My husband was also told that he might have to reconcile to a feeding tube the rest of his life but we decided to seek another opinion from Emory in Atlanta and the Dr. there opened his esophagus about the size of two thumbs. His esophagus was opened June 27, 2006 and today he ate a small roast beef sandwich! Plus he can actually taste to boot! Don't give up. Get a 2nd, 3rd, or 4th opinion if need be. Best of luck.

sybil

Sybil,

Do you know what kind of procedure they did on your husband to dilate. I am so happy your husband is eating and drinking again!

Joni

I am (finally) home from an esophageal dilation procedure similar to the one described above (and ENT went down from the top and a thoracic surgeon went up from th4e stomach after removing the PEG tube. I had mine done by an ENT/Thoracic surgeon team and Brigham and Women's in Boston who have done about 50 of these--most have resulted in the eprson being able to swallow well enough to get off the PEG. There is a slight (I was told 3% but it had never happened to them yet) risk that the esphagus will be perforated when this surgery is performed.

Well the Queen of Complications will now accept her crown.

Yes, I screwed up their "never happened to us" record--when I came to in the recovery room my right lung had collapsed because air from the esophagus that had been used during the surgery ahd gotten in the lung. I will not say anymore about how awful this part was but I WILL say I was truly glad there was a thoracic surgeon right there, and interns, to insert a chest tube and suck the air out.

I ended up being in the hospital for 7 days, on serious antobiotics, and a chest tube with suction on, as they waitted hoping the eprforation would show signs of healing--apparently it wasn't huge but it was definitely there--a barium swallow was done that showed fluid leaking out the esophagus so I was instructed NOT to swallow--not even my saliva--even tho9ugh, to my delight, I finally COULD.

Finally the thoracic surgeon suggested a stent be put in the esophagus so that more problems didn't happen before the performation healed. I went in for that surgery 6 days after the dilation surgery. It worked in that the stent is in, and another barium swallow indicates I'm not leaking anything now that it is in. I've been told by a speech pathologist they work with there that I can try swallowing as much thin or thick liquids as I can handle. My throat is still VERY sore, though and I'm not sure how much of the pain is from thr stent. The stent has to stay in 8 weeks, I assume to be sure the eprformation has healed, but while it's in, at least my esophagis won't close up again. After it's removed, I may face more dilations as well, but none likely to cause such bad comolications as my thraot won't be so thoroughly closed up as it had gotten gradually......

Joni, Do look for another opinion before accepting that your husband will be on a tube forever. Despite me being the Queen of Complications, I have no regrets about trying to get my swallowing ability back and still have high hopes of getting off the tube eventually.

Nelie

Nelie, I am so sorry about the complications from your surgery. Please let me know how you come out. You sound an awful lot like my husband-what can go wrong will go wrong. Keep us updated. We are trying to find a doctor with experience in this procedure. I don't know where to start. No one in this area that we have talked to seems to be familiar with it so we will probably travel. We hope to find someone with this expertiese. If any one has any suggestions, please provide names.

Thanks.

Joni

Joni, If you'd be interested in traveling all the way to Boston, send me a message and I'll give you the name of my docs. The hospital was rated as one of the best overall by US News and World Report and despite my experience with complications, I think these are some of the best docs I could have found for this procedure.

Nelie

Joni- My husbands surgery was a total sucess- meaning they were able to open his esopaghus to normal size. We then went back to memorial Sloan- Kettering for a dilitation, aweek later.. We do not need to go back. He will need to have a modified barium xray every 4-6 months to make sure the esopaghus doesn't start to reclose. He starts speech( swallowing) therapy tomorrow as those muscles have atrohied as he hasn't swallowed since the middle of January.He is eating applesauce, over easy eggs, mac and cheese etc. It takes him a long time!
The best gift I have given him during this awfiul disease and treatment was not accepting our ENT's statement that he would be on a peg tube for life. The doctor at Sloan was topnotch and followed thru with everything ,including getting these surgeies scheduled weekly.

Joni- go to USA news and world report on the internet. University of Chicago medical center is in the top 10 cancer hospitals. If you want to go to memorial Sloan _ Kettering in New York we were referred to Dr.Moshe Skhke 212-717-3113 by our Radiation Oncologist..

Nelie,
Wow! I am sorry that you have had such difficulties, but I really am proud of you for going to such efforts to regain your swallowing functions. It sounds like things will get a lot better for you. Here's hoping so.

Danny G.

Thanks Danny! I'm hoping so too (right now my throat is still so sore I don't seem to be swallowing as much as I'd hoped--I'm hoping this is partly the stent and will get better when it comes out).

Nelie

Thanks everyone for all of your replies. Our oncologist referred us to an oncologist surgeon at the University of Chicago today. Hopefully, we will be talking with him soon. Jordan I am so glad to hear your husband is eating again. I am so happy for both of you that the dilation worked. We will keep trying. Nelie, thanks for the private message with your doctor's info and website. The oncologist wants us to find someone closer because of follow up appointments. I agree with him, if we can. Hopefully we will get in soon to see the doctor in Chicago soon. I hope your recovery goes well. Please keep us informed of how you are doing.