After Removal of Stomach

nug726
nug726 Member Posts: 1
edited March 2014 in Stomach Cancer #1
Looking for some help regarding support of loved one after removal of stomach, loss of over 100 lbs, chemo & radiation therapy. My brother is 50 diagnosed in May and just completed his regiment. However, his spirits are low as he can not eat or drink at all. Doctors can not give answer as to why this is. He could eat & drink immediately after surgery and after first chemo. However after month of combined chemo & radiation, could no longer ingest anything without it getting stuck. Anyone with any suggestions or prior survivors advice, I would be extremely grateful.

Comments

  • johnhornby
    johnhornby Member Posts: 2
    #2
    hello i had agasterectomy 5years ago
  • MomN
    MomN Member Posts: 1
    #3
    My husband is now cancer-free. He was feeling very tired and found out he needed v-B12 shots...this is given monthly. Also he had iron infusion (8) they take an hour at a hospital. He feels terrific now and has much more energy. He cannot drink milk, eat ice cream or eat pastries made with sugar. Splenda (sugar substitute) is a blessing. Rick is 75 and has lost over 50lbs. His spirits didn't become low until he started feeling so tired. Evidently the body cannot manufacture iron (if that's the right way to put it) The iron infusions changed everything. Energy level, outlook and vitality.
    Rick's surgery was in April 2003. He chose not to have chemo. Good Luck MomN
  • beebopnjazz
    beebopnjazz Member Posts: 1
    #4
    Nug did you ever receive any helpful information on this? My husband is having this issue as well- but it's not always. He's still using his j-tube, deals with bouts of nausea and sometimes small amounts of food go down and sometimes the food feels "stuck". It's been 3 weeks since his 5 weeks of chemo/radiation treatment. (He previously completed 1 round of chemo 5FU and has 2 rounds coming up). He had surgery in September and they removed 1/3 of his stomach and 1/3 of his esophagus. A tumor the size of an orange was removed, no node or metastisis (sp) involved.

    His spirits are low. The doctors had him believing he'd be eating regularly after surgery and then again 7-10 days after the radiation stopped.

    I feel like a fishwife - constantly nagging him to stay hydrated. Even the j-tube use causes him to have the dry heaves. Only steroids (in the port) have eased the nausea - but that's limited to avoid diabetes onset.

    I did see some helpful information on the "spitting" problem - thanks to those who responded to that issue ;D as well as to the bile problem. Now if we can get past the nausea and the food being "stuck" issue.

    My husband is also 50 years old and has lost 100 pounds since surgery.

    Is it possible that the esophagus swells because of the radiation? Perhaps it's in relation to the bile problem.....I'll have to ask him about that - do they go together....

    I almost cried seeing this forum here. Thank you all for being here! :-)
  • mullygator
    mullygator Member Posts: 7
    #5
    MomN said:

    My husband is now cancer-free. He was feeling very tired and found out he needed v-B12 shots...this is given monthly. Also he had iron infusion (8) they take an hour at a hospital. He feels terrific now and has much more energy. He cannot drink milk, eat ice cream or eat pastries made with sugar. Splenda (sugar substitute) is a blessing. Rick is 75 and has lost over 50lbs. His spirits didn't become low until he started feeling so tired. Evidently the body cannot manufacture iron (if that's the right way to put it) The iron infusions changed everything. Energy level, outlook and vitality.
    Rick's surgery was in April 2003. He chose not to have chemo. Good Luck MomN

    My mother was diagnosed in December of
    05 and had her stomach removed this past March.
    I would love any advice you can give us. She is experience a lot of the dumping syndrome and is trying to get her diet figured out.
    Any help would be appreciated! :)
    mullygator
  • mullygator
    mullygator Member Posts: 7
    #6
    johnhornby said:

    hello i had agasterectomy 5years ago

    I would really like an opportunity to pick your brain regarding life after a gastrectomy.
    My mother had her stomach removed in March '06 and has had a lot of complications with dumping.
    We are recognizing that the diet is key to leading a "Normal" life, but the trial and error of it seems daunting.
    Can you give us any advice?
    Many thanks!
    mullygator
  • suzers
    suzers Member Posts: 1
    #7
    Have they done an endoscopy to check for closure in the esophagus? My mom recently had a complete gastrectomy and has a lot of scar tissue in her esophagus...it causes food to get stuck and she has to throw it back up. They have to perform a balloon procedure every 2 to 3 weeks to open the passageway. Might be worth investigating. Good Luck. Suzers

Discussion Boards