Problems with esophageal stent

jckwilliams

My husband was diagnosed with stage IV esophageal cancer almost 1 year ago.  It's been quite a struggle but he's incredibly strong (mentally & physically) so he's working hard to fight through the various treatments he's tried.  He recently had a stent insterted into the esophagus (his tumor is in lower esophag...upper stomach) to provide some relief for food to pass.  After the procedure, he was dry heaving for hours but the GI team said that could be a normal reaction to the anesthesia but to call in the morning if it didn't stop.  Well...it hasn't stopped and he's back in the hospital.  He's nauseas, dry heaving, and when he sits up tall he becomes more nauseaus and has problems with balance.  Doctors seemed to be baffled by it and want to remove the stent...but my husband doesn't want to because he really wants this to work.  Anyone here have similar problems with a stent?  Could the body reject it?  

I totally trust the GI team...but I sometimes find real life experience to be more reliable. 

Thanks!

Joann 

Deathorglory

Hello Joann

Hello Joann,

I haven't had a stent put in, myself.  I have been on this site for years and have seen many, many stories that are like yours.  I've actually seen so many that I'd be very wary of having one placed.  Unfortunately, your story is far too common.  I don't know what specifically leads to the problems, but there sure seems to be a lot of difficulties with them.  Hopefully, someone with some personal knowledge (or just greater knowledge) is able to reply and help you more than I can.

Best wishes,

Ed

LorettaMarshall

Joann~A "J" tube provides btr nutrition than stent insertion!

Dear Joann:

You have touched on a subject that is not written about as much as other topics.  For that reason, I have chosen to answer you via separate topic forum.  So please see this link for my answer.  https://csn.cancer.org/node/314767

My answer is from my own personal experience in having conversations here on this link in years past with patients and caregivers who expressed dissatisfaction with their Esophageal stent.  I can only remember no more than 2 who said they had no problems.  I remember others who definitely had problems—some had very bad experiences and wished they had never had one.  If I were you I would be listening to your husband’s physician who now wants to remove the stent.  After all, he has had a lot more experience with implanting and removing stents.  As I’ve stated in the longer article, depending on the type of stent that was implanted, sometimes the tumor became embedded with the mesh stent itself and removal was impossible.  And for another gentleman, the food he was able to swallow did not pass through into the small intestine as it should have.  Instead it just “pooled” in the bottom of his stomach.  He was in excruciating pain.  But please read the separate link where I’ve posted references that I hope will be helpful. 

It’s most likely that your husband is willing to endure pain in order to be able to eat something—but there are better choices for someone needing nutrition on a long-term basis, which is the case for your husband.  We know personally the pain that Stage IV cancer patients endure, and I’m sorry that your husband has been diagnosed with this cancer.  In reality, it makes you “sick” as well, of that I am certain.  Your heart breaks for him.  I hope that the doctor will insert a “J” tube in the second section of your husband’s small intestine.  That way the food goes directly into the place where it is distributed to all the vital organs, and it bypasses the stomach altogether, thus eliminating the need for a stent in the diseased Esophagus.

Hope this gives you two another avenue to explore. 

Love Loretta (William’s wife)

He was diagnosed @ age 65 with EC Stage III in November of 2002, had (neo adjuvant) pre-op chemo/radiation then an Ivor Lewis Minimally Invasive Esophagectomy in 2003 by Dr. James D. Luketich at the University of Pittsburgh Med. Ctr.  Thank God William is still cancer free as of this date, February 1, 2018.

staceycorry

Stents are difficult

There are many different stents from what I am told.  Maybe they just need to insert another kind? I would ask the doctor. 

My father had a stent put in while waiting to start treatment at MD Anderson. It was a partially covered one, which is terrible.  The doctor said this cancer has such a low survival rate that he chose that one.  Not happy at all because removal will be difficult and dangerous.  He did not have those sever symptoms like your husband, but it was a been a bad experience for us.  He has constant reflux and the area cannot be biopsied due to the stent.  He also has continual abdominal pain and there is a bad taste in his mouth which makes him not want to eat.  We are finally getting it removed next Friday.  Praying the procedure will go well.  He will definitely have a better quality of life if successful. 

With this said, if there is no stent, then alternative is feeding tube from what I understand.  This is a hard choice for sure.