Radiation, not a candidate for surgery: What to expect?

I'm 78 and have just been declared free of esophageal cancer after 28 days of radiation and chemo following discovery of cancerous tumor in lower esophagus preventing me from swallowing except sips of water. The side affects during treatment include being tired, caughing up flem, nausea, and diahrera. I had a feeding tube installed for several months while I could not eat to get nurishment. The really good news is that the turmor started shrinking right away with treatment, and now the cancer is gone.
Don

Hi @grandmacranky, I updated the title of your discussion to bring more people into the discussion along with @dsh33782, who did not have surgery for esophageal cancer.

I'm tagging several members like @sjw6358 @lori57216 @naomicanada @pondgirl @pj03 to also share their experiences to help you to prepare and help take the surprises out of the unexpected.

Grandmacranky, are your dad's main caregiver? Has he started radiation already?

Don Higgins,
I'm so very very happy for you that the radiation got rid of the tumor without chemo or surgery!!!! Such hope for so many to read that. Although we all know that we are all different. Yours is one hell of a success story~~

@grandmacranky:
I had daily radiation & weekly chemo. No nasty side effects from chemo at all!!! Not one single incident of nausea even. Radiation was almost the same except toward the end of tx(treatment) I did get a nasty 2nd degree burn with a good sized blister but that didn't stop me from pushing thru and completing. I'm cancer free now (yes I did have surgery to remove my esophagus. All is fairly well!!!!!
Prayerfully,
Lori (living the dream) 😉

Radiation can give him sensation of burns - my mom used a solution called magic wash mouth it helped a lot.
She had chemo same time than radiation so she had nausea (zofran helped) and tired after for 3-4 days (very) - she didn’t move a lot but she should have to prevent blood cloth.
She lost her hair but after all the 5 radiochemo.
It’s hard on the mind to - she felt despressed
It didn’t removed the tumor but Shrinked it .

Lori
That's great. I did have chemo as well as radiation for esophageal cancer but no surgery, and now the tumor is gone. The treatment did have some side affects including being tired, caughing up flem, diaherra, and no appetite requiring feeding tube for a while.
Don

Good Morning

I am 85 years young, and was diagnosed with esophageal cancer stage 3+ this past February. I went through 3 weeks of Chemo, (of the scheduled 5 weeks) and daily radiation for 5 weeks, in addition to 2 hours per day, 7 days a week, Hydrogen inhalation. The tumor was so massive and restrictive that I could not even swallow water. I was on tube feeding only for 7 months. I am happy to report that today I have been diagnosed as Cancer Free. I have been able to consume almost all food and liquid since late August, however the radiation has left some scar tissue that is a tiny bit obstructive at the base of my esophagus. The only effect this is having is that I have to take smaller bites and eat a bit slower. This is actually a good thing because I had gulped my food all of my life prior to my diagnosis.

I have continued my Daily Hydrogen Inhalation treatments and been told after my latest CT & PET scan that there has been even more shrinkage in the small mass (scar tissue) at the base of my esophagus. The Hydrogen has provided relief in so many other areas of my body, especially total relief of my arthritis pain, as well as greatly improved vision. I have not had a cold, flu, or any virus since commencing the Hydrogen Therapy. I also infuse my drinking water with Hydrogen, which of course is absorbed into my bloodstream. I have my own machine that produces a mixture of 2 parts Hydrogen and 1 part Oxygen at the rate of 1.3 liters per minute.

I firmly believe that the combination of Radiation and Hydrogen are what has led to my recovery. My Chemo treatments were cut short due to a severe drop in my platelet count, so I can not attribute Chemo as having had much if any effect. Unfortunately, my ability to eat solid food again has led to a 15 pound weight gain that I really did not need. I had lost 70+ pounds during my treatments and tube feeding, bringing me down to my ideal weight. But since the beginning of September the food has tasted Soooooooo good.

God Bless
Darol Mason

Hi!! that's wonderful news.
Hydrogen Therapy was given by your doctor or an holistic center?
Is the machine for the water infuse or for the treatment?
Can you send a link for machine.
Thank you so much for sharing your experience.

Helaine

Thank you for everything. My dad is currently doing radiation and is scheduled for a PET scan soon. It doesn't seem to be helping at this ti.e but we will see at the scan. Again thank you, I'm just not fond of surprises and like to be totally informed of others experiences!

I would be more than happy to supply you with all of the information you requested plus more. Please contact me and I will be able to supply some photos too. I am not sure how to do that on this forum.

Hello.
I appreciate. Thank you!!