We talked to Dave Simpson, a former RAF air traffic controller about being diagnosed with and living with oesophageal cancer.
Oesophageal cancer is cancer found anywhere in the oesophagus (or food pipe) that links the mouth to the stomach. The severity of which is linked to the size of the cancer, the underlying health of the patient, where the cancer is located and whether it has spread.
Dave spent fifteen months with symptoms before he went to the doctor, he was finding it difficult to swallow but delayed going to his GP. In 2009 he was diagnosed with oesophageal cancer. Following his diagnosis he had surgery and chemotherapy in 2010.
Dave said, when they looked, after "poking about with a camera", there was a tumour 35/40cm extending down the length of the oesophagus. After nine weeks of chemotherapy, and six weeks off, he had surgery at Addenbrooke's Hospital, which involved bringing forward the whole of his oesophagus. He had been ‘replumbed’.
Following his treatment Dave started giving back to cancer services, by becoming involved in local Healthwatch and cancer networks. He has now had ten years of commitment and involvement with cancer care networks. He is a Healthwatch Chair, an award winning Macmillan volunteer and a telephone buddy. Dave has also taken part in a film (on CT screening).
Dave's message is: “just go for it, the NHS is brilliant, go and see the doctor at the first sign of symptoms." He also advises to “stay off the internet, unless it is with Macmillan Support or Cancer Research UK, there is lots of misleading information everywhere”.