Oesophageal Stent

[Debbiewallis]

Hi my husband Tony 8 weeks post op this week, is having to have an 'stent' put in this week as his new piping keeps narrowing and he is having trouble swallowing again. Needs to be able to eat especially as he has post op Chemo for 9 weeks coming up as an ' insurance policy '

Has anyone any experience ?

[NannyP-UK]

Hi, I don't personally have any experience. I did however work in radiology where they were inserted. Generally as long as you stick to the post stent advice you should have no problems, e.g soft diet to start, no fibrous type foods etc as these can block the stent. Most importantly chew food very well and ensure to drink fluids with meal - fizzy is good. It is normally a relatively simple procedure which is done under sedation. I wish your husband well. Purely out of interest which area of the U.K. are you? I won't be offended if you don't wish to say. Kind regards Paula

[Debbiewallis in reply to NannyP-UK]

Hi Paula

Thanks for the tips ! We are in Suffolk x

[ELI55]

Hi Debbie,

My husband had a stent (permanent) in order to repair a leak after his op - you don't say if Tony's will be a permanent or degradable stent, and I would suggest you ask before they do it. My husband's was done without any discussion or explanation (with me, as he wasn't in a fit state to question anything at the time) - and I was told initially that it was temporary. We were not pleased to find otherwise, imagining it was an extra problem to contend with on top of small meals etc.

Anyway, 3 years on, I can tell you it is possible to eat well and that you don't have to survive on pureed or liquid food. A few "rules":

Chew very well, and take small mouthfuls (now is the time to get any dental problems sorted )

Remember food now goes down by gravity and liquid helps the process (although this is finely balanced with not filling yourself up with that instead!) - there is no muscle action to move the food along.

Crispy things are ok - crackers, well done toast ,crisps and nuts.

Meat - can be tricky - I made vats of savoury mince, but after a while he was able to eat well cooked meat. For some reason he doesn't get on very well with fish (a bit hit and miss)

Rice/pasta - no trouble with pasta, but rice can cause him problems. Lately we have swapped to cous-cous with sweet and sour chicken.

Bread - tricky to start with as it can "clog". We tend to stick to the "danish" type open textured bread, although he has successfully eaten very crispy rolls.

A fizzy drink (especially cola) helps to keep the stent clean (so we were told)

If he feels there is a blockage (which can happen now and again, especially when you are learning) try small sips of cola or warm tea. Have a basin handy as sometimes it comes back up. If you have no success after a couple of hours, seek medical help (we have never had to)

Fortunately my husband loves gravy and sauces of any type. He now eats anything he wants with care, including roast dinners, bacon butties and steak. It's all trial and error and he does mash some of his food up when we are at home (he feels a bit more inhibited when we eat out).

Best of luck and I hope Tony gets through his chemo successfully.

Elaine x

[Debbiewallis in reply to ELI55]

Hi Elaine

Really appreciate the advice ! It's a biodegradable one .... should help him to eat whilst on Chemo which is one of my worries! Thank you so much 😊