Stent...can you tell me about it?

Lylesmyprince
Lylesmyprince Member Posts: 130
edited March 2014 in Esophageal Cancer #1
The doctor is recommending a stent and or feeding tube before Lyle starts his treatment. We don't know what we're doing. We are trying to learn and learn but then another doctor pops in with something to add! Ugh!! This is hard!!! (said smiling) I'm not complaining...I would just like to know some of your experiences with these two options.

Thanks,
Susie

Comments

  • unclaw2002
    unclaw2002 Member Posts: 599
    #2
    Susie,
    My dad, stage three,
    Susie,

    My dad, stage three, was barely able to swallow and was on liquid and soft foods only. His tumor is at the gastric junction.

    Prior to beginning chemo the doctor inserted a port and a stent. The stent has given my father tremendous relief - he can now eat many solid foods (no steak though)still needs to eat 6 small meals a day and a min. of 100 grams of protien a day. (My dad is about 160 lbs.).

    He said that it tooks several weeks before he started to feel improvement. If it were up to me I would try a stent first and if that doesn't work then I would opt for the feeding tube unless my medical condition required that I receive immediate nutrition that I could not receive otherwise. Let me know if you have any other questions.

    Best,
    Cindy
  • MAE66
    MAE66 Member Posts: 66
    #3
    Stent
    Paul had a stent, it worked very well. After having it in, he had no problems with eating. He never had a feeding tube. After 5 weeks of radiation the tumor has shrunk and the stent had fallen into the stomach. We found this out during an endoscopy and the stent was removed.

    Susan
  • Lylesmyprince
    Lylesmyprince Member Posts: 130
    #4
    MAE66 said:

    Stent
    Paul had a stent, it worked very well. After having it in, he had no problems with eating. He never had a feeding tube. After 5 weeks of radiation the tumor has shrunk and the stent had fallen into the stomach. We found this out during an endoscopy and the stent was removed.

    Susan

    Thanks
    Thank you for your prompt responses. It's great to have others who understand how quickly you have to make decisions about this cancer and the treatments. It sounds like a positive option...and Lyle does not want a feeding tube if he can avoid it.

    You guys are great!!

    Susie
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    #5
    This comment has been removed by the Moderator
  • emg09
    emg09 Member Posts: 228
    #6
    unknown said:

    This comment has been removed by the Moderator

    Stent
    With the experience we had with the stent, it was HORRIBLE. I know many people had success with it, but there are 2 sides everything. The minute the stent was placed, my dad suffered. He had HORRIBLE hiccups with caused so much discomfort. He was pretty miserable. The stent really was a terrible experience for him. Then it feel pretty quickly into the stomach, ended up getting lodged into the stomach and had to be removed. Sherri's husband, they wanted to do a stent, but she insisted on having his esophagus dialated and that seemed to work perfectly for them. I wish we had done this with my dad. As for the feeding tube, the G tube also has been a nightmare for my dad. It's been infected 3 times and they really haven't been able to use it. Sorry if I sounds like such a downer, things aren't going well for my dad at all. We are nearing the end of his journey, all chemo has been stopped. My parents are going the holistic/alternative route. I wish you the best of luck with all of this!!
    Erika
  • Tina Blondek
    Tina Blondek Member Posts: 1,500 Member
    #7
    emg09 said:

    Stent
    With the experience we had with the stent, it was HORRIBLE. I know many people had success with it, but there are 2 sides everything. The minute the stent was placed, my dad suffered. He had HORRIBLE hiccups with caused so much discomfort. He was pretty miserable. The stent really was a terrible experience for him. Then it feel pretty quickly into the stomach, ended up getting lodged into the stomach and had to be removed. Sherri's husband, they wanted to do a stent, but she insisted on having his esophagus dialated and that seemed to work perfectly for them. I wish we had done this with my dad. As for the feeding tube, the G tube also has been a nightmare for my dad. It's been infected 3 times and they really haven't been able to use it. Sorry if I sounds like such a downer, things aren't going well for my dad at all. We are nearing the end of his journey, all chemo has been stopped. My parents are going the holistic/alternative route. I wish you the best of luck with all of this!!
    Erika

    Yes to the Stent
    Hi Susie,
    My dad had both a dilation and then a stent done. The stent was the best thing for him. He could once again eat normal foods. I think it is alot of trial and error. What works for some, may not work for others. My dad never wanted or had the feeding tube. Hang in there, you are both doing a great job.
    Tina
  • Tina Blondek
    Tina Blondek Member Posts: 1,500 Member
    #8
    emg09 said:

    Stent
    With the experience we had with the stent, it was HORRIBLE. I know many people had success with it, but there are 2 sides everything. The minute the stent was placed, my dad suffered. He had HORRIBLE hiccups with caused so much discomfort. He was pretty miserable. The stent really was a terrible experience for him. Then it feel pretty quickly into the stomach, ended up getting lodged into the stomach and had to be removed. Sherri's husband, they wanted to do a stent, but she insisted on having his esophagus dialated and that seemed to work perfectly for them. I wish we had done this with my dad. As for the feeding tube, the G tube also has been a nightmare for my dad. It's been infected 3 times and they really haven't been able to use it. Sorry if I sounds like such a downer, things aren't going well for my dad at all. We are nearing the end of his journey, all chemo has been stopped. My parents are going the holistic/alternative route. I wish you the best of luck with all of this!!
    Erika

    Yes to the Stent
    Hi Susie,
    My dad had both a dilation and then a stent done. The stent was the best thing for him. He could once again eat normal foods. I think it is alot of trial and error. What works for some, may not work for others. My dad never wanted or had the feeding tube. Hang in there, you are both doing a great job.
    Tina
  • Donna70
    Donna70 Member Posts: 852 Member
    #9
    Tina Blondek said:

    Yes to the Stent
    Hi Susie,
    My dad had both a dilation and then a stent done. The stent was the best thing for him. He could once again eat normal foods. I think it is alot of trial and error. What works for some, may not work for others. My dad never wanted or had the feeding tube. Hang in there, you are both doing a great job.
    Tina

    stent or j tube
    Hi,
    I know the stent works for some people but when I asked the dr for one, they determined I would not be a good candidate for it so I was given a NG tube one in the nose before surgery because my weight had gone down too low for surgery to be safe, I was not able to swallow more than liquids. During surgery I had a j tube implanted and have had it for 3 months because of weight problems and also having chemo after surgery. The j tube is not that bad but if you have problems get a wound nurse to help. I have gained about 6 lbs over 3 months and for me that is good considering I have had 2 cycles of chemo too. There is less trouble with j tubes than g tubes because they are up higher. We have a member David White who has had one since 2006 and he can give any advice you may need about them. Be sure if your hubby gets one that you ask for the highest nutrition to be used like Nutrin which is about 500 calories per can. you need the nutrition and weight to get thru the surgery and be ahead of the game. After hearing what Erika's dad has gone thru with the stent, I was glad the dr told me no. take care, prayers always,
    Donna70
  • dragonflymom
    dragonflymom Member Posts: 46
    #10
    My mom got a stent before
    My mom got a stent before her chemoradiation began. It took several days but she did notice a difference in eating. She has now finished her treatment but is having a hard time keeping food down to notice if it is still working. Good luck with whatever decision you make.

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