Welcome to Cancer Char Debby although I'm sorry to read about the difficulties your dad is having.

Hopefully some of our members who have been in similar positions with their family members will share their advice and experiences with you soon but if you'd like to have a chat with one of our cancer nurses about this you can give them a call on 0808 800 4040. Their phone lines are Monday - Friday between 9a.m - 5p.m.

Best wishes to you both,

Steph, Cancer Chat Moderator

Hi Debby

Sorry to hear your news about your Dad. My younge brother was diagnosed with cancer of the oesophagus recently. He was like your dad being unable to eat or swallow. After a hospital stay he has now been fitted with a stent and is able to eat and swallow again. Are you able to ask if this is an option for your dad. This will help with your dad's quality of life.

Best wishes, take care.

Thankyou for replying , can I ask if your brother was given the stent straight away or did he have to go through the system of trying other options first ? My dad (and mum) won't ask questions,I've been to the hospital with him on one occasion and was basically shot down . One minute he's ok then his morale is totally gone . No one seems to be giving any information about what's going to happen next and my dad just waits for the next appointment.

Debby

Hi

Thanks for your message. They tried to do an endoscopy twice but couldn't get it through. They even tried a paediatric one. He was taken into hospital for two weeks and had to wait. NHS Resources.... He has had to push for the stent because like your dad he was unable to eat or drink and was becoming scared of choking on his own spit. The Macmillan nurses were very helpful and can support you all plus my brother was also given a 'GI' nurse who he could ask for information. He was also given nutritional milk shakes. My brother's cancer consultant told him he was too nice and that he should be more pushy. Would your dad allow you to ring the Macmillan Nurses at the hospital and invite them round for a chat?

Let me know how you get on, take care.

Hi it's been a long year ! Dad went into hospital for a biopsy ( one of many) but while he was on operating table he was asked if they could try something on him ! We didn't know about any of this until he was put into ICU with a collapsed lung . 2 weeks after he was admitted he was eventually allowed home ,as of many patients no visitors were allowed and he became more and more depressed. We found out it was a stent they fitted but unfortunately it moved and became uncomfortable and not working at all .

forward to November and they removed stent but have not replaced it ,not sure if when they removed it they have done some damage as he became increasingly out of breath .Boxing Day he was admitted and had over a lire of fluid removed from around his lungs . He stayed in 6 days but didn't feel much better ,so called 111 again and was again admitted this time caught COVID.

he's home now but still nothing has been resolved ,he struggles with his breath ,is very tearful and stays in his bedroom most of the time .

not sure how to help him ,I've just bought a gadget to help remove excess phlegm which is what's causing him the greatest anguish as he feels he's drowning and keep coughing to bring it up .

has anyone used this kind of gadget? I've yet to show it to him but I know it will be met with a negative response .

sorry if I've gabbled on ,I'm very tearful as I can't help him ,also my husbands got incurable prostate cancer so double lots of tears .

Debby