Esophagectomy: What is life like Afterwards?

Yes, of course.

@dzpetralia , how is your husband doing? How are YOU doing?

Hi @colecarp
Hope you are doing well and glad to hear you are one year after surgery! My dad will receive care at Moffit, happy to hear you had a positive experience there. Did you also do radiation/chemo there ?

Hello from Tasmania, Sorry to hear about your father’s illness - it’s a worrying time for all family members. On the positive side, it sounds like his cancer has been picked up early before invading surrounding tissue and metastasising. The best situation from a prognosis point of view.
I’m 2 years post surgery and while life is different, it’s actually pretty good. It seems that everyone has their own story to tell which no doubt reflects a wide range of treatment after effects and outcomes. There’s no getting away from the fact that an esophagectomy is a very invasive procedure that will involve extended recovery time, the first month or so being the toughest. However, it’s nothing people can’t manage and improvements are noticeable right from the start.
The best advice I was given is to make sure you’re as fit as possible throughout the process - it makes a real difference. Post surgery lifestyle changes include small, frequent meals, sleeping with upper body elevated and a need for care with the food you eat and when you do so ( keep bedtime clear of food for a few hours). A positive outlook and family support are also important. This site is helpful to get input from many people with lived experience.
All the best for your father’s surgery. Regards Geoff

Does anyone have a cough after going through chemotherapy & radiation as well as surgery? My husband’s surgery was back in December. He has never gotten rid of the cough. Last visit he was told he is cancer free. Scans coming up soon and I’m feeling a little uneasy.

You may have missed my posts about post surgery coughing? I too had Esophagectomy surgery last December. Mine was at UCLA. I developed a dry, persistent cough that worsened as time went on, so four weeks post surgery my surgeon recommended re-admission to the hospital for a CT scan. The scan showed a lot of fluid surrounding my left lung. The inserted a drain in my left side (a fairly simple procedure, not requiring general anesthesia), and over the next two days more than a liter of fluid drained out. The cough was gone as soon as the fluid was gone, and I have had no recurrence. I would make sure your husband’s team looks at whether he has fluid in his chest cavity. Good luck to you both.

Hello.

I had an esophagectomy on July 24. Due to some complications, I was in ICU for 10 days. I was discharged on August 4. Here are some things I have experienced :

1. Had to sleep in a recliner for two weeks but finally got in my bed successfully after that. You will have to sleep in an elevated position in bed.
2. I have had far less pain than I imagined. Have managed that primarily with children’s Tylenol. Use Oxycodone sparingly.
3. Your dad will be sent home with a feeding tube. That is not as bad as I expected. He will be on the feeding tube for several weeks.
4. I started taking in food orally at about 10 days after surgery - a totally liquid diet. Then, I graduated to a soft and moist diet. I can now eat most foods but only in small portions - around 1/2 a cup. I have no appetite, but still have to eat. There will be a transition to six-seven meals a day. One has to determine when your meal is complete since you longer have a stomach and get full quickly.
5. Keep encouraging your dad in his recovery. Progress might be slow, but any progress is good. Celebrate daily!

Well, those are my initial thoughts. Hope they are helpful. Let me know if you have any other questions. I’m cheering for your father!

Bill D

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@drbilldobrenen2026 which surgery did you have. I had the Ivor Lewis open surgery and definitely had a different experience with pain and the length of healing time.
I was diagnosed stage 4 in November of 2019. After surgery and pathology it was downgraded to a stage 3 as the cancer wasn’t in any lymph node’s or in the section of the 7th rib they removed.