Early post op

[Tenerife70]

Hi my husband had his Oesophagectomy surgery on 8th January this year and discharged from hospital on Friday so early days his experiencing rather a lot of pain on his left side underneath the ribs , can someone give us some advice , is this normal, I understand it’s early days but just want some post op advice please

[Julieanne60]

Hi Georgenich. I hope your husband is pleased to be home and is recuperating well, albeit slowly. It does take time and I hope he can enjoy guilt free naps and daytime snoozes. With regards to your question about pain under the ribs, all I can say from my own experience is that this part of the surgery took me a long while to feel relatively pain free. I remember mentioning it to the Consultant on my first follow-up appointment, and she didn’t seem worried, just something that would eventually heal/feel better. I didn’t find that the pain relief really helped much either. The worst thing for me was that I couldn’t bear to wear a bra as it put pressure on this area. So I guess that it’s the same for your husband (without the bra). From memory, I think it took a good four/five months before it didn’t bother me anymore. However, I still feel a bit numb in that area, nearly 15 months on from the operation, but it doesn’t bother me.

If your husband is worried though, I would phone the Consultant/Upper GI Nurses. It never does any harm.

Good luck with his recovery. Best wishes, Julie

[Tenerife70 in reply to Julieanne60]

Thank you Julie I feel bad as I can’t help and we’re just not sure if it’s normal

[Summerson in reply to Julieanne60]

Hi yes it's normal to have pain round that area. I find it's still quite numb round there and It six years since my op.

[LarryLamb69]

Hi , A lot depends on how the surgical team went in ,if like many they went in from theback (he wil have his "shark bite " scar below shoulder they do actually move the ribs ,and can often fracture of even break the odd one , for myslef (March 24) it was my nerves around rib,s so numb , and then discomfort when healing later on , If he can cough that is a good sign at the very least , but as others have said it is a long process to recover...many months to years (for some)if in real pain speak to your clinical nurse lead and they will advise.

[Tenerife70]

Hi could anyone share how they managed their change in diet and where they are with eating

Thank you

[Julieanne60 in reply to Tenerife70]

Hi again. I had a feeding tube inserted during the operation and kept it in for around 3 weeks (after being discharged from the hospital) to ensure I was getting enough calories. It also meant I could experiment with food. I used to have soup, biscuits dunked in tea, custard, jellies, soft puddings, scrambled eggs, jacket potato with cheese and butter (not the skin), whizzed up tinned fruit, yogurts, basically anything I could squash down with my tongue before swallowing. Obviously everything was in smaller amounts and I was careful not to have too much sweet stuff to try and avoid dumping.

The Oesophageal Patients Association has information/booklets to help with this.

I am virtually 15 months on from my operation and I eat the same foods now as I used to before the operation. I eat smaller amounts because I get full up quite quickly and I do avoid over indulging in sweet things; I do eat them but I stop sooner than I once would have done. I try and eat more regularly rather than just three meals a day.

I hope your husband is doing well. With best wishes, Julie

[Tenerife70 in reply to Julieanne60]

Thank you so much for sharing as it’s early days for us there is so much to navigate , he is ok slightly less pain today which is good , he had a review next week which worries him as he thinks his live is just hospital appointments his also wondering if he will have more chemo as that was the plan Thank you again any helpful tips are appreciated

[Julieanne60 in reply to Tenerife70]

It’s all early days for him and he’s got a lot to come to terms with. It’s good he has hospital appointments booked for next week. I never minded going to the hospital as I always found them incredible supportive and knowledgeable. Any time you feel like messaging please do so, as we’re all here to help you if we can. Take care x

[Tenerife70 in reply to Julieanne60]

Thank you x