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Anyone have an Esophagectomy for GIST? How long in ICU?
I was recently diagnosed with a GI stromal tumor (GIST) of the esophagus. It is cancerous but not esophageal cancer, per se. I was wondering if any in this group have had an esophagectomy due to a GIST and what other treatments you received besides surgery.
For those that did have an esophagectomy how long where you in the ICU? In the hospital? Did you have a chest tube post op? Did you have a naso-gatric tube (to help with stomach emptying or nutrition)? How long before you were able to eat solid (soft) foods? How long before you felt you could travel? Thank you!
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Yes I have seen a couple of esophagectomy surgeries for those who don't actually have EC. But the reasons vary... and the bottom line... your esophagus will no longer serve you well, long term, and needs to be replaced (usually by the stomach). Sometimes little kids get esophagectomies because they were born with congenital issues... and theirs simply aren't working properly. I saw one a little ago performed on a 4 year old.
Gary
Hello from Tasmania, I had an Ivor Lewis esophagectomy 14 months ago. 3 days in ICU followed by 8 days on a surgical ward. Nasogastric tube feeding would be essential I would think for several reasons - you would be unable (and unwilling) to swallow food for a week or so, trying to do so would very likely result in vomiting, vomiting would jeopardise the anastomosis, cause infections / leakage / unwanted weight loss. Eating solids well enough to maintain body weight or there abouts is required before you can be discharged. As everyone keeps emphasising, it’s very invasive and disabling surgery meaning you will need lots of practical support for the first month or more. Life then returns to a (new) normal over the next year or so. I’ve been pretty lucky in having a pretty good quality of life post surgery. From reading about other people’s experiences on this site, not everyone has such a good outcome. Being reasonably fit and a healthy weight may be critical. I can see this was posted in May - you may have had the surgery by now. Wishing you all the best. Geoff