Hi guys. Sending love to you all. We have just lost my mum to this cancer after only 6 months post surgery. My advice push for the chemo after and push for all the scans you can get after too. If this had been possible for mum then she might still be here. Xx

hi,

it,s sad to hear about your loss especially after your mum going through the operation i know its difficult to accept your loss especially when you read posts like mine telling others it will all be fine , god bless you and take care of yourslef and your family.

Hi distraught – great news on the PET scan.  It all sounds very similar to my results.  He’ll probably have a laproscopy booked in too as a final, final, check and then you will move over to the oncology team for the first round of FLOT.  Assuming things haven’t changed with the “gold standard” for treating this, it will be 4 cycles 2 weeks apart, about 6 weeks past the last cycle for surgery, and then the final 4 cycles starting 6 weeks post op.   The support teams are phenomenal – and they will probably scare the proverbial out of you with all of the possible side effects, and to be honest I would say that those of us who have been through it on this chat have had almost the full range of possibilities between us, which is not meant to worry you – but just to say that we all react differently and with varying degrees across the symptom range.  It’s a case of buckling up for the ride with the first one being the worst – primarily because you’ve no idea what’s coming and his mind will be working overtime.  Keep the fluid levels to flush the stuff out the system, and take the medication they offer.  Talk to the team about any side effects (most of the medication they give you acts as a buffer for the worst of it) as they can tweak things around.  And don’t forget to ask away here too- I’m sure we’ll help where we can.

Hi hopingforhope86 – there should be an upper gi team who (you may need your mums permission) you can contact on anything related to timescales.  But your MDT will be “weekly” so often it depends on when you’ve had the scan as to when they discuss the results and get back to you with the next steps.  And as Hilts says – any high fat, sugar type food – this is not the time for “healthy” eating. 

Hi BFG

Thank you so much for your reply. I start minced and moist tonight - even the name !!!!!!! Bad day today as told I will be here AT LEAST another week - I so want to go home. The 'up' side is I've gone all day without oxygen and still over 94%. They are making me keep it in over night - but hopefully nearly gone. How are you coping - are you eating OK  - how was the second round of chemo?? 

At the moment I feel as if this will never end - 9 weeks so far - just depressing!  Anyway - must put my 'feed' on - another one of the joys. Apologies if not an up beat message - feeling very down today - as you say - good days and bad days!! 
 

Andi x

Hi Andi- are you kidding. I challenge anyone to be upbeat on the minced and moist. The best thing is that's its the sign of massive progression and brings you closer to going home. 

There is no doubt that the relationship with food changes, but nothing is off limits now - big 3 course meals are out,  but that's about it. 

2nd round of flot was pretty much the same side effects as the first but tended to last a little bit longer - so 4 days of being a GOG (grumpy old git) rather than 3. How did you get on with your first round?

Hi everyone- update:

Andi - sounds good news as though you're steadily going in the right direction, keep at it.

Ok...my Dad has has 2 leaks post OP- 1 leak the following day and 1cleak a couple of days ago. This morning he was sent to the endoscopy department to have a clip inserted in his reconstructed esophagus to stop the leak. The docs said 1 hour and then back on the ward. 3 hours later we was told that Dad was in intensive care again due to his heartbeat being very high. I have just been back to hospital and he is ok but very weak and p***** off!.

The nurses have said the doc/surgeon will decide what will happen tomorrow. Just as we were feeling positive as he was taken to the ward...he's back in icu. I guess this is the 'rollercoaster ' journey. 

Hi - after the first chemo I thought it was a breeze - then reality kicked in. The third was postponed a week because I was so ill - it really knocked me out - so dreading it. I should have been nearly through it but won't be until next year now. Ottawa very long journey xx

Ah thanks for the info bfg :) Got her some morphine and supplements from the GP, all the good stuff so hopefully that can keep her going for the next couple of weeks while we wait for some action 

Hi Leechap

So sorry to hear about your dad - it's just awful when you think things are going well - it seems to be 2 steps forward and 3 back. I just feel institutionalised - they say at least another week here but every day is like a week. 
 

hooe all goes well with your dad tomorrow 

Andi xx

Hello All,

A settled day for dad, no progress but not any worse! His kidneys seem to haven taken a hit, but also common for a big surgery? 
 

Sorry to hear your dad is back in ICU [@leechap]‍ , this is a certainly a rollercoaster and I know how you feel! 
 

[@Andi1947]‍  it must be so tough for you but please take strength in knowing that you here fighting on is giving me hope at the begining of this surgical journey! I told my mum to tell dad today that Andi's back. If you can do it he can too (big love heart emoji!)

So many new OC members and as an onlooker it's so hard. But as all have said the NHS is a wonderful thing and we have so many skilled professionals who really know what they are doing! We just have to "Keep the Faith" 

Hi all,

Well it's been busy on here. Everyone's journey is different so please take heart that it's not easy but doable. For the 'newbies' on here if you read through the threads you will find lots of info. The timescales vary my husbands start of treatment looks like the longest on here about 14 weeks from  27th October 2020 until 29th Jan when chemo started. As BFG said weekly MDT so due to timing we sometimes had to wait almost two weeks between tests. However the NHS is brilliant and of course the second lockdown came in during all this. 

Andi/ Scott/ Kee as I've said before my husband was 5 week. Like you guys one step forward, two back. Then a considered risk sending him home to recover enough for a third emergency op! He also had oxygen for a long time after the internal bleeding/pneumonia/pleural effusion/pleural empyema! So Andi don't apologise for being down - you must feel institutionalised! 
BUT here we are in Torquay on a Turkey and Tinsel weekend!

Im not going to say it's been easy for him. As BFG said relationship with food changes and this has been a challenge this weekend. Evuhavibg 3 courses and my husband one but he's coped. Being away in a group has been fun al ex RR employees. I tell you this to give you all hope.

keeping the faith for everyone and as RayB says keeping it real

Milly

Andi

Hi all,

Well it's been busy on here. Everyone's journey is different so please take heart that it's not easy but doable. For the 'newbies' on here if you read through the threads you will find lots of info. The timescales vary my husbands start of treatment looks like the longest on here about 14 weeks from  27th October 2020 until 29th Jan when chemo started. As BFG said weekly MDT so due to timing we sometimes had to wait almost two weeks between tests. However the NHS is brilliant and of course the second lockdown came in during all this. 

Andi/ Scott/ Kee as I've said before my husband was 5 week. Like you guys one step forward, two back. Then a considered risk sending him home to recover enough for a third emergency op! He also had oxygen for a long time after the internal bleeding/pneumonia/pleural effusion/pleural empyema! So Andi don't apologise for being down - you must feel institutionalised! 
BUT here we are in Torquay on a Turkey and Tinsel weekend!

Im not going to say it's been easy for him. As BFG said relationship with food changes and this has been a challenge this weekend. Evuhavibg 3 courses and my husband one but he's coped. Being away in a group has been fun al ex RR employees. I tell you this to give you all hope.

keeping the faith for everyone and as RayB says keeping it real

Milly

Andi

Thanks Milly. I've learned so much already, I'll be doing lots of background reading for sure. 
 

the conversations about her smoking have picked up - any tips to share on this front? She's smoked since she was 14 and also has COPD so obviously it's doing a lot of damage already. Can anyone share the impact of continuing to smoke or anything that has helped them stop. I have to say the health scares aren't enough, neither are the vapes etc etc. I think it's more about her managing anxiety and obviously that is at the highest at the moment. 
 

Love to everyone! 

Hi hopingforhope - you already know the answer to this one.  All of the current testing regimes are to see if your mum is suitable for surgery.  If she is, then the surgery is long at between 6 - 10 hours and involves deflating one of the lungs. 

There is a fitness test prior to ensure the heart can withstand the surgery and a significant risk of pneumonia afterwards.

The majority of the recovery from the op is in the 6 months after with incremental improvements for another 6 months after that.

I wouldn't like to pre-judge the MDT team, but I would say that it would be a factor in determining suitability for surgery assuming everything else is ok.

Thank you for this - didn't know any of this info yet so I'm feeling more prepared and it'll help me have the conversations with her

Hi, 

As BFG said, I think you know the answer to this (: and lungs have to be 'match fit' to go through op if offered.

HOWEVER- I know what is going through her mind!! On more than several fronts (: I have 'dabbled' in the old 'baccy' over the years. Why? - because I enjoyed it ! , no doubt she does too.I grew up with nearly all of my relatives smoking. Walking through most of their houses was like cutting cheese.......My Nana and her sister used to sit with their packets of Navy cut, poppy tea and cards all afternoon (: both lived to mid 90's, but it really is luck of the draw.

It is a very personal choice for your MAm, to give up will help her chest, but will it drive her nuts. I know what it is like trying to get other people to do stuff they don't want too!!! and I know how I react if people try and tell me to do something I don't want to......it ain't pretty x

Most won't agree with my take on it, but she is old and wise enough to know what needs to be balanced.

Keep that faith

Hilts

Thanks Hilts 

very wise words, it's been an ongoing battle asking her to reconsider the fags! 

hope everyone is doing well today, these cold and long nights are not helping the mood in our house! 
 

Hello one and all.

I hope you can help. 

Our mum was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma of the oesophagus - and was treated with 5 weeks of radiotherapy/chemo. At the youthful age of 80, she has recovered remarkably well. It had not spread anywhere. She was/is remarkably lucky, but we do not know how successful the treatment has been. 

She has a peg feeding tube but is on a daily calorie deficit and is desperate to start eating again.

BUT. 

She is producing vast quantities of mucus that appears to start for no reason and leaves her feeling drained and dehydrated.  The mucus is clear and she says it feels as if she is wrenching/colic.  We think it is the oesophagus reacting to food passing through and the muscles being used. When it finishes she is OK - just a lot of burping.

As you can all appreciate taking pain relief is another feeding process - and she isn't in pain unless she is bringing up this mucus. 

Does anyone have any insight/suggestions as to what this might be and how we can help her to manage the symptoms so she think about eating again? 

Thanks in advance. 

Hi Dancing girl.

Glad to hear your Mam is trooping along.

Squamous cell- I don't know much about that, BUT mucus- yep a little (:

The body ' kindly' produces it to clear stuff it doesn't like/want. It is kind of a 'protective thing'. She has had a lot of cell murder going on down there and a devil a lot of irritation from the treatments-  A total pain in the butt nonetheless!
As with all of us on here, little steps, some forward and quite a few backward are order of the day!
You say she is being tube fed. So that at least takes the 'pressure' off eating. Lovely stuff it is !!
All I can suggest is to contact your MDT  'team' . They will know your mother's case. How long post treatment she is and how long the body being cross takes to improve.

Coughing up loads of gunge will be painful ,distressing and exhausting,but save trying to get painkillers in orally ask for liquid to go in tube.

Also , as for eating and drinking, a little of what she fancies n'all, but pressure is much reduced now that PEG is in.

Sorry, not to be more helpful, but defo get on to the MDT.

Best wishes

keep that faithHilts 

Hilts