Hi Gloria,
Remember I posted a response to you on another thread? My husband is going through the same swallowing problems as your husband? His is also due to radiation scarring. So tomorrow, mine (Jack) is going to have a procedure where they insert a flexible scope up through the stomach (where his peg is) and a scope down his throat at the same time. Hopefully, they meet and he can dilate enough so Jack can swallow. If he can only dilate a small amount Jack will have a tube through his nose going down the throat to keep the area open for about 3 weeks, which the surgeon said will be a little uncomfortable. But then he will have another esophageal dilation to open up a little more & have the nose tube taken out. Then he'll have a third dilation in a few more weeks to open up even more. So there we have option 1 that it works the first time tomorrow and option 2 for the several dilations. Option 3 is major surgery where they have to open the throat and graft a tube in there or something like that. We are hoping not to have option 3. My husband broke down and cried in my arms this afternoon and I wept with him. But I told him whatever the outcome we will face this together and we'll get through it. Are any of these options doable for your husband? The surgeon that is performing this procedure for Jack is the original surgeon that we saw at the beginning of his diagnosis when robotic surgery was considered. He is an ENT surgeon at Johns Hopkins but operates out of GBMC in Baltimore. Do you have a surgeon you can consult with who does this kind of procedure? (the scope thing)
Also, we don't know first hand about having multiple esophageal dilations (yet) but I've read some posts on this site that some people have indeed had them and they are okay with it. Maybe after 6 or 7 of them it doesn't need to be done again? When we had mentioned to my husband's friend that he was going to have the esophageal dilation a few weeks ago, he said his brother has one every 3 months! and he's been having them for years! We know his brother and had no idea. Don't know what his condition is and why he has to have them but he has no problem with getting it done.
I am going to post tomorrow the results of my husband's procedure. I will keep you both in my prayers and hang in there. If you need any more info let me know either here or in a pm.
Hugs,
Pamela