Esophagectomy: What is life like Afterwards?

Posted by bakerwd4 @bakerwd4, Jul 28, 2024

Hello, my dad was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in March. His tumor is very small and isolated, thankfully! He has been a champ and has finished chemo and radiation. His esophagectomy is scheduled in a couple of weeks. He and the rest of my family are starting to feel the fear and reality of this procedure. My dad's not a big talker but I know he is scared. I would love to connect with others to learn about what life has been like after this surgery so I can help support my dad. I am also hoping to get him involved with some support groups with others who have experienced the surgery. It would be so beneficial for him to connect with others who have been through what he is going through. Any insight on post-surgery recovery and life would be very appreciated!

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Esophageal Cancer Support Group.

ajax2026 | @ajax2026 | Jan 28 8:24pm

In reply to @rselicmeister "I have stage 4 which is considered inoperable and incurable. Much time was wasted in ruling..." + (show)

@rselicmeister

I have stage 4 which is considered inoperable and incurable. Much time was wasted in ruling out cardiac causes for my pain, and the swallowing difficulties did not manifest until early spring. By the time I saw my gastroenterologist i was unable to eat and sometimes unable to drink. I got my diagnosis- stage 4, spread to spine and that evening went to the ER due to extreme pain and dehydration. They admitted me and 2 Days later got a G tube so I could get nutrients. I’m 5 “ 7” My regular weight is around 135 and I bottomed out at 115 lbs about a week after being discharged. I had 10 radiation treatments ( to address the spinal pain) and while it had no effect on the pain, it caused esophagitis that was quite miserable and is only now really improving. I just finished my 3rd round of chemo
( 3 to go) which now included 2 mutation -targeting immunotherapy's drugs that might have life-saving effects.
Thus, the past few weeks have been the worst because of the esophagitis, continued severe pain, and chemo side effects. I’ve started to gain weight again albeit slowly, and am now able to slowly drink fluids. There are a few days following each chemo cycle where the side effects really wipe me out, but I’m now able to work 4 hour days a few times a week. I’m hoping each day for signs of improvement which I would judge by a decrease in pain, and a possibility of swallowing
“ cream of “ soups and then sautéed foods ( such as wet mashed potatoes with gravy) Having not eaten by mouth since late May, I am building quite a food wish-list.
I want to experience an improvement that shows real tumor shrinking ,
considering the fact that chemo and immunotherapy are all I’ve got - surgery being off the table.

I don’t expect any new pet-scans or another endoscopy until the 6th and final chemo is done.

Best of luck to those on this thread who are suffering with EC . Keep strong in faith

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@rselicmeister hang in there. you are a wonderful person

jimbon | @jimbon | Jan 28 8:33pm

In reply to @ajax2026 "@rselicmeister hang in there. you are a wonderful person" + (show)

@ajax2026 I was diagnosed nov of 2024 did chemo and radiation, immediately after and surgery April of 2025,its been 10 months post surgery a nd yes there are lots of good days...keep your head up im sending prayers your way.keep in touch.

ajax2026 | @ajax2026 | Jan 28 9:03pm

In reply to @manuelo "I had t2 tumor between stomach and esophagus removed. I am doing great. I can give..." + (show)

@manuelo hello. may i ask how old you are. my brother will have the Esophagectomy feb 3, 2026. he's 69. i'm so scared. he also has had prostate cancer since 2012 but it was being managed. when he told me he had EC He said, he'll have chemo and then surgery to take the tumor out, then another round of chem. i didnt understand how complex it was to get an EC tumor out. i thought it was like breast cancer. i had no idea it was such a high risk surgery, that things were going to be rerouted and how significantly it can change your life. i'm glad i found this site. thank you for sharing you're doing well (and may you always 💞) it was a great comfort to read it

leadingham1 | @leadingham1 | Feb 6 5:36pm

Good evening, my dad at the age of 73 was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in November 2025. He has done a chemo treatment called FLOT 4 rounds. And then surgery which will be removal of bottom part of esophagus and the stomach.
He is doing well and will to a PET scan soon. But he is not sure he wants to do the surgery, due to all the risk and he thinks quality of life will be bad. Any suggestions. He wasn’t offered radiation. It is stage 2, did not spread to other parts of body and did not go thru walls of stomach or esophagus.
Please advise thank you

colecarp | @colecarp | Feb 6 6:59pm

The Ivor Lewis surgery is quite complex. Just like most of us I had radiation and chemo treatments prior to the surgery. Had mine done in Tampa/Moffitt with Dr. Fontaine and his team January 28th 2025. Clear margins after surgery. So it’s been a year since surgery and eating will be forever different. I lost 60 pounds, maintaining at 180lbs for now, finally some energy back, eating smaller meals but hard to get used to it because I’m a tall big guy that loved to eat. Great team at Moffitt 5 star accommodations. My digestive system still acts up with diarrhea controlled somewhat. Most times when eating I have a stomach ache most likely from over eating. Good luck.

cromme50 | @cromme50 | Feb 6 7:00pm

Answer to leadingham1
This is a difficult question to answer as we are not doctors and do not know the details about your dad.
Read, read, research then research some more. As a stage 2, reading this study might be of interest -
the SANO study conducted in the Netherlands.
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanonc/article/PIIS1470-2045(25)00027-0/abstract
Some more reading:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34191461/
I don't know that chemo alone suffices. Chemo AND radiation might be enough to avoid surgery.

ollusam | @ollusam | Feb 7 6:42am

In reply to @leadingham1 "Good evening, my dad at the age of 73 was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in November..." + (show)

@leadingham1 my husband was diagnosed with (GE juncture)esophageal cancer in 2024 at the age of 75. He had 4 rounds of FLoT followed by Ivor Lewis minimally invasive eaophagectomy then did 3 more rounds of FLOT post op. He was initially diagnosed with stage 2 but after the surgery pathology showed stage 1B.
It was a rough year with chemo and surgery.he had a small anastomosis leak while in the hospital and needed a pigtail chest drainage. I am an RN so I was able to take care of him post op. It was 24 hour round the clock with tube feedings. Crushing meds and insulin coverage but today he is eating just about everything. He has lost weight but maintaining it. He is out shoveling snow and going to the ymca. Just had a follow up CT and no signs of cancer. He dodged a bullet but followed advise and is now cancer free and doing great.
I hope your dad has the same outcome. We struggled with the idea of surgery but am glad he did it. We just said we have a rough year ahead but a year from now it will be just a bad memory and that’s how it worked out

lionsfan | @lionsfan | Feb 8 10:21am

In reply to @leadingham1 "Good evening, my dad at the age of 73 was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in November..." + (show)

@leadingham1
Did your surgeon perform an endoscopy to determine if the tumor could be removed via an endoscopic procedure? Mayo Clinic did one for, but unfortunately my tumor was Stage 3 so I had the Ivor-Lewis esophogectomy.

leadingham1 | @leadingham1 | Feb 10 5:51am

In reply to @lionsfan "@leadingham1 Did your surgeon perform an endoscopy to determine if the tumor could be removed via..." + (show)

@lionsfan they will be removing part of the lower esophagus and his stomach. The will stretch and connect so food can flow. It’s I believe gastric bypass surgery. Stage 2, but the risk are high of complications. My dad doesn’t want to do it. Now we are sure what to do?

leadingham1 | @leadingham1 | Feb 10 5:53am

In reply to @ollusam "@leadingham1 my husband was diagnosed with (GE juncture)esophageal cancer in 2024 at the age of 75...." + (show)

@ollusam thank you, this is encouraging. Did they remove his stomach? I guess surgeon never gave a name if the procedure?

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