Anyone with experience with gastrectomy?

[dstoeck]

My FIL is to undergo the removal of his stomach and lower part of his esophagus due to Barrett's Esophageal cancer tomorrow (Friday Dec 7). The plan is to attach his small intestine to the lower end of the remaining esophagus and making a little pouch in the upper part of the small intestine. The thought is that after time, the pouch will increase in size and he will be able to eat somewhat normal meals. The time to get there will be about a year or so.

The family has been studying up on how to care for dad after the surgery. Some of us have found similar websites about people who have had this surgery only to develop complications within the first year and pass on very quickly.

Any advice or suggestions for information would be greatly appreciated.

[In]

dstoeck,

I'm sorry to hear about you FIL's Ill health. I haven't got any idea when it comes to this certain Cancer etc. But just wanted you to know that I'm thinking of you and your Family. I'm sure someone with more of an idea will be posting to you as soon as they can.

I hope you get the answers you are after.

[Anne44]

I was diagnosed with stomach cancer May 06. I had a total gasterectomy the same month followed by 25 sessions of radiation and an attempted chemo round. I had many complications and hospitalizations throughout my treatment. Now my biggest issue is eating enought calories to sustain me. I have lost a lot of weight throughout the process and probably will never gain back.

The follow up tests; CT scan, scope and biopsys have all come back negative for cancer. I am looking to talk to anyone that has had the same cancer experience as I have.

Thanks for reading.

[dstoeck]

Sorry for the long delay in updates. We got a new computer and I lost my bookmarks. Then someone was kind enough to post and voila! here I am.
First, FIL is living with a bag that is connected to the end of his esophagus that is positioned near the bottom of his neck. This bag - a fistula? - is for the collection of any liquid or solid that he drinks or eats. The drinking and eating is solely for psychological and sensory satisfaction purposes only. He is being fed via a J-tube.

He doing remarkably well! He went home in mid January and is now driving short distances by himself as well as walking without his walker now. His voice is more upbeat and he states that he's getting used to his feeding situation. I told him that maybe this situation is better than being "connected" cuz now he can eat what he wants! No more worrying if it has garlic or too much oil. He can enjoy Cincinnati Chili, warm apple pie a la mode, and spicy german sausage!
He's headed up to Cleveland today for a checkup tomorrow. He tried the trip 2 weeks ago but had an anxiety attack as soon as they reached the interstate (15 min ride from his house). He stated that he's feeling OK with the trip now, so we hope he can make the 4 hour drive! They break up the drive with a stop in Columbus to visit one of his sons (my husband's youngest brother) which is a 2 hour trip.

The family varies from one degree to the other with regard to how well they think dad is doing. The oldest son feels that dad has one foot in the grave. My husband, 2 sisters, and the youngest brother feels that he's doing really well, but still has a long way to go, the oldest sister just feels like everyone is making a big deal out of nothing (she's been in denial during this whole ordeal) and the remaining sister simply doesn't talk about it or has no comment - another one in denial. So there is plenty of healing to be done in the family!

But overall, the situation is good. Very good. He's been able to get back into the dulcimer group that they belong too and acutally played a few songs. He can visit his favorite buffalo wing joint and watch the sports. He can take walks with his wife after dinner - although they don't walk the mile or so they used to! But he's confident that he will very soon. So life is slowly getting back to normal for him with exception of "feeding the machine" - as he puts it.

I wish everyone on this board all the blessings that God will grant me towards your and your family's health and well being. Thanks for letting me share the information on my FIL. Hopefully it will help someone else. I'm wondering is this detached system is better than attaching the esophagus to the intestines. I wonder how many others are in this situation.

God bless all of you.

[Roberts8]

This is a strange question: My husband had his stomach removed in nov 96. He has lost a lot of weight and tires very easy but other than that he keeps fairly good health. He drives a school bus 4 hrs daily giving him purpose. My concern is he suffers from flatulence which at times is offensive. It goes thru his clothing and bedding which is changed each day. Is this due to cancer or the lack of a stomache to break down food . He is not on any medicatin and does not eat fatty or spicy food. Any advice would be appreciated. Cheers Rosie

[swaggerstick1]

Go read my Jan.2 2007 post about my experience with this. It so happened that my surgery was on Dec. 7th 2004. BTW _ I am still kicking, I will be 69 in a few weeks. I go every 2 years for a biopsy. It is due in April. They say if you make it 5 years you should be ok. I am in my 5th year. Good luck with your FIL.

It involves removing part of the stomach and reconstructing what is left into a new stomach. The new stomach will be smaller and capable of holding a lot less food than before.
I have nursed patients after gastrectomy, and they seem to do pretty well.
The biggest problem after the op is food intake. Your capacity will be smaller so you will need to find out about adequate nutrition. This op is often done to help people lose weight so weight loss may well be an issue post op. If you are not overweight you will need diet supplements to maintain your weight.