esophagectomy

paul61 said:

Some "minor" life style changes
Bill,

I am a 62 year old male diagnosed with EC in late 2009. I was staged as T2N1M0 (Stage IIB). I had an esophagectomy in December of 2009 followed by adjuvant chemotherapy.

My quality of life after a year of recovery is similar to the quality of life I had prior to my diagnosis. The changes include:

1. I eat six small meals each day rather than three large meals
2. Sugar is no longer a part of my diet. Items with high sugar content cause my "new plumbing" to process food too quickly and results in diarrhea.
3. I had to learn to eat more slowly and chew my food more thoroughly to avoid abdominal discomfort after eating.
4. My medical routine includes a CT scan and complete medical examination by my oncologist every few months to monitor for recurrence.

I am back to enjoying life with my wife and friends. I walk about 4 miles most days for exercise and I play golf on a regular basis.

I would be less than honest if I said that recovery from surgery and chemotherapy was easy, but it was manageable, with the support of my loving wife and family.

You will find other survivors on this site that have had esophagectomies with other health issues with good outcomes. It is important to find a medical facility and surgeon who has significant experience with EC. If you can tell us a bit more about your location, type of insurance, and staging we can be more specific about our recommendations.

Best Regards,

Paul Adams
McCormick, South Carolina

DX 10/22/2009 T2N1M0 Stage IIB
12/03/2009 Ivor Lewis
2/8 through 6/14/2010 Adjuvant Chemo Cisplatin, Epirubicin, 5 FU
6/21/2010 CT Scan NED
3/14/2011 CT Scan NED

Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might as well dance!

yesterday12345 said:

my son
Hello,
My son (41) had mie surgery and recovered relatively quickly. He has now finished his first course of chemo and his white count dropped dramatically. He has received shots to stimulate growth and that is working. He is scheduled to have 6 courses of a three drug cocktail and we simply are trying to determine if that is too much. He had no chemo prior to surgery. His staging was almost identical to yours. He had 11 of 24 nodes test positive. We stongly believe that diet plays an important role in reducing the chances of recurrence but I certainly want him to have the best chance for a long life as possible. He has two young and incredible daughter ages 8 and 10. What are your thoughts as to the number of chemo treatments are necessary?

thank you for your help.