Maggie99

It is always scary to comment as few of us are equipped to deal with the quilt of bad advice offered to others. I have had radiation, 35 treatments for head and neck cancer but only on one side of the head. I was one of the lucky ones and have returned to a near normal life. I have even recovered most of my saliva function which is unusual. As the bone in my jaw may have been compromised by the radiation (they just don't know to what extent) I have a nightly routine for my teeth as it is now ill advisable to have any pulled. While the nightly flossing, flushing and fluoride treatment is annoying, it has also resulted in better tooth and mouth health. At 65, this attention to proper mouth maintenance was long overdue. In brief, I am a poster child for recovery for radiation; however, I would still opt for surgery first couple with a renewed focus on proper diet and exercise. I strongly believe in the bodies own recuperative powers with suitable diet and exercise (daily aerobic exercise preferable in the fresh air). Recommended reading: Foods To Fight Cancer By: Richard Beliveau Ph.D., Denis Gingras Ph.D. My thoughts are with you.

December 5 surgery then finished 33 radiation treatments 4 weeks ago. I'm grateful to be alive and hopeful some of my salivary function will return. Best to you !

Good luck and prayers are with you

Hello and welcome, we are glad you found us. Please feel free to join in the conversations. Here is a link to our cancer dx page for your type of cancer. Take a look at it to get you started on some information. You will notice at the bottom of that page 4 of our active users who have had that journey already, you may wish to contact them for their experience and wisdom. Also, I encourage you to go to the questions page now by clicking on the questions tab at the top of the page and post what is the most pressing issue you have right now. This will introduce you to the community and get you started on the help you need right now.

https://www.whatnext.com/conditions/cancer/esophagus-esophageal-cancer

There are also subtypes listed on this page to narrow down the type of cancer to match your dx.

Also, if you can take a few minutes and fill in some details of your journey so far, it will help others as they try to answer questions for you, it also helps others as they search through the data base to find someone like themselves. Confirming your email will allow you to receive updates and notices from the site when someone answers your questions or writes on your wall.

Thanks for being with us and let me know if I can help you find any information on the site. After you have an opportunity to look the site over and see what great things there are here, we encourage you to invite your friends, family or anyone you know that may be helped by the connections on WhatNext to join the site also. Just click this link to invite them to join. http://www.whatnext.com/recruit-a-friend

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GregP 3X Survivor
Team WhatNext Community Mgr

I am an esophageal cancer stage III survivor of 14 years. I went through Chemo , Radiation and Surgery similar to your plan. I was treated at Memorial Sloan Kettering in New York. We created the Esophageal Cancer Education Foundation www.fightec.org to help patients with their journey through this disease.

We have co-authored a book called 100 Questions and Answers about Esophageal Cancer published by Jones and Bartlett and can be purchased at any book store.

We have also published a book called Esophagectomy Post Surgical Guide Questions & Answers published by Authorhouse that can be purchased at any bookstore or on our web site www.fightec.org

We have support groups that meet by conference call on a monthly basis. Patients calling in with quality of life questions and hearing how other patients have handled a specific issue. We also have a 24 hour hotline to help with quality of life questions as well. Check it out.
Good luck
Bart

Welcome to the WhatNext family! The WhatNext family is made up of people like you who are looking for help or looking to help others. To help you along your journey the WhatNext family has put together a Beginner's Guide to Cancer that I highly recommend you check-out here: http://bit.ly/10BQKCi. Also, please do not hesitate to reach out to others or ask for help.

Wishing you the best.

David
Founder, WhatNexter