Post-Surgery

glowy44

Hello, All!  My dad had an esophagectomy almost four weeks ago and has done really well.  He is currently having some difficulties with recovery, though, and I thought I'd check in with you all to see if you have any suggestions:

*The coughing - which I know seems to be very common with many of you who have experienced this - is at times really uncomfortable and constant.  He had a Home Care Nurse come by to check on him today and I asked if he might be able to take even a homeopathic dry/productive cough suppressant (it's called Chestal); we're waiting to hear back from his doctor to see if it's okay.  Is there anything else we might try to help with this?

*He has no appetite.  Again, I see that this is common, so we just ride this out?  He still has a j-tube, so that's a relief.

*Maybe most problematic right now is the fact that he sleeps very, very rarely, which means that he's had very little sleep in almost a month.  He's able to sleep for an hour here and there, but nothing more significant than that and I'm afraid that this is really taking a toll on him, physically and mentally/emotionally.  Any ideas or experiences that you could share with us?

As always, I appreciate you all so much and I'm sending my very best wishes to everyone.  This is a tough road and I'm grateful to have your support and will do my best to always reciprocate if/when needed.

 

paul61

It does take time

During the first month after my Ivor Lewis esophagectomy I had an ongoing cough. It kept me from sleeping for any extended period of time. My doctor suggested an over the counter cough medication that at least helped me get better sleep. My cough lasted about three months before it went away completely.

I also had no appetite after my surgery and getting nutrition through my feeding tube just made me less interested in food. I really had to view food as “medicine” and something I had to force myself to eat so I could be less dependent on my feeding tube. To this day, almost 5 years after surgery, I still seldom get “hungry”. I have learned that I need to eat about 7 times a day and I just eat at certain times even if I am not hungry.

Also in the first month I did sleep a lot, but not for any extended period of time. I would sleep about 4 or 5 hours in bed but I would dose off many times for an hour or so in my recliner during the day.

Your Dad’s body has been through a tremendous amount of stress and it will take him some period of time to recover. Most esophagectomy patients will tell you it took them about six months to recover to the point where they could resume their normal functions and almost a year before they felt “normal” again.

It does take time, but it does get better.

Best Regards,

Paul Adams

McCormick, South Carolina

DX 10/2009 T2N1M0  Stage IIB - Ivor Lewis Surgery  12/3/2009 - Post Surgery Chemotherapy 2/2009 – 6/2009

 

Cisplatin, Epirubicin, 5 FU - Four Year Survivor

glowy44

paul61 said:

It does take time

During the first month after my Ivor Lewis esophagectomy I had an ongoing cough. It kept me from sleeping for any extended period of time. My doctor suggested an over the counter cough medication that at least helped me get better sleep. My cough lasted about three months before it went away completely.

I also had no appetite after my surgery and getting nutrition through my feeding tube just made me less interested in food. I really had to view food as “medicine” and something I had to force myself to eat so I could be less dependent on my feeding tube. To this day, almost 5 years after surgery, I still seldom get “hungry”. I have learned that I need to eat about 7 times a day and I just eat at certain times even if I am not hungry.

Also in the first month I did sleep a lot, but not for any extended period of time. I would sleep about 4 or 5 hours in bed but I would dose off many times for an hour or so in my recliner during the day.

Your Dad’s body has been through a tremendous amount of stress and it will take him some period of time to recover. Most esophagectomy patients will tell you it took them about six months to recover to the point where they could resume their normal functions and almost a year before they felt “normal” again.

It does take time, but it does get better.

Best Regards,

Paul Adams

McCormick, South Carolina

DX 10/2009 T2N1M0  Stage IIB - Ivor Lewis Surgery  12/3/2009 - Post Surgery Chemotherapy 2/2009 – 6/2009

 

Cisplatin, Epirubicin, 5 FU - Four Year Survivor

Thanks, Paul!

I'll convey all of this to my dad.  As always, your input is so appreciated!  We're all working on patience as we go forward.