Jim, Thank you, that is encouraging. I'm still adjusting to the news I need this and am alternating between hope that surgery could make a huge difference in what I'm able to swallow (and I would SO like to be able to eat again) and fear that, if there is some risk of somehting going wrong, something WILL go wrong in my case (not an unreasonable fear given how many things HAVE gone wrong in the last year or so).

I'm also frustrated to learn that this speech pathologist (who does nothing but treat patients with swallowing issues after head and neck treatment) that she believes the IMRT *caused* this. I definitely want them to know this at Radiation Medicine (which is connected to Roswell Park). I'm wondering if anyone has any thoughts on how I can best make sure they not only get this message but that it is duly attended to (as in someone reviews the radiation plan and makes sure that isn't done again). It seems to me it would be best to talk to my ENT here about it (he will get a report from the speech pathologist I saw) and make sure he follows up on it with them. It should be of real concern to him since I know he was someone who really wanted a good radiation medicine facility here and he works with them, refering all his cancer patients there.

Nelie