I had an esophagectomy April 17, 2023. The first 3 weeks of recovery (two in the hospital) were pretty brutal and my surgeon was extremely cautious with diet for that period. The key for me was to absolutely start moving after surgery and take advantage of walking whenever the therapists offered regardless of my energy. I am now able to eat (swallow) just about anything although some foods occasionally trigger a blood sugar imbalance. I'm 6 feet tall and weighed about 210 at surgery (down from 239 when I developed my first severe swallowing difficulties.) My weight post surgery seems to be holding around 185. Yesterday I had lunch at a Mexican restaurant including two margaritas. I was a huge craft beer fan prior to surgery but carbonation is now a little problematic and I just nurse short pours. The most annoying thing post surgery besides some lingering nerve pain is constantly burbing after eating or drinking and sleeping with my head elevated. Make sure your doctor explains clearly that this is a high risk surgery but also that there is a life, slightly adjusted, on the other side of it.

You call me... I'll take you thru it all. I had my surgery at age 61 almost exactly 3 years ago (july 29, 2020).

Second thoughts are absolutely normal. I would talk to the pair of surgeons that do that operation and tell them to be totally honest with you with regards of what you are facing.
I talked to two different sets of surgeons and and they were impressed by my research and 3
of the 4 felt I was making the right decision. Ask a lot of questions and meet with as many professionals as you can; e.g. chemotherapy oncologists and radiation oncologists as well as surgeons. You didn't say what stage you were at and that can have a bearing on how they will advise you. I wish you all the very best and hope you can come to a decision that "you feel" is
right for you.
Chip(from Knoxville)

I have been performing esophagectomy for 20 years now, and many of our patients are able to return to work. Give yourself the time you need to recover and make sure you monitor symptoms and follow the recommendations. You will eat 6 times a day instead of 3 times, but if you split each meal up in half, this becomes manageable. Protein shakes are a great way to stay hydrated and nourished. There are many ways you can set yourself up to do well, and we have a lot of resources for you.

TO RAVYN: good luck today, i hope your surgery goes well

@ravyn, I'm checking in with you. How are you doing?

I just wrote a long post but it didn’t go thru - mainly, I would strongly recommend applying for Paid Family Medical Leave if it’s available in your state. It helps provide some job protections & reasonable accommodations at work. My coworkers & supervisor have been fantastic, but it’s good to have legal protections in place also.