Esophageal Cancer Support Group

Esophageal cancer is malignancy of the esophagus. There are various subtypes. Esophageal tumors usually lead to dysphagia (difficulty swallowing), pain and other symptoms, and is diagnosed with biopsy. Small and localized tumors are treated with surgery, and advanced tumors are treated with chemotherapy, radiotherapy or combinations.

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reflux after surgery

alwaysafraid61
alwaysafraid61
Hi everyone I haven't posted anything in quite awhile but I have a question for any of you that has already had the surgery, my husband is now almost 8mos post op & he's doing great his 6mo pet scan looked great no signs of anything spreading & the 3 scopes he's had since surgery also looked great but recently he's started having some problems with relux again, now maybe Im dumb about this but I thought removing the esophagues would eliminate reflux, has anyone else had this problem after having the surgery? I will admit that he doesn't eat as healthy as he should be & ever since his surgery he's had the oddest appetite, he CRAVES sweets & cold things like popsicles, crushed ice, ice cold fruit etc. is that weird? Any info or advice anyone has would be appreciated. Thanks & hope everyone is doing well.
Kim
deleted_user
deleted_user
Hi Kim! I am 6 years post op, and yes, I still to this day love Popsicles! I also get a burning, acid type feeling in my throat from time to time. One of the things I've found that helps, is mint. I prefer Altoids, but anything with real mint in it would probably work. After a meal I'll take a couple mints, and it seems to help with any cramping or reflux type problems.

Hope this helps!
Tom
cindyhils
cindyhils
i am almost 2 years post op and i too have reflux, some days worse than others, just depends on what and when i eat. I take a over the counter zantac every day and that works for me. I also love to chew on ice. i seem to be thirsty a lot. i think since i cant just gulp a whole glass of water at one time anymore makes me crave it. I just chew on ice and that helps. good news on your checkups. cindy
deleted_user
deleted_user
I am 7 years post op (almost :-) ).

Many times, the surgery removes the muscle that helps prevent reflux from coming up. This is why you need the head of the bed raised.

If you are taking something like nexium, you may need more (2x per day, perhaps).

I suggest you talk to your Gastro doc about this.

And, yes, I have similar cravings....

All the best,

Fred
Brenda2008
Brenda2008
I don't have any issues with acid reflux and haven't since my surgery. My surgeons told me I'd not need to take the meds anymore for that, because of the surgery. My gastro Dr. wasn't so sure he agreed, but after a month, told me to go off the meds and see if I had any acid reflux. If so, to start taking them again right away. I didn't have any issue.

The other day when I saw my gastro Dr. just as a follow-up from a scope, we discussed it again and it said I didn't need them because of how they did the surgery or something they did during surgery. Whatever it was, I don't know.

Course, I'll always need to sleep inclined or risk that yuckie bile...whatever, coming up my throat - yuk. I do whatever I can to avoid that. Luckily, I think it has happened about 6-7 times over almost 3 years and that was from sliding down during sleeping off the stack of pillows.
deleted_user
deleted_user
I am 6 months post-op and I get the reflux at night if I eat late. I try to not eat anything 3 hours before bedtime. I also elevate my upper body and head with a couple of pillows and try not to slip down off of them. I crave starbursts and fresh oranges. Carbonated beverages are out for now but I may try in moderation later on.
I went from 230lbs to 165lbs during this ordeal and today I weighed in at 181lbs. Looking and feeling good!
OkOkOK...I also want pizza, hot wings and a beer but I am waiting for a hot summer evening in 2012 for that. lol
deleted_user
deleted_user
Hi Kim. Congratulations on the good test results. My gastro was pretty adamant about me changing my diet after the surgery to eliminate things that cause acid in the stomach .. specifically, I eliminated orange juice, tomatoes, tomato-based food, (and other high-acid foods) caffiene and fried fatty foods. This has been tough since I love all those things, but I think it has made a big difference. My understanding is that the surgery does nothing to eliminate acid reflux. It's intent is to remove the cancer. I have found it very helpful to keep a list of foods that cause me problems and the foods that I can eat safely. I also have to sleep on a wedge pillow because the mussle that keeps the food down was removed. I think this is the case on most of these surgeries.