Esophageal cancer treatment: Anyone have good experiences to share?

Earnest
I had 28 chemo and radiation treamtents for EC and it worked. My tumor is now gone. I did have some side affects including caughing and being tired all the time. Scans are clear now. I'd be happy to answer questions.

Hi Don 👋. How do you make sure constipation isn't an issue? I just had it so bad that I had to go to emergency room 😫. It was truly bad. I wanted someone to kill me, literally! It was agonizing. It was like a brick was stuck in my nausea. I screamed for God to take away the pain. Finally they gave me morphine which eventually calmed me down. Wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy. Doctors and team keep changing my meds. I think that may have brought it on. But I don't know. Now I have NO energy.

Earnest
I had 28 chemo and radiation treamtents for EC and it worked. My tumor is now gone. I did have some side affects including caughing and being tired all the time. Scans are clear now. I'd be happy to answer questions.

I came through my 5 chemo (carbo/taxol) treatments and my 28 radiation treatments without side effects except for about every 3-4 days after treatment I was fatigued. After my treatments were over I did have 2 weeks or so of what I would categorize as horrible side effects. If you have the right meds though it gets you through it. Nausea, I was given Zofran (Ondansetron), but it didn't work well, Phenergan suppositories worked much better. Also for esophageal spasms (which made me throw up anything I'd try to drink/eat ) was prescribed hyoscyamine which you let dissolve under your tongue up to 6 x a day. I also received supplemental fluids at the infusion center probably 4-5 times which helped rehydrate me. When I took the hyoscyamine(antispasmodic), I'd wait 30 min and then eat/drink soft, liquids, not too cold and not too hot. I also had symptoms of copious amounts of mucous secretions. Mucinex worked for that. Spit out as much mucous as you can because mucous irritates the stomach. After the 2 weeks immediately after radiation treatments I didn't need the anti-spasmodic, mucinex, phenergan, and you'll be able to eat colder and hotter foods, liquids. Albeit the amount of food I can take in is about 1/3rd what I took in before. My throat is slowly decreasing in pain, discomfort. My stamina is slowly increasing. I'm taking small walks in my yard every day, doing more housework (as tolerated). I nap when I feel I need to. Eat 4-5 very small amounts of a balanced diet a day. Always get in your protein. Next for me is my surgery in July. I will have the lower 3rd and 30% of my stomach removed. I will have a J-tube (feeding tube in my small intestine) inserted during surgery. I will not be able to eat/drink for about a month while the surgery heals. Dietitians will work with me on my tube feeding supplements and work on getting my bowels to be regular and not diarrhea. The feeding tube will only be in about a month or so, then I will gradually learn to eat/drink again and in the right amounts with supplementary things like Metamucil to help with elimination. So as you see it's a journey with hope sprinkled here and there with the ultimate goal of being without cancer. I hope and pray your journey is better and better and you are successful. I lean on my faith for the most part.

I came through my 5 chemo (carbo/taxol) treatments and my 28 radiation treatments without side effects except for about every 3-4 days after treatment I was fatigued. After my treatments were over I did have 2 weeks or so of what I would categorize as horrible side effects. If you have the right meds though it gets you through it. Nausea, I was given Zofran (Ondansetron), but it didn't work well, Phenergan suppositories worked much better. Also for esophageal spasms (which made me throw up anything I'd try to drink/eat ) was prescribed hyoscyamine which you let dissolve under your tongue up to 6 x a day. I also received supplemental fluids at the infusion center probably 4-5 times which helped rehydrate me. When I took the hyoscyamine(antispasmodic), I'd wait 30 min and then eat/drink soft, liquids, not too cold and not too hot. I also had symptoms of copious amounts of mucous secretions. Mucinex worked for that. Spit out as much mucous as you can because mucous irritates the stomach. After the 2 weeks immediately after radiation treatments I didn't need the anti-spasmodic, mucinex, phenergan, and you'll be able to eat colder and hotter foods, liquids. Albeit the amount of food I can take in is about 1/3rd what I took in before. My throat is slowly decreasing in pain, discomfort. My stamina is slowly increasing. I'm taking small walks in my yard every day, doing more housework (as tolerated). I nap when I feel I need to. Eat 4-5 very small amounts of a balanced diet a day. Always get in your protein. Next for me is my surgery in July. I will have the lower 3rd and 30% of my stomach removed. I will have a J-tube (feeding tube in my small intestine) inserted during surgery. I will not be able to eat/drink for about a month while the surgery heals. Dietitians will work with me on my tube feeding supplements and work on getting my bowels to be regular and not diarrhea. The feeding tube will only be in about a month or so, then I will gradually learn to eat/drink again and in the right amounts with supplementary things like Metamucil to help with elimination. So as you see it's a journey with hope sprinkled here and there with the ultimate goal of being without cancer. I hope and pray your journey is better and better and you are successful. I lean on my faith for the most part.

Breezed through mine, constipation at first, but it too subsided. I’d highly recommend the hydration treatment the day after chemo and drink plenty of fluids, it really dehydrates you.