← Return to Diagnosed with esophageal cancer Most scared of the Feeding Tube

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@lori57216

The PET scan will indeed narrow the location of the tumor down with the dye. If there is cancer anywhere outside of the esophagus it will show up in red. I had many tests conducted just to be certain that the tumor was contained inside the esophagus walls(not the vocal cords etc.).
They put my feeding tube (I had a J tube in the lower abdomen) while I was in surgery having my esophagus removed, not before. It was a challenge getting the proper nutrients while going thru the treatments (radiation daily & chemo 1x / week). I drank alot of healthy soups. Get a blender or a food processor to make swallowing less difficult & painful for the big chunks!!!! Get plenty of Ensure or any other kind of high protein nutritional drink!!! Doctor them up with ice cream, choc, fruit (jams & jelly's work real good!!!) malt powder, peanut butter etc. to enhance the flavor!!! Don't be afraid to be creative as long as it tastes good to your Bride!!!! The important thing is.......... make sure she gets plenty of PROTEIN & vitamins, calories. Chemo deminishes the hemogloben (red blood cells). The feeding tube was a pain in the arse to be sure but....... not a big deal really. It takes some getting used to. YOU'VE GOT THIS!!!!

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I had Stage 4 esophageal cancer w/chemo, radiation & a 10 hr. surgery. 1/3 of the esophagus was lost to cancer so had to detach my stomach & move it up near my chest to sew it into the remains of the esophagus. Was on J Tube feeding tube for 6 months & struggled with instant onset diarrhea for well over a year since my diet was soft food + liquid tube feeding. The diarrhea issue was horrible. Problem was I wasn't getting any fiber or solids for my intestines to work on. When I returned home I tried thoroughly chewing cashews & other soft nuts & the diarrhea ceased all together. Other issue w/feeding tube is it damaged the vein where the connection is. Can't use it for drawing blood. Used to be a really good vein.