All Set for Surgery

Today we met with Dr. Loewen. He is the surgeon who will perform Willie’s surgery. An esophagectomy involves removing some or most of the esophagus. If cancer is involved, a portion of the top of the stomach and nearby lymph nodes may be removed. How much of the esophagus and stomach are removed depends on the stage of the cancer and where it's located. See the photo below for an example he drew while we were there Feeding tube is placed during surgery and is in lower colon (the part of stomach & esophagus being removed is the scribbles).

Esophagectomies are major operations — surgeons must cross two to three body cavities (abdomen, chest and neck) during the four- to six-hour procedure. Patients then recover in the hospital for about eight days on average. He said 7-10 days.

People who have surgery for esophageal cancer have, on average, a 30–45% chance of surviving another 5 years or longer compared with someone who does not have surgery. However, this depends on the stage of the cancer. If a tumor is going to recur after surgery, it will usually do so soon after. All of these things are statistically speaking and can vary. Esophageal cancer will it go away on its own through chemo and radiation in order for potential cure, surgery is the only option

Another form of treatment is radiation however the outcome is not as good Only 10% chance of surviving 5 years or longer. Obviously it’s a lot less invasive

All of this is super scary and daunting. Willie will have to try and not lose more weight before his surgery which is scheduled for 10/21. He was told to try and gain 10 lbs before then. Good news is he is starting to get his taste back as he nears the 2 week mark tomorrow since his last chemo treatment on August 29th (round 4).

Comments

  1. Tony JoeSeptember 11, 2025 at 9:12 PM

    Pullin for ya man, eat a treat when you can, put on the weight

    ReplyDelete

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