I would like to share this information with people who may have strictures post radiation.

Problem: John had serious scarring in his esophagus after radiation to the extent that he could not even swallow his own saliva.

Previous attempts at treatment:
- The gastroenterologist attempted to give him a gastroscopy but failed. We were told that there was nothing he could do.
- Two swallowing tests with a speech and language pathologist showed that nothing was going down the esophagus.
- The interventional radiologist tried to open up the esophagus using the balloon but failed because he could not even find a tiny opening to put a wire in.

New procedure: The interventional radiologist put in two magnets above and below the strictures and left the magnets to do their work. There was no cutting, no bleeding involved. After two weeks the magnets created a channel and John is now able to drink all liquids. This will be followed by gradual dilatation to further open up the esophagus so that he will be able to swallow soft food.

As far as the doctors know, John is the first person in the world to have this procedure. Their intention is to publish the findings and present this at conferences so that other patients can get similar help.

John has been on a PEG tube for two whole years and this procedure has improved his quality of life in a really major way. He found an interventional radiologist who was willing to think outside the box and to experiment because John asked around again and again. He just would not accept the fact that he could not swallow. So, his persistence has paid off.