My husband is 3months past IL surgery and thank God that he is recovering very well without any major issues such as those shared in this group. He has 6 small meals (baby portion size) consisting of 2x Fortisip drinks. He is slowly gaining back an appetite but has to be cautious that he does not over eat and sits for a few minutes after each meal so he doesn’t dump.
He coughs a bit after meals, when talking and exerting himself. I believe this is common. Recently his GP gave him a course of antibiotics for his cough.
He also burps quite a bit too and is taking esomeprazole 22mg (Nexium brand sometimes) once each day. I have read here that some have stopped taking PPIs and rely only on Gaviscon.
So I’m wondering if it is better for him to get off esomeprazole too and take Gaviscon instead to avoid any long term side effects?
My husband resigned from his full time employment since returning to work (working from home) 3 weeks ago as time spent talking at teleconferences and typing for long period is causing him to cough and feeling intense pain under his RHS. He is prioritising recovery over bearing up with the pain and coughing to see how he goes in the next months to come.
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coughing post surgery is normal. antibiotics is usually not required, GP is better suited to take a call on that. With the throat been irritated with pipes and dryness, as well the new anatomy requires being accepted by the body, hence mucus, foamy froth after meals and also cough.
prazole, is a PPI and taken to reduce the acid production. Unsure of its continuity if he doesnt have much of a problem due to acid production?
having said that cough can also be due to the acid irritation in the throat when lying down. burping is also symptom of acid being not enough strength and/or quantity to digest the food. My view.
you could see if the prazole and burping is connected very easily by intentionally taking and or not taking for specific food.
I am post surgery 2 years plus, still get trouble when talking too much. I attend quite a lot of meetings etc while working. Have to manage and adjust my meal times accordingly.
I still cough after meals, sometimes excessive burping, I take 40mg omeprazole, but I'm cutting back to two every other day, one on I between days, so far so good! I am 7 yrs post IL, still get dumping and I've put on weight,
On second thoughts maybe it is too early (only 3 months post IL surgery) for my husband to stop taking esomeprazole (its only 22mg once a day anyway). Reading your comments highlighted the fact that he does burp and cough consistently after meals. Maybe reconsider continuing with esomeprazole in a year’s time.
Yes I can understand how easy it is to miss meals with when you have meetings one after another each work day. In Melb we are still in Stage 4 lockdown so working from home helps. I am the clock watcher and slips in his Fortisip sips and spoonfuls of honey and refill his warm water to help with his coughs.
My husband is 61 and we both agree that he'll resign to assist his recovery and revisit his career next year.
Just feel blessed that he is recovering with minor issues.
To be honest prazole is not a multivitamin. Its there for a purpose for symptom management, not for root cause fix.
4 month from oesophagectomy, his body needs to adjust and adapt to the new plumbing where the acid production is majorly reduced. Letting body find its balance is key here. The more interference in acid management of the body right now is going to not help his body find its natural balance.
Without enough quantity and strength of the stomach acid, the bug fighting property of the body's defense is already compromised and adding more prazole to dilute that ability at recovery stage is definitely counter productive.
It gets better, I am 20 months post surgery. I had many complications but things are pretty good now.
I take 40mg of Nexium a day now and I also take CBD oil with THC.
I was left with major back pain due to complications and the CBD helps the pain and my appetite.
During the first year I had the bad cough when I talked and had foaming after I ate. During that time I used to take the nexium in the morning and gaviscon dual action at night.
I don’t need the gaviscon anymore.
Unfortunately I still get dumping syndrome everyday which impacts lifestyle but at least I am still here to growl about it.
The very best thing I did was buy an electric bed and I sleep in the zero gravity position. I sleep great now which is really helping my lifestyle.
I have not been able to go back to work but I am about 80 percent of where I was prior to this dreaded disease and adventure.
Thanks for your comments Janashlin. So happy to hear that you are recovering well!
My husband sleeps on an elevated bed too since returning home from surgery.
The coughing and pain under his RHS has caused him to decide to resign from his work. Even though his work is not manual in nature but the constant talking on the phone and having Zoom meetings and computer work makes him cough a lot in addition to coughing episodes after eating.
He weighed 89kg before the OC diagnosis and now weighs 75kg and seemed to be still losing weight even with his regular 6 small meals and Fortisip drinks. I pressure his meals that has meat so it is softer to eat. Fortunately he is able to eat diary and cream. I‘m concerned and can’t understand how he continues to lose weight. Is there something I can do with his meals to help him gain weight or at least not lose any more weight.
Yes, he did have a few dumping incidences and he reckons it is because he has not sat down for a few minutes after eating.
According to his surgeon, his recovery is considered to be very good so that is so assuring.
Yes good advice. I am guilty of overthinking that my husband isn’t getting the 1800 calories a day. I have since relaxed a bit and paying more attention to the portion size so he doesn't over eat and suffer later.
Greetings from the other side of the pond. I was told to count calories in order to assure I would not lose too much weight. I purchased a digital kitchen scale and weighed everything and calculated the cal value. Bit of work, but it showed me where I had to increase calories. Helped me keep my intake over 1800 cal /day I went from 183 Lbs to 160Lbs and have maintained there for a couple of years now.
I’m glad all is going well but 3 months after this surgery isn’t long in to recovery...
best advice as always is to listen to your body and don’t over do it!
I found my protein intake assisted my energy levels and also blueberries!
I had my IL 18 months ago and am feeling stronger each day... but it really does take time.
I was 53 when I had the op and thought I would bounce back but completely underestimated my recovery process and it is so true that we all have a unique recovery journey...
I have Lansoprazole 30mg a day and had no trouble with reflux...
I too have a little cough occasionally after food and also sound a little hoarse sometimes in meetings but I try to make sure I eat in plenty of time before meetings and sip water ...
Thank you for your comments. Yes we need to be patient and let the body’s food pipe settle in. When my husband spoke with the surgeon last week, he did affirm that my husband is getting into his work (full time) too soon.
I’m glad he has now decided to scale down his work hours as he has already given notice of resignation. I was made redundant in April just as he had finished his radiation and chemo therapy. It was actually a blessing in disguise otherwise I will find it hard to care for my husband while holding a full time job.
Just so thankful that his surgery went very well and he is recovering remarkably. His recovery and adjusting to his new normal is our priority now.
Hi guys..I too am 11 weeks post IL ..everything seem to be settling down.Apart from sensitive right nipple and skin ..I do have some antiseptic spray that seems to work for a while..hopefully this will subside.Somebody suggested amitripaline..but made me feel a bit fuzzy,so trying not to take them..I have been increasing my walks and now doing,roughly 5 miles a day..which helps physically and mentally..however tomorrow I have to have picc line put back in and start,Thursday adjuvant chemo,4 rounds of FLOT..which I am not looking forward to..but have been told that if I can get to 3..maybe drop the 4th..anybody else been through this ..tia
All the best for tomorrow and looking forward to hear it all went well and you are coping alright.
Yes I remember telling my husband of your 3 mile walk previously. He couldn’t walk much due to pain and the cold winter weather. When the weather permits he now walks 3000+ steps. Spring is here so we’ll be walking more soon.
Thanks ..hope he gets out soon ,makes all the difference we did 12,741 steps yesterday..mainly cause we took the wrong path,,and although my legs were aching last night,I feel great today..I know it’s not a competition..but gets my confidence up to face the chemo.. and we have nice sunny days at mo,and not to warm,so ideal conditions..stay safe 😊
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