I am glad that I was able to provide you with some hope regarding you husband's on going battles with the beast. You don't need to live close to a Mayo clinic to recieve state of the art care. I am not aware of your location, but I'll bet that there are several excellent regional cancer centers near you that may be associated with regional academic medical centers or larger hospital systems. These may offer the same treatments and diagnostic workups that are offered by the Mayo Clinics. I urge you and your husband to take
ownership of his care and investigate all avaiable options in your local area. As to your husband's eating and nutitional difficulties I would strongly suggest that he have a G-tube placed rather than a stent. Stints are highly problematic. They often slip out of position and have to be removed, may cause tears in the esophagus, become overgrown with reactive fibrotic or tumor tissue and may cause continued pain and discomfort in the chest. A G-tube would allow him to avoid the pain, discomfort and complications associated with stenting. Also, you will be able to easily administer high calorie nutrition and supplements, maintain proper hydration and administer medications through the tube either by bolus injection with 60 cc syringes or feed bags connected to an external pump. I've had one in place for more than 2 years and I've been able to regain and maintain my weight (157 lbs) as well as recover a bit of muscle mass. I wish you both the best of luck in your journey with cancer.