I was in the same boat. I actually got better with pain meds. Before meds, I would choke, get sick, and then spasm til I was empty. With no PEG it was a lot of work getting 2500 calories down just to do it again. After I started meds, I got sick every now and then but the spasms stopped. It still wasn't fun but it became a lot more manageable.


Dx March 2011 via FNA (49 yrs old)
SCC BoT
HPV+ exact strain unknown
Stage IVa T3N2cM0
Cisplatin x 3, IMRT x 40 (7267 cGy)
One node removed post-treatment (rad dmg)
Clean PET 10/28/11
Swallow therapy