How long after chemo radiation could you start swallowing?

I had 28 days of radiation and chemo. After the first 3 chemo treatments my tumor in lower esophagus had shrunk 40% and I could start eating a little solid food as well as drink liquids. After all the treatments the tumor was gone my appitite was back and I could eat anything.

That’s great Don. I wish it was the same here. Still no eating or drinking much. Thanks for answering

I was eating through both chemo and radiation. I had small bites to eat throughout the day. Funny I
don't get hunger pangs anymore. Interesting. My entire esophagus was removed and the stomach it attached to where it was. The only thing that really annoys me is the food gets 'stuck'. So I have learned to chew the food really well and swallow small portions. The surgeon explained that it's like having a funnel with a small opening at the top. Gravity EVENTUALLY moves the food through so I wait, and wait. Every day, 7 days a week. One day I will get used to it. I figure it's better than the alternative.

Yes that would be very frustrating. We are just hoping to drink and swallow at this point. Still waiting.

Sorry I was going on. I was eating soft foods like apple sauce, pudding, ice cream, mashed potatoes, scrambled eggs. Smoothies were a treat. I stayed away from rice because it was difficult to swallow believe it or not. I was never a fan of Boost but if you're Canadian, Loblaws brand (President's Choice) is better. I drank a couple a day. I hope he's eating soon. Be positive and everything will be ok.

OK your story sounds very similar. My husbands tumor is 3 inches long in the exact same area as your husbands. He finished his chemo and radiation of the same regime on June 30. On August 9 he had an angiogram to test his heart to see if it’s ready for his esophagectomy that was to be done on August 24. Between the time he has only been able to do his tube feedings. Just barely sipping water. His angiogram showed five blocked heart vessels. Therefore, two days later, he had a quadruple bypass. That was a big surprise. He had no symptoms. But we are thanking the Lord that he got it done and that we didn’t proceed right away with the esophagectomy because he may not have made it through the surgery. It’s been three weeks today since his cardiac surgery. Since being home, he has tried little sips of apple juice that progressed to a glass of apple juice slowly drink through a day. Then he advanced to pudding and yogurt. Just in the past week he’s been able to have yogurt and pudding throughout the day and decreased his tube feeding. Yesterday he surprised me when he ate a full salad. This would be the first coarse food meal that he has had. We went out to dinner last night, and he had an entire plate of Seabass and pasta. I am beyond shocked! He has had no pain, no difficulty swallowing, and no burning afterwards. It’s like in the past two weeks he has excelled. This happened so fast in my opinion that that inflammation must be completely gone now after the radiation. So the timeframe? I would say 5 to 6 weeks. Hang in there! That swelling has to go down and hopefully as it does, you’ll get plenty of nutrition through tube, feedings, and then start weekly testing, apple juice. Stay away from the acidic drinks and foods like orange juice, tomatoes, even applesauce, for some reason it bothered my husband.
We are scheduled for the esophagectomy in the second week of October at UCLA. Unless there’s a cancellation for earlier. We are going to proceed with it for the recommendation for statistics to keep any cancer returning. In the meantime, he will continue to eat as he can, in order to put some weight back on, and get strong for the surgery.
Hang in there! It may seem to happen overnight somehow. That’s how it seems like for us.
Blessings to you both!!
Patti

Ok... wonderful replies here... and I've seen hundreds of other stories... even crazier.

The answer is... these outcomes, whether from chemo, radiation, immunotherapy, and even the big esophagectomy surgery, can vary greatly for all of us.

True, most of us see results, fairly quick results, from our neoadjuvant treatments. I did. And I could not swallow even a sip of water as my treatments were just starting... and 2 to 3 weeks later, things had responded enough, shrunk enough, that I could eat and drink a bit again. Nice... was like heaven.

But not everyone sees this, because maybe the radiation, which could still be doing its job on the solid tumor some, is also irritating the crap out of the esophagus... and swallowing doesn't necessarily improve much... kind of a push.

The big thing to remember is how all of what we do fits together with getting us, hopefully, to the promised land. If a J tube is needed first thing (like it was for me... mine went in the week after I was dx'd), then fine. It is just a tool to use to help us along our journey. It comes out, whenever, as it is no longer needed. I had mine for 8 months, 4 before esophagectomy, 4 after.

But swallowing comes when it comes. It is a nicety... but not mandatory. The treatments are done to get our spread and solid tumor under control and ready for removal. The esophagectomy is the main course. Then maybe there will be some adjuvant chemo and/or immunotherapy.

It's a helluva journey...

Gary