We all make the post-op journey a bit differently. First off, does tumor type and location matter... yeah... a bit. But regardless of size and shape and location... they tend to remove quite a bit of your esophagus. It isn't like they cut 2 inches off one guy, and 12 inches off another. They tend to go a safe margin above the esophaheal solid tumor to ensure clear margins. And as one surgeon explained to me... doesn't really matter, functionally, if they leave 20% of your original esophagus vs 40%... you won't know the difference. The stomach is big... has its own blood supply, is nearby, and easily stretches up enough thru the diaphragm to be connected to what's left of the esophagus. And they always cut of a top portion of the stomach... to mate up and connect to the esophagus. Other than my somewhat smaller stomach capacity... I really don't notice the difference when eating and swallowing (today).

Now... I surely can't compare my first 6 months post-op to the last 30 months. There are many unknowns when starting on the post-op journey. What food and drink will bother my tummy? What quantities? How bout spiciness... red sauces? Sweets? Meats? Temperatures? Alcohol? And how tight will my new throat be? It's all over the place folks... I know many who never need a single stretch post-op... and I know some who've had over 20 stretches. I'll add more later... for those who are interested...

Gary