Painful to swallow

Hi

It is now one week since my chemo and radiation therapy finished which was directed at the junction of my Esophagus and the Stomach.

It is now very difficult and painful to swallow anything, including liquids. I find that I do a lot of dry reeching  and until I can get the trapped air to escape the pain continues.

Can anyone tell me if this is normal and how long the pain will continue for?

I am due to have an operation to remove 3/4 inch from my Esophagus and a 1/4 of my stomach in about 5 weeks and I need to put some weight on before the operation.

 

I had simular problems.  They placed a stent in my throat to help in the ease of swallowing.

 

John

Yes, it is very normal.  I had medicine to stop the pain that I took before eating or drinking.  Do you have a feeding tube?  If you do, the liquid nutritian will keep you strong.  The entire process for me (from chemo/rad through to feeling well after surgery) took 8 months.  Try not to get encouraged because after you begin to heal from the surgery....little by little each week you will make progress until finally you will have a great quality of life.  It is just a very slow and painful thing to fight and win over the beast of EC.   My surgery was in May of 2004.  I am so glad I endured the treatment and surgery and recovery because I have a great life now.

God bless.

Barbara

I had mouth sores during chemo/radiation and they gave me a prescription medicine of lidocane,benydral and pink stuff which helped with pain; I also had a J tube place in the middle of my treatment so that I could keep up with my nutrition, which really helped. Using the J tube is not difficult and you get used to it being there. I had chemo/radiation, rested 5 weeks then had esphagectomy surgery 1/09 and am now starting to feel like myself; it's a longer recovery than I thought but it was worth it; it will be a slow recovery which sometimes I struggle with but I am here, they feel they removed all cancer, lymph nodes were clear so I feel blessed.