Esophagectomy: What is life like Afterwards?

Life after this surgery can vary with patients. Haven't had significant problems with swallowing due to the stomach being sewn into the esophagus. Post surgery, you may need to have the esophagus stretched occasionally which isn't a bad procedure at all as you're lightly sedated.

If cancer didn't destroy part of your esophagus as it did mine, then relocating the stomach may not be an issue so check with your doctors about that. Remember I was at Stage 4 when this cancer was discovered.

that's why i am not having surgery , no matter what comes my way.

Pop on our twice-weekly free Zoom calls... we talk to many patients and caregivers like ourselves. Like you, I'm over 4 years post-op, and yes, the post-op journey sure sucks. Of all the EC counseling we do, we surely spend a great amount of time talking to patients about how to approach their post-op months, adjust their expectations, and what and maybe what not to experiment with. We let them know how the journey will suck... and what is mostly normal and what is not.

Anyways... you wanna stop in and see us, and compare notes, please do.

Gary

I had an esophagectomy with gastric pull through meaning my stomach had to be detached and raised up higher because the cancer destroyed the mid-section of the esophagus. The stomach was then secured to the bottom of the esophagus. That was 4 yrs. ago and I am uncomfortable every day since with the stomach being so high up. It fits up against the lower part of my bra and is most uncomfortable after I eat a small meal. I did have a lot of diarrhea problems post surgery and it lasted for months. I discovered that eating almonds daily helped slow and finally stop that. Even at 4 years out, I still have to go in for an esophageal stretching. I used to go frequently for that in the beginning but now 4 yrs later, I only need to have the procedure about every 6 mo. It is done with sedation to it's not painful but necessary to keep swallowing normal. There is a lot of good info. from prior esophageal cancer patients on this site. Wish I'd known about these sites when I was diagnosed with Stage 4 esophageal cancer the week before Christmas 2019.

really wonderful to read your note. I am waiting for radiation/ chemo and likely followed with esophagectomy.

My surgery was April 2023 and after the initial recovery period (say a couple months to get back to confidence in walking and incisions fully healed) life was dramatically better than pre-surgery. Obviously I couldn't eat as much as pre-cancer but swallowing was 95% improved and still holding. There was a mild adjustment to sleeping with my head elevated and I also quickly learned not to bend over to pick anything up too soon after a meal ('cause you don't have that esophagus keeping food down anymore.) The hardest adjustment I've faced post-surgery is developing "Dumping Syndrome" which has DRAMATICALLY impacted how my blood sugar reacts to any meal or snack I ingest. My glucose levels spike very high and then drop dangerously low, I get fuzzy-headed and in extreme cases develop terrible sweats, just absolutely soaking my clothes. Neither my surgeon nor my oncologist seem overly concerned and just suggest this is the new normal. I had my GP prescribe an in-arm continuous glucose monitor after a particularly dangerous incident and now I just resign myself to adjusting my levels with glucose tablets or glucose gels whenever I see my sugar dropping. I've lost a lot of weight post-surgery, from 230 lbs pre-cancer to about 155 lbs. tis morning and still very slowly dropping weight week to week. The plus side is I'm able to eat most foods in smaller quantities and I'm biking 20 miles every morning and walking my 10,000 steps every day so for me the surgery was a literal life saver and an acceptable trade-off. A last word is that this is a tough surgery. Make sure your surgeon is blunt with you about the risks and recovery arc. I was in ICU for at least 9 days and hospital for 11 or 12 total and largely in a recliner at home for a month before life started coming back into shape. And I can't even look at a bottle of Ensure anymore! 🙂

Thinking of you

I have esophageal cancer went through chemotherapy and radiation. I just had my surgery 9 days ago. I was in ICU for 1 day hospital for 6 more. I am home now. I have a feeding tube but I can also drink liquids. I go for walks 3x a day. There is pain associated with the incision but I am tolerating it. It is a life changing surgery but definitely worth it. I was also scared but since surgery I see a future.

@bakerwd4, I hope you have seen all the helpful posts from members about life after and esophagectomy. As you and your father and family prepare for surgery and beyond, you might also want to check out these related discussions:
- Going for pre-ops for esophagectomy
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/going-for-pre-ops-for-esophagectomy/
- Esophagectomy surgery: Want to know what to expect
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/esophagectomy-surgery/
- Transhiatal esophagectomy surgery: What is recovery like?
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/esophagectomy-transhiatal-surgery/
- My husband is having an Esophagectomy: What does recovery look like?
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/my-husband-is-having-an-esophagectomy-in-two-weeks/
@bakerwd4, how are you doing as the surgery date approaches? Any further questions come up in the meantime?