Hi,

I have exactly the same diagnosis as you. I am having a PICC line put in on 12/5/21 & my 1st. lot of chemo on 13/5/21. I have a short break planned which starts on 17/5/21 do you think I will be in a fit state to mange this. My op is pallned for August & I am then having  a further 4 lots of FLOT

As you message was over a year ago. have you had your op & how were the after effects. I hope allw entw ell & you are wel on your way to a full recovery. If you feel up to it I would appreciate any advice youa re able to offer.

Regards

Steve

Hi Steve 

im coming up to 3 years in august from my diagnosis and was given the all clear in February 2021 I too had the flot chemo 4 lots first then 9 hour surgery then another 4 lots after surgery 

They give you 4 different kinds of chemo each time the medical staff have probably already told you this but it's very strong after my second course I could start to eat pretty normally it began to shrink the cancer in my oesophagus and by the fourth I had a scan and it shrank it by half meaning I could have the surgery 

I wasn't too bad after the first course the side affects probably kicked in after my second dose so hopefully you should be ok for your short break if you're feeling well

The chemo was every two weeks my side affects were sickness tiredness diarrhoea and loss of appetite ( this lasted for the first 4 days after chemo and then by the second week I wasn't too bad )my taste went and my hair stopped growing though I never really lost my hair 

But the main thing Steve is too stay positive it's the only way mate take the chemo in your stride best as you can and you'll smash it if I can help you with anything else about my experience don't hesitate to contact me 

All the best 

Mark 

Hi,

Thanks for responding so quickly to my request. It is very much appreciated. At the moment I feel very positive & want to try & live my life exactly the same as before my diagnosis e.g play golf, have holidays etc. I will have to wait & see how I respond to the chemo & the op which I have been told can take between 10-12 hours. I was warned by the surgeon that I have to count that a year of my life will be lost. I am going to try to get this down to 6 months or so. Once again thanks for your message.

Best wishes

Steve

Hi

its great you're thinking positive it really does help you get through my approach and it might not be everyone's was just to take each step at the time it is of course difficult to sign a year of your life off however In my situation when I was diagnosed they advised me that they couldn't confirm whether it would be palliative care only so when my tumour shrank thanks to FLOT they confirmed I was then eligible for the surgery which put things into perspective for me anyway .Rest is also part of recovery and I rested for the first week after each chemo session then the second week I wasn't as bad and was at least able to pop to the pub with my family even with my picc line inalso made it to the spa with wife before my surgery.

FLOT is evasive however very effective your body will tell you what you need .

All the best and if you ever need to chat let me know .

Mark 

Hi

its great you're thinking positive it really does help you get through my approach and it might not be everyone's was just to take each step at the time it is of course difficult to sign a year of your life off however In my situation when I was diagnosed they advised me that they couldn't confirm whether it would be palliative care only so when my tumour shrank thanks to FLOT they confirmed I was then eligible for the surgery which put things into perspective for me anyway .Rest is also part of recovery and I rested for the first week after each chemo session then the second week I wasn't as bad and was at least able to pop to the pub with my family even with my picc line inalso made it to the spa with wife before my surgery.

FLOT is evasive however very effective your body will tell you what you need .

All the best and if you ever need to chat let me know .

Mark