It's important to meet your nutrition needs before, during, and after cancer treatment. You need the right amount of calories, protein, vitamins, and minerals. Getting the right nutrition can help you feel better and have more energy.

However, when you have esophageal cancer, it may be hard to eat for many reasons. You may be uncomfortable or tired, and you may not feel like eating. Also, the cancer may make it hard to swallow food. If you're getting chemotherapy, you may find that foods don't taste as good as they used to. You also may have side effects of treatment such as poor appetite, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea.

If you develop problems with eating, there are a number of ways to meet your nutrition needs. A registered dietitian can help you figure out a way to get enough calories, protein, vitamins, and minerals:

• A dietitian may suggest a change in the types of foods you eat. Sometimes changing the texture, fiber, and fat content of your foods can lessen your discomfort. A dietitian may also suggest a change in the portion size and meal times.
  
  
• A dietitian may recommend liquid meals, such as canned nutrition beverages, milk shakes, or smoothies.
  
  
• If swallowing becomes too difficult, your dietitian and your doctor may recommend that you receive nutrition through a feeding tube.
  
  
• Sometimes, nutrition is provided directly into the bloodstream with intravenous nutrition.

You may want to read the NCI booklet Eating Hints for Cancer Patients. It contains many useful ideas and recipes.

Nutrition After Surgery

A registered dietitian can help you plan a diet that will meet your nutrition needs. A plan that describes the type and amount of food to eat after surgery can help you prevent weight loss and discomfort with eating.

If your stomach is removed during surgery, you may develop a problem afterward known as the dumping syndrome. This problem occurs when food or liquid enters the small intestine too fast. It can cause cramps, nausea, bloating, diarrhea, and dizziness. There are steps you can take to help control dumping syndrome:

• Eat smaller meals.
  
  
• Drink liquids before or after eating solid meals.
  
  
• Limit very sweet foods and drinks, such as cookies, candy, soda, and juices.

Also, your health care team may suggest medicine to control the symptoms.

After surgery, you may need to take daily supplements of vitamins and minerals, such as calcium, and you may need injections of vitamin B12.

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