Excessive Mucus with Esophageal Cancer

Oh, I totally understand what you’re saying. My husband is stage four adenocarcinoma. He was first diagnosed with Barrett’s syndrome, and it just seemed to get worse and worse, and then he just couldn’t eat or swallow but the mucus is always there. Every bite or drink he swallowed brought up mucus. He is now on his third stent, which is to help him be able to swallow, and it has also helped with the mucus, however each time there’s an issue with the stent, relocates or falls down into the stomach, always right back at the mucus stage again. And when he had his last stent put in, we also had a feeding tube put in that goes into the stomach and into the intestine so that even when he doesn’t feel like eating due to the chemo regimen, he is still getting nutrition. The mucus part is really tough. It robbed him of his ability of enjoying food and having friends or family around during meal times. I’m so sorry you’re having to go through this. If you do find a solution I’d love to know about it.

Hello everyone,
Thank you for allowing me to join. I hope I can add value to the members of this group. May I ask, has anyone experienced inconsistent swallowing? My brother can swallow only in the evenings. The Oncologist can't explain the inconsistency, and we can't find a pattern. I have provided more details below and hope it helps. My brother was diagnosed with stage 3 adenoma-carcinoma esophageal cancer in November 2022. He is being treated with chemo and immunotherapy. He is not yet a candidate for surgery or radiation because of the size of the tumor, which consumes the entire esophagus to the stomach. He will be getting a feeding tube this week too. Thank you for reading my post. God bless.

Hi, how are you doing. I see this post is older. I have been diagnosed with the same and suffer the same symptoms.

My husband was diagnosed with stage 4 esophagus cancer August 2021 he has the same problem when he eats and drinks.
The Dr. Recent had a PET scan done and said everything was going looking good, but my husband still has trouble swallowing at times plus he has right sided nagging pain under his armpit below where his chemo port.
I have looked for ways to reduce the phlegm production, don't know that I could get him to take anything else because he has so much he is doing now. 😢

Sorry to hear about the pain. I don't experience any. Just pressure when I swallow. I chew sugarless gum all the time which helps with phlegm. I also drink lots of water. Hope he is feeling better soon.

Thank you Brooklyn, I'll suggest the sugarless gum to him. Will keep you in my prayers

may i ask how old ALL of you are so I can know if I may have it. And due to concern for your well-being. I am so sorry you have stage 4.

So sorry to hear about everybody with this illness, where exactly dues he fell the mucus? And how long did he have barrets esophagus? I've been diagnosed with that barrets esophagus, I kinda feel mucus in my throat, not too bad but uncomfortable,.

May I ask what you mean by suction? I have often wished I could use a vaccum cleaner to remove the mucus.

Having eating problems with my esophageal cancer, I started drinking protein drinks to reach at least 60 grams daily. I started eating ICE cream. Some even with
a high-fat content. Drinking lots of milk. Instant coffee with fat and carbohydrates. I also drink turmeric tea and take supplements of turmeric. Things have gotten better. I have been able to eat lightly battered fish from Capt D. I can eat tacos now from Taco Bell. I just stay away from very solid foods like beef. I came to realize that the tumor in my throat was causing a gag reflex causing me to throw up and salivate. I am on the verge of chemo and radiation followed by min-invasive surgery. I hope this helps