Esophageal surgery

cclambert
cclambert Member Posts: 30
edited March 2014 in Esophageal Cancer #1
I was diagnosed on Oct 6, 2009. I am having surgery at MD Anderson on Dec. 21st. They are going to take 2/3 of the esophagus and 1/3 of the stomach and then use what is left of the stomach for a new esophagus. I am very concerned about what happens after the surgery. How is this going to change my life? I am lucky that it is in early stage and has not spread anywhere. Radiation and Chemo were not offered as a choice. I did have a endoscopy mucosal resection, but the cancer was in the sub muscosal and so surgery was recommended.

Could someone share with me their experiences as far as eating, vomiting, dumping. I am having a real hard time with this at this point.

Thanks
Cathy

Comments

  • Betty in Vegas
    Betty in Vegas Member Posts: 290 Member
    #2
    Oh what a blessing to catch it that early!
    Who is your surgeon? We had Swisher, though Hofstetter looked in on us, and a friend is having hers done by Rice.

    I have a LOT of info on the surgery for you...I can tell you even about the rooms and the nurses. If you are interested, of course. I'll send you my email via the mail center here on the board.

    I have to say that it hasn't really CHANGED Layne's life immensely. He was back at work today for 5 hours, and I am sure he'll be back full time very quickly. And he is only one month out of surgery (at MD Anderson.)

    I'll send you the info so you can contact me.

    Betty
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    #3
    This comment has been removed by the Moderator
  • cclambert
    cclambert Member Posts: 30
    #4
    Betty in Vegas said:

    Oh what a blessing to catch it that early!
    Who is your surgeon? We had Swisher, though Hofstetter looked in on us, and a friend is having hers done by Rice.

    I have a LOT of info on the surgery for you...I can tell you even about the rooms and the nurses. If you are interested, of course. I'll send you my email via the mail center here on the board.

    I have to say that it hasn't really CHANGED Layne's life immensely. He was back at work today for 5 hours, and I am sure he'll be back full time very quickly. And he is only one month out of surgery (at MD Anderson.)

    I'll send you the info so you can contact me.

    Betty

    Please send me everything you know
    My surgeon is Dr. Rice. Hofstetter did a Endoscopy Muscosal Resection a few weeks ago. It was just a little too deep for that. I am so excited to see someone on here that has been to MD Anderson with the same problems.

    It sounds like Layne is doing great. That is so encouraging. I don't know how to find e-mails addresses on this board yet, but will work on it.

    Thanks

    Cathy
  • cclambert
    cclambert Member Posts: 30
    #5
    unknown said:

    This comment has been removed by the Moderator

    I am so glad I found this board
    Thanks William for your advice and concern. I am glad I found this board. I know now that I will be able to have encouragement from people that have "been there, done that". I will keep everyone posted as much as I can.

    I appreciate the prayers, and have been put on prayer lists by several people, some I don't even know. It is amazing how good people are in your time of need. I will be forever grateful.

    Cathy
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    #6
    cclambert said:

    Please send me everything you know
    My surgeon is Dr. Rice. Hofstetter did a Endoscopy Muscosal Resection a few weeks ago. It was just a little too deep for that. I am so excited to see someone on here that has been to MD Anderson with the same problems.

    It sounds like Layne is doing great. That is so encouraging. I don't know how to find e-mails addresses on this board yet, but will work on it.

    Thanks

    Cathy

    This comment has been removed by the Moderator
  • admtjr
    admtjr Member Posts: 1
    #7
    cclambert said:

    I am so glad I found this board
    Thanks William for your advice and concern. I am glad I found this board. I know now that I will be able to have encouragement from people that have "been there, done that". I will keep everyone posted as much as I can.

    I appreciate the prayers, and have been put on prayer lists by several people, some I don't even know. It is amazing how good people are in your time of need. I will be forever grateful.

    Cathy

    Cathy God's Angel
    Cathy are prayers and best wishes for health and happiness are with you this season. Worry not young lady (I refer to all women as young ladies)you are and will always be in good hands.
    Now can anyone or can you cathy tell me one thing?
    If a person when going to sleep at night. Has an acrid taste in their throat when swallowing is this an early sign of esophecus cancer? Sorry for the spelling nervous.
    Or does anyone or has anyone suffered from this same type of problem?
  • cclambert
    cclambert Member Posts: 30
    #8
    admtjr said:

    Cathy God's Angel
    Cathy are prayers and best wishes for health and happiness are with you this season. Worry not young lady (I refer to all women as young ladies)you are and will always be in good hands.
    Now can anyone or can you cathy tell me one thing?
    If a person when going to sleep at night. Has an acrid taste in their throat when swallowing is this an early sign of esophecus cancer? Sorry for the spelling nervous.
    Or does anyone or has anyone suffered from this same type of problem?

    Acid reflux
    No, I don't think that it is a sign of esophageal cancer. Acid reflux can lead to Barretts esophagus and that can turn into cancer. You should see a gastroenterologist and have it checked out. I had acid reflux for years before I was diagnosed. Actually they say when the reflux (heartburn) stops, then you have a problem.
  • Slickola
    Slickola Member Posts: 1
    #9
    unknown said:

    This comment has been removed by the Moderator

    esophageal cancer
    My husband is about to have surgery next week . They are going to remove his esophagus and the top half of his stomach . We were wanting to know if your surgery was about the same or was yours less drastic . We have no insurance and are stuck with having it done in the VA . The first DR. wanted to cut him at the chest and from his spine , around to the front , the surgery would take 8 hours . We changed hospitals and this DR. does it differently , only cutting the chest and neck . The surgery will take 2 to 3 hours. With it being the VA it sometimes is not the newest or best way to do things . Was your surgery done this way ,and can you eat like befor or are you on a diet the rest of your life. Any info you can give us would help .
  • Betty in Vegas
    Betty in Vegas Member Posts: 290 Member
    #10
    Slickola said:

    esophageal cancer
    My husband is about to have surgery next week . They are going to remove his esophagus and the top half of his stomach . We were wanting to know if your surgery was about the same or was yours less drastic . We have no insurance and are stuck with having it done in the VA . The first DR. wanted to cut him at the chest and from his spine , around to the front , the surgery would take 8 hours . We changed hospitals and this DR. does it differently , only cutting the chest and neck . The surgery will take 2 to 3 hours. With it being the VA it sometimes is not the newest or best way to do things . Was your surgery done this way ,and can you eat like befor or are you on a diet the rest of your life. Any info you can give us would help .

    Every surgeon does it differently,
    and each case is different. Sounds like the second surgeon wants to do a THE, but I could be wrong. My husband had an Ivor Lewis, with a chevron across the stomach (looks like a rainbow from side to side) and one on the neck.

    Honestly, the cuts are not bad at all. We were happy to get the IL in the end because our doc could take out the other organs and look for cancer in them...not foolproof, but we want every little bit of info we can get.

    Layne's surgery took 6 hours. Shorter is not necessarily better. Layne was out of the hospital in 8 days, would have been seven if he not been allergic to the pain meds. Sigh.

    Layne's diet is a bit different, he eats more often, less amount, and he can't do milk really.

    I have heard several folks who had their surgeries done at the VA...and did well.
  • jzdurrani
    jzdurrani Member Posts: 3
    #11
    cclambert said:

    Please send me everything you know
    My surgeon is Dr. Rice. Hofstetter did a Endoscopy Muscosal Resection a few weeks ago. It was just a little too deep for that. I am so excited to see someone on here that has been to MD Anderson with the same problems.

    It sounds like Layne is doing great. That is so encouraging. I don't know how to find e-mails addresses on this board yet, but will work on it.

    Thanks

    Cathy

    Help
    Hi,

    My name is Jehanzeb and I am 65 years old.I live in northern Virginia. During a routine endoscopy the GI found a 3 cm mass in my esophagus under the chest bone. All fine needle biopsies, ultrasound and CT scan showed a benign mass but I was asked to repeat after 6 months. 6 month later I was told that it is grown in size to 3.5 cm. The CT scan showed it the same size and PET scan showed that it had not spread to lymph nodes etc, again all biopsies showed a Benign mass. My GI has done 11 needle passes to get the biopsy but still says that it is a hard mass and its very difficult to get some mass for biopsy. I think that 4 needle passes in the first endoscopy made it worse and increase in size.

    He has asked me to consult a surgeon, what should I do? who is the best to go to? Is 3.5 cm really big to operate or should I wait?
    How complicated is the surgery? Can I talk to some one on God's earth who can help?

    I will appreciate if I get some good doctor refernces.

    Best Regards
  • jzdurrani
    jzdurrani Member Posts: 3
    #12
    Betty in Vegas said:

    Oh what a blessing to catch it that early!
    Who is your surgeon? We had Swisher, though Hofstetter looked in on us, and a friend is having hers done by Rice.

    I have a LOT of info on the surgery for you...I can tell you even about the rooms and the nurses. If you are interested, of course. I'll send you my email via the mail center here on the board.

    I have to say that it hasn't really CHANGED Layne's life immensely. He was back at work today for 5 hours, and I am sure he'll be back full time very quickly. And he is only one month out of surgery (at MD Anderson.)

    I'll send you the info so you can contact me.

    Betty

    help
    Hi,

    My name is Jehanzeb and I am 65 years old.I live in northern Virginia. During a routine endoscopy the GI found a 3 cm mass in my esophagus under the chest bone. All fine needle biopsies, ultrasound and CT scan showed a benign mass but I was asked to repeat after 6 months. 6 month later I was told that it is grown in size to 3.5 cm. The CT scan showed it the same size and PET scan showed that it had not spread to lymph nodes etc, again all biopsies showed a Benign mass. My GI has done 11 needle passes to get the biopsy but still says that it is a hard mass and its very difficult to get some mass for biopsy. I think that 4 needle passes in the first endoscopy made it worse and increase in size.

    He has asked me to consult a surgeon, what should I do? who is the best to go to? Is 3.5 cm really big to operate or should I wait?
    How complicated is the surgery? Can I talk to some one on God's earth who can help?

    I will appreciate if I get some good doctor refernces.

    Best Regards
  • jzdurrani
    jzdurrani Member Posts: 3
    #13
    help
    Hi,

    My name is Jehanzeb and I am 65 years old.I live in northern Virginia. During a routine endoscopy the GI found a 3 cm mass in my esophagus under the chest bone. All fine needle biopsies, ultrasound and CT scan showed a benign mass but I was asked to repeat after 6 months. 6 month later I was told that it is grown in size to 3.5 cm. The CT scan showed it the same size and PET scan showed that it had not spread to lymph nodes etc, again all biopsies showed a Benign mass. My GI has done 11 needle passes to get the biopsy but still says that it is a hard mass and its very difficult to get some mass for biopsy. I think that 4 needle passes in the first endoscopy made it worse and increase in size.

    He has asked me to consult a surgeon, what should I do? who is the best to go to? Is 3.5 cm really big to operate or should I wait?
    How complicated is the surgery? Can I talk to some one on God's earth who can help?

    I will appreciate if I get some good doctor refernces.

    Best Regards
  • BMGky
    BMGky Member Posts: 621
    #14
    jzdurrani said:

    help
    Hi,

    My name is Jehanzeb and I am 65 years old.I live in northern Virginia. During a routine endoscopy the GI found a 3 cm mass in my esophagus under the chest bone. All fine needle biopsies, ultrasound and CT scan showed a benign mass but I was asked to repeat after 6 months. 6 month later I was told that it is grown in size to 3.5 cm. The CT scan showed it the same size and PET scan showed that it had not spread to lymph nodes etc, again all biopsies showed a Benign mass. My GI has done 11 needle passes to get the biopsy but still says that it is a hard mass and its very difficult to get some mass for biopsy. I think that 4 needle passes in the first endoscopy made it worse and increase in size.

    He has asked me to consult a surgeon, what should I do? who is the best to go to? Is 3.5 cm really big to operate or should I wait?
    How complicated is the surgery? Can I talk to some one on God's earth who can help?

    I will appreciate if I get some good doctor refernces.

    Best Regards

    I was scanning through this discussion and found your new post for today. Since many people who belong to this site may think it a comment on the original question, your concern might be missed. Just go to the discussion home page for esophageal cancer and click on new discussion, type in a subject and re-ask or copy and paste your question. There are many people on this site who have great knowledge and are very helpful. Your question is unusual, and with my husband's experience with EC, I am very cautious about any growth in the esophagus. I would think you would want a surgeon who operates regularly on the esophagus. The depth and the size of the tumor will determine how invasive the surgery would be. You may even be eligible for an minimally invasive procedure, but I would want information from physicians familiar with esophageal cancer and benign tumors. Sorry I can't be more helpful. Keep us posted.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    #15
    jzdurrani said:

    Help
    Hi,

    My name is Jehanzeb and I am 65 years old.I live in northern Virginia. During a routine endoscopy the GI found a 3 cm mass in my esophagus under the chest bone. All fine needle biopsies, ultrasound and CT scan showed a benign mass but I was asked to repeat after 6 months. 6 month later I was told that it is grown in size to 3.5 cm. The CT scan showed it the same size and PET scan showed that it had not spread to lymph nodes etc, again all biopsies showed a Benign mass. My GI has done 11 needle passes to get the biopsy but still says that it is a hard mass and its very difficult to get some mass for biopsy. I think that 4 needle passes in the first endoscopy made it worse and increase in size.

    He has asked me to consult a surgeon, what should I do? who is the best to go to? Is 3.5 cm really big to operate or should I wait?
    How complicated is the surgery? Can I talk to some one on God's earth who can help?

    I will appreciate if I get some good doctor refernces.

    Best Regards

    This comment has been removed by the Moderator
  • barby1954
    barby1954 Member Posts: 14
    #16
    unknown said:

    This comment has been removed by the Moderator

    William, I would like some advise
    Hello William.
    You are truly a good person. I have read alot of your notes to other people and wish I could have talked to you sooner. If you see this please write to me. You seemed to have alot to offer people who have or are going through a very hard time.
    Bless you,
    Barbara
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    #17
    barby1954 said:

    William, I would like some advise
    Hello William.
    You are truly a good person. I have read alot of your notes to other people and wish I could have talked to you sooner. If you see this please write to me. You seemed to have alot to offer people who have or are going through a very hard time.
    Bless you,
    Barbara

    This comment has been removed by the Moderator

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