Sandy

I believe the simple answer to your question is YES. If there have been OC patients who had zero eating or swallowing issues, I have not seen their posts on this or any forum. Eating/swallowing and radiation appears to be an oxymoronic phrase. Like David posted, I attributed my good fortune in being able to swallow to foregoing the PEG and being forced to swallow six cans a day of Ensure Plus or die the last month of TX I lasted 4 weeks into radiation still eating solid foods. Now that I have been forced to have a PEG, I am looking forward to just having it as a backup someday.
The important thing is to keep swallowing no matter what. Everything else will come back in time. One year exactly after TX, I had the very best Thanksgiving dinner of my life because I savored each bite and did not take one swallow of food for granted. My taste never came back fully.
Finally I would not have made it through without Seltzer Water. It cut thru the mucous, it cleared out the Ensure film, it soothed the oozing mouth sores without irrating them and I imagined the carbonation as little scrubbing bubbles whisking away the dead skin cells. Best wishes and stay strong.
Charm