oesophageal cancer

[Nissi18]

Hi there. My father is 2 years, 7 months post oesophageal surgery for stage 1 cancer. He has had the typical bouts of dumping and fatigue however, he has been admitted to hospital today complaining of severe abdomen pain coupled with bringing up black/brown bile. The symptoms started very acutely following his meal last night.

A CT scan has identified a build up of air and fluid around his scar tissue and he is now having a procedure to remove the obstruction. The Consultant advised my father that this debilitating symptom can happen following surgery. Has anyone else suffered with this please? Is it common?

[petercaron]

I am 5 1/2 post esophagectomy. I have never heard about such an obstruction.

I have had my new esophagus stretched 3-4 times since surgery when I had some swallowing issues, but never described as an obstruction.

Have they raised any concern what this obstruction is/ could be ?

I wish your father a quick and easy recovery from this!

[Nissi18 in reply to petercaron]

Hi,

Thank you so much for your reply. They just said that the obstruction is a build up of gas and fluid. My father had a procedure to remove the obstruction and he felt instant relief. That was until he had a piece of toast and the discomfort started all over again! Needless to say, he was not discharged from hospital. I’m unsure of next steps however, the doctors will assess him again this morning and put forward recommendations. This may include an endoscopy.

When you say a stretch, what are the symptoms that would warrant this procedure?

Many thanks

[petercaron in reply to Nissi18]

the symptoms that had me come back to my surgeon for a stretch was difficulty swallowing some foods. It was an easy fix as it was just done during an easy endoscopy.

I live outside of Atlanta Georgia whereby in the US, an endoscopy is done under light sedation. So I don’t feel a thing before or after and it is done as an outpatient procedure.

I m understand in the UK, they often do an endoscopy without sedation. I can’t imagine that.

[Nissi18 in reply to petercaron]

They do offer sedation in the UK.

My father managed to eat lunch today without any major side effects although he complained of fatigue and bloating for a period of time after. Based on this he was discharged from hospital today however, he will have an endoscopy in the next couple of weeks to understand to source of the symptom.

[petercaron in reply to Nissi18]

good luck on the endoscopy. Too bad they couldn’t perform the endoscopy while he was already in the hospital.

[BiliousBob in reply to petercaron]

Yup had mine with just a numbing throat spray! I have the WORST gag reflex known to man but got through it easily. People worry about choking or being unable to breathe but remember that it's not your trachea they're going down!