, but working on it.  My weight is still stable - has been the same now for nearly 4 months, for which I'm quite pleased with considering my jej tube didn't last before being discharged post-op.  GOG mode still clicks in - but I've ran out of excuses and am putting it down to the fact that I'm probably a grumpy-old-g't anyway.  Hope your hubby is coming out the other side now of FLOT ii - the revenge.

Rachel - sorry, I don't know much about stents other than what they are supposed to do - but I guess like a lot of things there are a number of options/strengths depending on the need.  Hope he is doing ok.

leechap - always a difficult decision, made more difficult by the varying "odds" that get thrown around. Even for those who are given the flot/op/flot "curative" path - the odds that we will die from the disease are 30 - 40%.  The odds of the surgery complications yu have been given are about "normal".  There are odds as well for palliative care.  I guess at the end of the day, it's down to the quality of life that we have left and judging that against what we perceive to how much we have left.

Andi - sending big virtual hugs your way!  

Milli/Hilts - best wishes as ever to you and yours!  Is there a date for the op yet?

Thanks for the reply bfg.

Lee

Hi All,

Well... my husband had the appointment with the Consultant Oncologist yesterday afternoon. The CT scan showed all good - no signs of anything other than surgical changes to his 'plumbing'. Yippee! Also his left lung is now 95% which is brilliant! It was around 75%. after the VATS and decortination in July. So all in all the best news we could hope for! It was exactly a year to the day that he was told the diagnosis after the endoscopy. So we are now looking at travel insurance- so any tips welcome! I hope this gives hope to others. 

Bfg - good to hear you are making progress. It's a very long and bumpy road but knowing others are travelling with you who 'get it' helps somuch. 
 

Rachel I'm sorry I also don't know much about stents but the cancer team should help and I found the Macmillan nurses helpful. I hope they can help him with his swallowing, it's such a horrible disease. 

Everyone I hope you are trucking along and still thinking of those who haven't posted in a while.

keeping the faith for everyone 

Milly

Hi Milly, really good news to hear:happy:

get that holiday booked!

lee

Hi Milly

That is great news indeed, and funnily enough I've been making a couple of casual enquiries too following some other threads on this site, just to see if I was "insurable" so to speak.  

I came across Staysure travel who went into detail on the condition just on the on-line entry and it provided me with a price for an annual policy.  I haven't dared try my wifes yet - it'll probably explode.

Let me know how you get on with it - as I'm quite keen to start travelling again soon.  Hilts may have some expertise too following her and hubbys travels.  :-)

cheers

bfg