Hello I am fighting Oesophagus Cancer

Hello, I am 57 year old woman who started her fight in Feb this year. I sailed through first 9 week round of chemo with very little side effects. I did lose a lot of hair and it came back, grey,black and curly. It previously was blonde and straight. Had surgery to remove the Oesophagus and stretch my stomach to replace it. I was lucky to have had an amazingly quick recovery, so much so that I am my cancer team star patient. Pre surgery chemo knocked out the cancer in the lymph nodes and surgery got rid of the tumour. I did have trouble with my Jeg feeding tube and had to have it removed, after a series of infections. However because this type of cancer has such a high rate of reoccurrence I am having a second 9 weeks of chemo. I am into my second cycle, this seems to be hitting me harder but I am coping. As I am starting to worry about after treatment is finished, my onocologist said it was inevitable that the cancer would returned but not conduct constant testing as it is too intrusive. They will react quickly if I report any changes. I am worried as I did not think there was anything wrong before my original diagnosis. My husband made the appointment with the doctor after an episode of projectile vomiting and made me go. How will I know if it's come back again?. I've been told it will take a year to recover from surgery, and quite a while to stabilise after chemo. I am a very pragmatic, stubborn person, which has helped me on this journey. I don't ask for help and will rarely admit to feeling not well. People think because I don't say anything and I look well I am doing fine, I'm worried when I return to work in the new year I will run myself down trying to keep up appearances. Silly I know but it is a hard personality trait to break. On the whole I have not suffered as badly as some during my fight and I wish everyone all the best for their fight x 

  • Hi Denny, 

    I'm glad to hear that after surgery and chemo you are making steady progress with your battle against oesophageal cancer. Many of our members have been in a similar position, either having the same diagnosis or experience with chemo, and I'm sure they will be along soon to offer their support and share their experiences with you.

    I hope the second cycle of your chemo gets easier to manage and wishing you all the best with your recovery.

    Kind Regards, 

    Steph, Cancer Chat Moderator

  • Hi Denny

    I'm a 47 yr old woman who was diagnosed with oesophagal cancer in October  due to get 2 rounds of chemo then operation in new year.

    I'm currently on a ng tube which is pretty annoying but I'm managing to get more and more fluids down by mouth. 

    I know how you feel when trying to put up appearancesome, put on a brave face but are actually breaking inside.

    I'm feeling OK about facing the chemo, it's the actual operation that I'm dreading. Im hoping that I have the strength to pull through it all.

    Take it easy when you return to work, hope it's not a too stressful job.

    If you ever want to chat I'm here

    Take care xxx

  • Hi Denny,

    Sorry that I missed your post when you first posted it, I just saw it when someone else's reply bumped you back to the top.

    I've been living with an inoperable case of OC since late 2013. The chemo worked for me, shrank it and made it go dormant. Like you, I had few symptoms and as a consequence I wasn't diagnosed until Stage 4. After discussion with my Oncologist, we agreed that I would have routine CT scans every three months to check whether or not it has started growing again. It would be worth asking your Oncologist whether this option is open to you. 

    Best wishes

    Dave

  • Hi Denny, I thought I would reply to your post also, not because I have oesophagus cancer, but have a friend with it. I have secondary colorectal lung cancer and bladder cancer and I've been living with it for 7 years now. My friend has been the same route as you and at present, appears to be doing quite well. She has had a rough time of it though. As far as you returning to work, I would be careful not to do that too soon, and I hope your job is not a stressful one. I'm glad you joined this forum because people on here are very supportive (as you've likely noticed by now), and you will find it very helpful to communicate with others who are going through similar experiences.

    I wish you well in your journey and hope all goes well for you.

    Take care.

    Lorraine