Post Surgical Side Effects

My dad has espohageal cancer.  They caught it very early, he got a piece of pork chop stuck in his throat and they took a biopsy while there were getting it out.  He's been through chemo and radiation and he's starting to eat more now but nothing tastes right.  He's scheduled for surgery Jan 23.  I'm wondering what he can expect after surgery.  Are there any side effects like having to eat several small meals or taking vitamins etc?

To be totally honest with you, my husband's whole life changed after the surgery.  He was a big guy about 6'1" and 250 lbs. before he had the surgery and now he was so excited last night because he weighed 188 lbs.  He struggles everyday with his food and weight.  He is no longer hungry so he has to remind himself all the time that he must eat.  He still gets weak at times and he feels full quickly too.  His surgery was Feb. 07 so it has been almost a year now and he is getting used to it.  Really there is no other choice.  Everyone is very different, but a lot of what my husband has gone through is pretty normal I think.   

But the great news is that his last two CT scans have both come back clear!

I wish your Dad luck with his surgery.   The healing is long and painful so just help him out as much as possible.  Any other questions I can help with just let me know. 

-Becky

When you say the healing is long and painful, what do you mean?  The doctor told him he would be out of work for about 6 weeks.  My mom had part of her colon removed in Aug 06 and had a mastectomy in Dec 06 and pretty much bounced right back.  We were expecting the same thing with my dad.

I'm sorry I sounded so down.  I guess it depends on the surgery your dad is going to have.  My husband had a lot of his esophagus removed and the top part of his stomach.  He is only 37 and he spent about 11 days in the hospital.  That is really what I meant about long and painful.  He hated those days there.  As for when he came home, it was really a while before he could go for too long without a nap.  Once the pain was gone the body still needed to heal.   But I will tell you that about 8 weeks after his surgery we went on a family trip to Florida.  He did very well, but like I said the eating was tough and he was still very tired. 

I'm sure your Dad will be fine, but I'm not sure anyone really bounces back too quickly with this surgery. 

Good luck to your Dad.

-Becky

I agree, this is not just ordinary surgery.  I also had my surgery in Febraury last year and I am still not back to normal yet.  There is the fact that I have to eat small portions, that certain foods cause me to feel weak, the fact that I still get very tired ((I am still not back to working full time).  I am back to my old weight but that is more the fact that I have mayonaise with everything!  It is life changing surgery but it is essential that your dad get it done if they will do it for him as the beast has a nasty habit of returning - I could not put my family through that again.  I am only 33 by the way.

Wow, 33 and 37.  I thought this was a condition that usually struck older people.  It kinda makes me a little concerned about myself too.  I had surgery for GERD in 1993.  I sometimes have trouble swallowing foods like potatoes and rice.  I had an endoscopy in May though and they didn't find anything.  Maybe I need to have a regular endoscopy since I'm probably at a higher risk.  My dad teaches at the local community college so he will be out all Summer.  Hopefully he will be able to go back to work at least by September.  As far as I know, they are going to remove his whole esophagus.  They only found a small lesion at the bottom of his esophagus but they want to remove the whole thing.  He's already lost over 40 lbs with the chemo and radiation.  Please keep him in your prayers.

Since my husband was dx last year I have been researching so much.  Some of what I have read is pretty convincing about other family members being tested if someone get esophagus cancer.  I agree with you maybe you should be screened more often.  It's a scary thought, but with this nasty beast, the earlier the better. 

That's good that your Dad will have the summer off.  The more time to rest and heal the better. 

Our prayers go out to your Dad and your family.

-Becky

I will keep you in my prayers.  I have to agree this surgery is more than you could imagine.  Maybe since it is higher in the digestive tract than the colon it makes it more difficult since you are at the beginning of the digestive process when you tamper with things.  Hard to heal when you can't digest and assimilate your food well.  My husband didn't bounce back either, although I think he's done extremely well.  There are good and bad days, all of which are better than being dead.  Lots of small meals help, not eating to close to bedtime, sleeping with an elevated head, and a million other small things to stay comfortable.  Don't expect things to go back to the way they were, because I doubt they ever will.  Don't mean to sound discouraging, just realistic.  Saw a message earler posted by someone on a different board (believe it was multiple myeloma).  They talked about family wanting to take them on a special trip when they were well, and even after a few years of relative health they did not feel able to go.  He or she depends on the routine they established that works as well as things can, and other people don't understand how disruptive it would be to change that, even though they appreciate the thought behind the gesture.  I was able to relate to what they said, because you can't imagine all the small ways things will change.  Get ready to be supportive and encouraging, because it's a ride like you would never believe.  To be honest, you're just thankful to have your loved ones survive, and you do whatever it takes to help them through it.       

I am sorry you and your Dad are going through this. I don't know about surgery. My mother could not have surgery. I just wanted to let you know you are in my prayers . I hope your Dad does well. It is great that the cancer was caught early. Keep us posted. The people here will help you through it. God knows they have helped me.

                                        Pat

 

 

On 1/10/2008 DonHo wrote:

My dad has espohageal cancer.  They caught it very early, he got a piece of pork chop stuck in his throat and they took a biopsy while there were getting it out.  He's been through chemo and radiation and he's starting to eat more now but nothing tastes right.  He's scheduled for surgery Jan 23.  I'm wondering what he can expect after surgery.  Are there any side effects like having to eat several small meals or taking vitamins etc?

DonHo,

The outcomes from "the surgery" vary all over the map. It depends on what kind of surgery is performed, the overall health of the patient before surgery, the post-op care, and things that can't be explained. I had an esophagogastrectomy (Ivor-Lewis) in July 2005. It was no picnic to be sure. OK, it was bad. I had no complications and the outcome has been good. Currently, I am 56 years old and very active. Yes, I have to eat many small meals per day, but that's how we should eat, anyway. I do have some residual, post-op pain that I don't believe will go away.
I have had 3 clean PET scans and am in overall good health. I have just finished my best-ever year bicycling, riding 4350 miles.

It can have a good outcome!!! 

Good Luck, 

Steve