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What to expect after oesophageal surgery

Recovery after oesophageal surgery is similar to stomach surgery but there are some differences. For more information, see Managing side effects.

	Recovery time You will probably be in hospital for 7–10 days, but you may stay longer if you have any complications. It is likely to take 6–12 months to feel completely better after an oesophagectomy.
	Eating and drinking You will not be able to eat or drink immediately after surgery. A temporary feeding tube is often inserted at the time of the surgery. Once you begin eating, you will usually start with fluids such as soup, and then move onto pureed foods, then soft foods, and eventually normal, solid foods. It is best to eat 5–6 small meals throughout the day as you may feel full quickly.
	Breathing problems Controlling pain will help avoid problems with breathing that can lead to pneumonia. A physiotherapist can teach you exercises to help keep your lungs clear. You may also be shown how to use an incentive spirometer, a device to help your lungs expand and prevent a chest infection.
	Drips and drains You may have a feeding tube to get the nutrition you need, and another tube (nasogastric or NG tube) to drain fluids from the stomach. The NG tube will be removed before you leave hospital, but a feeding tube is likely to stay in and be removed after you have gone home.

For more on this, see our general section on Surgery.

→ READ MORE: Feeding tubes

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This information was last reviewed in February 2024. View who reviewed this content.

Prof David I Watson, Matthew Flinders Distinguished Professor of Surgery, Flinders University, and Senior Consultant Surgeon, Oesophago-Gastric Surgery Unit, Flinders Medical Centre, SA; Prof Bryan Burmeister, Senior Radiation Oncologist, GenesisCare Fraser Coast and Hervey Bay Hospital, QLD; Kieran Cahill, Consumer; Jessica Jong, Clinical Dietitian, Upper GI and Hepatobiliary Services, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, VIC; John Leung, Consumer; Prof Rajvinder Singh, Professor of Medicine, University of Adelaide, and Director, Gastroenterology Department and Head of Endoscopy, Lyell McEwin Hospital, SA; Dr Sarah Sutherland, Medical Oncologist, Chris O’Brien Lifehouse, NSW; Paula Swannock, Upper GI Cancer Nurse Consultant, St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne, VIC; Rebecca Yeoh, 13 11 20 Consultant, Cancer Council Queensland.

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