I just have returned to the blog and wanted to post some words of encouragement. Diagnosed nearly 7 years ago and after a total gastroectomy following stage 3 cancer I now am grateful to be here leading a normal life and can even put on weight now. Can eat as many chocolates as I want and more or less do whatever I want. It wasn’t like this in the early days but with b12 and iron energy levels are quite high for a man of 62.
Don’t give up ......just keep onwards and upwards.
Bless you all
Brian
Brian
What a great post. Thank you and great to hear you are doing so well.
A question:
Did the eating chocolates cause you issues in the early days (reactive hypoglycemia)
And.
Did that just go away all of it's own?
Bruce
Yes the chocolate was a problem early on as was energy but I feel my body has adapted and overcome
Plums are my one downfall or orange juice in the morning otherwise ticketyboo.
I find it difficult to do a three course meal due to not having a stomach and gaseous drinks can also be a problem.
The first 2-3 or so years I was like someone 20 years older. To be honest chemo has put say 5 years on me but I’m still fit and healthy so I can’t complain.
So when they said you’ve got one year they were obviously completely wrong, medicine is not a complete science and also they will tend to exaggerate on the negative side as if things don’t go to plan they don’t look too silly !
Best wishes
Brian
Brian, wonderful words of encouragement and you've been so poorly. I had an oesophagectomy just 2 years 2 months ago; your words 'onwards & upwards' say it all really. I have days when I wish I hadn't had the surgery but that passes. I work full time and have always been a good walker so I walk the Race for Life and walk fun runs whenever I can. I'll be 60 in February and your words have just made my day.
Bless you too Brian and thank-you x
I too feel the same about Brian's words of encouragement and I wanted to add a comment to Pogul's post as well.
As we all know, everyone's outcome is different when it comes to this awful disease. If I were in your shoes Pogul I would be over the moon. At only 2 years and 2 months working full time and doing walks - that is fantastic!
I had the open IL 8 yrs. ago, was only able to go back to work part time for 4 years and then could not do it anymore. I acquired COPD (that I was told was partially from the radiation - has anyone on here had that problem?) along with a handful of other health problems that all seemed to relate back to the Cancer treatment itself and the surgery to help fix it. It all seemed a bit odd because everything was late in showing up but when it did - they all showed up like gangbusters.
I have always had problems with my stomach incision (tender, painful) which could be due to the way it healed - the scar is not flat but puffy all around it.
I have always loved to walk but that has been dwindling down - when I get off the train to go to my doctors (when in treatment) I would like to walk, time allowing, it would take an hour. After surgery and recovery, which we all know takes quite a bit of time - some more than others - it became partial walk there, then the bus, then as the COPD and pain continued onward, it became just the bus. Then as other thing occurred, it became cabs - and what an expense that can add up to!
Now, it is cabs only and I am looking forward to some sort of miracle, but, that might be pushing it - since I am here and alive right now after being diagnosed with the deadliest cancer: Esophageal....I am not sure I should expect another miracle - but if I could it would be slowly going in reverse to buses from cabs and then walking partially with buses and then if I could be so bold as to ask that I could endure such a walk again.
Energy - that is another biggie that I find lacking after this surgery which is most likely from the combo of the treatment for (chemo, rad.) combined with the surgery.
I am sorry, aside from having this become a book but also such a downer of a post. If you could give a gal a break, it IS my first time posting here. 
p.s. Pogul's post also caught my eye because I too will be 60 this year - in May.
So good to know you are doing so well, Brian. Congratulations!
My husband, now 82, is also fine 6 years after his op., some arthritis notwithstanding. We know we're very lucky.
But I know from this site that not everyone has made the recovery to a good life yet, and I'm just sending thoughts of sympathy and encouragement to all of those.
Happy new year, and thanks to you all.
Thanks Brian - needed that today. Am 7months post IL and feeling good, eating well and back at work. Still get anxious days though so it’s good to hear positives. X
Glad you are doing well Brian. Such positive encouraging words. My Mum is 8 weeks post Oesophagectomy still early days, but she is improving week by week. I will certainly be reading your post to her.
Bless you too
Debs
Diaphragm hernia surgery 
Diabetes and oesophagectomy 
Lanzoprazole and side effects
advice please for Creon 
