That is the best way. Outpatient surgery. I only woke up in ICU one time from some type of reaction. I have been put to sleep so many times, I can't remember them all and at Hospitals just about everywhere. LOL, maybe I just like to be put under !!!

I have had kidney stones 12 times, no fun at all, 4 shoulder surgeries, both elbows operated on, Esophageal Surgery where they wrapped 1/3rd of my stomache around my esophagus, 2 anneurysm surgeries and waiting for # 3 , many biopsies from this OC and many more from the endoscopes of my esophagus. Then we can count the 5 surgeries from the OC itself where things were removed a piece at a time including my teeth. Time in a bank for me Every minute out is one day added to my life . LOL

I had to have 10 dilations, one a month for 10 months. The radiation shrunk my esophagus from the normal 18mm down to 6mm. I didn't notice it until a couple of months after I completed the radiation when I started to try and eat solid foods again. That's when I would choke because the food would get hung up in the upper esophagus. my gastrodoc dilated a few millimeters at a time so he wouldn't damage the esophagus. that's why it took ten times/months. my last dilation was in december '08. i can eat better now, but still have to take smaller bites than i did before the cancer. he said i may still have to have a dilation done at least once a year.

Youe Esophagus will have a tendancy to shrink some maybe as mine does. There are worse procedures to have done than this one. With this, I guess it's the tought of being put to sleep one more time. Good luck and I hope your esophagus stays normal.

Thank you Jim! I read your profile....you are a super trooper!

UPDATE to my original post on this topic...

I ended up having a total of 10 dilations all together. The last one was in December of 2008. My esophagus seems to be holding its own fairly well. Although there are limitations in my eating caused by a lack of saliva, I am now able to eat a variety of foods and can swallow fairly well.

A few of my favorite dishes:

Pasta salad (One box of shell pasta cooked soft, 2-4 cut up green & yellow peppers, LOTS of cut up fresh tomatoes, Kraft Free Italian dressing). Keep in fridge. I like to heat mine up before I eat it because it goes down easier when it's warm and it's more soothing to my throat that way.

Beefaroni [like spaghetti but easier to eat] (One box of elbow macaroni cooked soft, ground lean hamburger, chunky garden style spaghetti sauce).

Tossed Salad with fruit (Chopped lettuce (the crunchy parts of the leaves are easier to eat), quartered tomato slices, peeled diced cucumbers, sliced canned peaches or canned pineapple chunks, Kraft Free Italian dressing (or dressing of choice). The fruit adds a bit of sweetness.

Tip: I found that I can eat most kinds of meats if I take a small bite with a fork full of green beans or other soft moist veggies and chew them together. The veggies add the needed extra moisture to the meat that we no longer have in saliva.

I am jealous LOL Meat?? what does that stuff taste like? have a good day all.

[quote=EzJim] I am jealous LOL Meat?? what does that stuff taste like? have a good day all.[/quote]
Meat is a tricky one. For the longest time, I never thought I would be able to eat meat again at all until I learned the trick of putting moist veggies on the fork WITH the piece of meat and chewing them together. Some meats are easier than others. Hamburger for instance will go down fairly well if it is mixed with noodles like elbow macaroni and a tomato sauce. If I try to eat hamburger by itself, all the little particles of meat separate and stick to the back of my tongue. I then have to keep drinking water to wash them down. I don't like eating hamburger like that for fear of aspirating the little particles. I can also eat a chicken leg if I take a small bite of it along with a bite of moist veggies such as green beans. In fact that is one of the very few things that I can eat on the Hardee's menu now! One chicken leg, green beans and mashed potatoes w/gravy. (I say chicken LEG because a leg is easy to hold and bite into, and it is dark meat which is less dry and less stringy than white meat). I can eat some of the meals at Boston Market such as their meatloaf and turkey. As long as I take very small bites and include a bite of moist veggies, the meat goes down just fine. Although my eating ability is very restricted compared to the way it was before the cancer, I am at least thankful that I CAN eat. I sure miss eating hamburgers the way I used to though! The good thing about being limited is that I don't eat nearly as MUCH meat as I did before, and they say that's better for the heart and blood vessels anyway. As far as the taste, most meats taste pretty much the same as they did before the cancer. Some other foods are a little off though, like chocolate...so I tend to stay away from it now. I also miss eating cake by itself. I can eat it now, but ONLY with the assistance of a bite of ice cream with each bite of cake.

I wish I could eat meat in any form. But with a lot less and more painful tongue, now teeth at all and a bare lower jaw bone, it's impossible. As for cake, I need a coffee , milk or water to keep it from lumping and getting stuck in my mouth or throat and choking me. I undersatnd the particles getting stuck in the tongy=ue or other areas in the mouth where you have to get them using the good old fingers LOL Oh life can be such fun at times . It's a good thing we have someone such as you that understands and passes out advice to others. Thanks for the impout and you did make me smile.

Applesauce is also great for getting food like pork chops or roast pork down.

Take care,
Eileen