Diagnosed with esophageal cancer Most scared of the Feeding Tube

I had Stage 4 esophageal cancer w/chemo, radiation & a 10 hr. surgery. 1/3 of the esophagus was lost to cancer so had to detach my stomach & move it up near my chest to sew it into the remains of the esophagus. Was on J Tube feeding tube for 6 months & struggled with instant onset diarrhea for well over a year since my diet was soft food + liquid tube feeding. The diarrhea issue was horrible. Problem was I wasn't getting any fiber or solids for my intestines to work on. When I returned home I tried thoroughly chewing cashews & other soft nuts & the diarrhea ceased all together. Other issue w/feeding tube is it damaged the vein where the connection is. Can't use it for drawing blood. Used to be a really good vein.

Hello
My mom is on immuno - the scan are cleared but because she was stage 3 (1 little lymph node was +).
Why did they suggest proton therapy (and what is it ) instead of immuno ?

Hot spots on the Pet Scan. I'm actually in the waiting room at Duke right now for a biopsy on the node in my neck. (I think)

I’d like to suggest to not stress if the cancer reoccurs. I had stage III esophageal cancer with 5 wks. Chemo & radiation followed by complete esophagectomy with gastric pullup in 2019. Some little microscopic cancer cells were found in the path report following surgery and a year later confirmed cancer was still there. So then switched to Proton therapy in 2020.
It’s now 2 1/2 years later with clean scans. I’ve been told that my next option, if needed, would probably be immunotherapy.
So new treatments become available and just focus on staying strong and don’t dwell on ‘what if’. Stress is not a healing mechanism.

The PET scan will indeed narrow the location of the tumor down with the dye. If there is cancer anywhere outside of the esophagus it will show up in red. I had many tests conducted just to be certain that the tumor was contained inside the esophagus walls(not the vocal cords etc.).
They put my feeding tube (I had a J tube in the lower abdomen) while I was in surgery having my esophagus removed, not before. It was a challenge getting the proper nutrients while going thru the treatments (radiation daily & chemo 1x / week). I drank alot of healthy soups. Get a blender or a food processor to make swallowing less difficult & painful for the big chunks!!!! Get plenty of Ensure or any other kind of high protein nutritional drink!!! Doctor them up with ice cream, choc, fruit (jams & jelly's work real good!!!) malt powder, peanut butter etc. to enhance the flavor!!! Don't be afraid to be creative as long as it tastes good to your Bride!!!! The important thing is.......... make sure she gets plenty of PROTEIN & vitamins, calories. Chemo deminishes the hemogloben (red blood cells). The feeding tube was a pain in the arse to be sure but....... not a big deal really. It takes some getting used to. YOU'VE GOT THIS!!!!

When is your last chemo ?
Ask for the cancer marker?
Are you eligible for immunotherapy?

Hello ddunavin,

I was diagnosed Dec of 2018 with esophageal cancer. Staged @ 2 but surgeon said stage 3 since one lymph node was involved. I had 5 rounds of chemo and 25 rounds of radiation. I had a difficult time swallowing initially but after a few rounds of radiation, it became easier to swallow. I had the Iver Lewis surgery April 2019, and a feeding tube was installed as well. On the 2nd day after surgery, I was taken to respiratory therapy to help rid my lungs of fluid since I was in surgery for 7 hours. I walked several times a day with all of my tubes, gradually walking farther each day. The day before I was released from the hospital, we started the feeding tube. Without it I would have lost too much weight as it was not possible to eat enough to give me the calories I needed. I had the feeding tube for over a month as I slowly started to eat following the dietary guidelines from Mayo.
Don't fear the feeding tube-it'll sustain you as you heal from surgery with your new anatomy.
Take each day at a time, don't worry about tomorrow, and trust your care team. Best wishes for good news. Take care!

Hi, I was diagnosed with cancerous tumor in lower esophagus several months ago. The tumor was preventing me from eating solid foods. I have now had 3 rounds of chemo and the latest PET scan showed a 40% reduction in the size of the tumor. I can now eat solid food again. I have had a feeding tube since the initial diagnosis and get 6 feedings a day of ISOSOURCE which provides over 2,000 calories plus protein. The next step for me is radiation and chemo for 6 weeks starting in late December. My chemo doc says there is about a 50% chance that all the cancer will be gone at the end of radiation and chemo. Right now the cancer is just in the tumor inside the lower esophagus and a couple of local lymph nodes. I was not considered a candidate for surgery to remove the section of the esophagus with the tumor. I'm 77 and in generally good health but I am on daily medications for high blood pressure and tendency to go into atrial fibrulation coming out of surgery. I'm hoping for good results in the new year as I plan to live another 20 years like my mom so Charlotte and I can enjoy watching our grandchildren graduate from college, get married, and have our great grandchildren. Happy holidays!