365 days later after surgery to remove esophageal cancer at Mayo

I have been diagnosed with stage 4-4 esophageal cancer 3 weeks ago. It is still local, has not spread
I just underwent my first week of Chemo and Radiation. I'm really scared to have surgery. Don't like the thought of having a drip in my arm for awhile.
Are you cancer free or on remission?
I can handle changing my eating habits.

After 28 days of chemo and radiation, the last 2 scans have shown my esophageal cancer is gone. I did not have any surgery.

Not cancer free yet , ct scan set for December will tell where I stand with it so far all tests have been in a positive direction ,

Count your blessings

John
I hope you get good news. Let us know how it turns out and what's next.

I was diagnosed with Esophageal Cancer 3weeks ago. I had Acid reflux disease as far as I can remember. As a child m my 3 sisters and I would get up at night and meet my Dad to us the Maalox and Milk of Magnesia. My acid was coming up my throat and nose. It was a way of life. As an athlete, I would do really well until the final push, then black out due to the acid reflux. Back in the 50s, 60s and 70s it was called indigestion. I slept upright in a chair until Pepcid AC came out. That and all those other inhibiters allowed me to get more than 4 hours of sleep. Now, I under stand that those Acid Reflux pills just masked the problem and that the acid still caused damage.
I've had lesions for over 40 years. So when the doctor did a colonoscopy and an endo-scope he found lesions. I told him I've had them for a long time. Then he called me back and told me to see a Gastroenterologist. That's when the discovered he 1" tumor in my upper esophagus. I'm taking Chemo and Radiation then Surgery and Immunol therapy. My Kaiser permanente Senior advantage Medicare only covers this type of treatment. After all of the positive things I've read here, maybe I should do something else. I read yesterday that someone took strong medicine, no chemo, no radiation and no surgery and is cancer free for now.! Several have had no surgery. Surgery is very concerning, but survivable. I'm a European Dietetic Chef so diets don't scare me. In the 70s and 80s I had dietitians and nutritionist working with me in the kitchen. We mad blendorized and pureed foods for our patients. Great tasting food. We also made clear liquid diet required food that tasted great, In the States they seem to tout the liquid proteins like Ensure, and the like, and also fluids through a port in you arm. What happened to real foods? Please give me your take and support. Thanks

Aside from his j-tube, my husband drinks vanilla Boost regularly--it's one of the few things he can keep down. We all have either regular blenders, immersion blenders or food processors--and I think many of us would love to have some of your recipe ideas; I know I would.

How do I know if I need a stent or ‘J’ tube? I don’t know what that is.
Great support site. thank you. Very helpful for a new guy with EC.

Maybe search this platform for those keywords. I had asked a question about getting a stent and got some helpful replies

Good job, hope all continues to go well with you.

I'm in my second week of Chemo/radiation. Recovering from the shock of everything. My spouse is going crazy after meeting with the surgeon, all bad news. Worst case scenario, of course. That's what Docs do.

Maybe I can pray this tumor away. It has not spread, it is still local in my midlevel-esophagus wall T3-T4. I've read many successful stories here, what happened to the rest of he EC folks. Are they in a nursing home, drooling, looking out the window on a nutrition tube? Not trying to be mean, sorry. What percent actually make it through the whole procedure?

Thanks for your support

Larry Krieger