Any suggestions to convince my dad his swallowing and feel like food will get better, as not eating and drinking enough.

[yasmin21]

Hi, my aunty had oesphageal cancer early stage i think, as she only had chemo to get rid of it, my dad had t3/t4 oesphageal cancer and had pre op chemo to reduce the size, they stopped the chemo 2 months early, as growth had shrank enough for the ivor lewis op. He was borderline operable and was worried if he would survive, but decided to go ahead with it, but we was told if any start of complications, they was going to abort the operation and then pallative care. He was in critical care unit for 2 weeks, its been 4 weeks 1 day now and pain is getting better now, but still got the problem with him not eating or drinking enough, as he did not want feed bag when he left hospital, but if he don't improve, he will have to go back on one and his swallowing feels strange to him, any suggestions. x

[Mark4]

Hi Glad to hear your Dads op went well.

He must eat but as you say it can be difficult at first.

I have a very basic observation which is you arrange with him to see a dietician at the hospital .

They will arrange any tests and give answers to your questions

Good luck

[brucemillar]

Hi

In my experience (eighteen months post op) four weeks is really very early days. I would say that this is "normal" but will improve. I survived on a couple of Oat Cakes with some cheese and tinned soup, for weeks. It took a few of months before I could tolerate things that I would have eaten pre-op and some things I still can't eat as it will get stuck.

As his scars heal his eating will start to improve. He may require a dilation in his throat to stretch it, allowing food to pass without getting stuck. This is normal and painless. I had to have about six of these procedures in mt throat and three on mt stomach exit.

Recovery is is a mental process as much as a physical challenge. Loss of appetite is very common due to nerve damage. This is massive surgery. To survive is the first stage. To try and return to "normal" can be a very long process, but not always a terrible thing.

He needs to get enough food down in any form that he can tolerate to survive. As time passes this will get easier. His swallowing will feel "strange" as his throat has been cut and re-joined. As above that gets easier with time and practice. He will find a way that suits him to swallow most things.

If really concerned!! then I would always opt to speak to your consultant. I am not a doctor so can only offer my experience.

Good luck. You are over the biggest hurdle now. Almost everything from now forward is about learning and adjusting to the new plumbing.

Good luck.

Bruce

[Joseph84]

I lived on cauliflower cheese, sweet potato and ordinary potato mash for months it takes a long time to get back to any normal eating my op was 23 years ago.

[Free_Wheels]

Early days, I'm 61/2yrs post op and still have to watch what I eat. I couldn't have chemo and my tumour was growing into my Aorta at a fast rate. The only option was a 7hr+ operation with no guarantee of surviving. A lot was removed and I spent 10 days in ICU and a further 15 days on the ward. The main thing is to eat, I lived on porridge and other soft foods for a few months to start with. I did find that eating little portions through the day helped - more grazing than eating. I still find it easier to have 5 small meals a day, I have acually started to put on weight By the end of the year your dad will be tucking into a Christmas dinner. Wishing him good eating.

[Hidden]

I think it is natural and quite normal for swallowing to feel strange at this stage. The body has to get used to the new digestive system 're-plumbing' and this needs a bit of re-training. So 'little and often' is the key to it, rather than worrying about 'proper' meals. Concentrate on soft food / soup, and do not worry about the quantity at this stage. He will probably still feel a lot of fatigue as all the body's energies are needed for the continuing healing process. He can supplement things with special nutrition drinks.

Sometimes the bit of the stomach that creates the ghrelin that sends signals to the brain that the body is hungry is removed, so it is quite important to realise that he might have to eat & drink small 'by the clock' rather than by any hunger feelings.

It is a big thing to come to terms with mentally as well as physically, but what he is experiencing is quite normal.

[Wodie1]

I am nearly four monthe post IL operation. I would suggest that he goes back to bag feeding supplements until his appetite improves. Very important to get enough calories to maitain weight if possible and of course enough fluids to avoid obvious dehydration and related issues. very best wishes though with the recovery.

[Mentalmicky6]

I'm nearly four years post I L and I'm sitting here writing this starving, but i will have to wait till the morning. The point I would like to make is that before and after my op there were times I didn't think I would ever eat again, but eventually I did start eating, I found things like cream crackers and cheese and ginger nut biscuits to start with were anti-sick foods. Since that first year recovering I have eaten all the things that I use to eat, two big milestones were going for a carvery ( no room for a desert) and an Indian madras in post op year two. I have also developed a daily graving for apples and bananas . My advice is to try and approach every day with positive thoughts, keep active and have faith with the powers of recovery.