Hi.My name is Pam and my father was treated for cancer of the paratid(sp?) gland and vocal chords. He received radiation and chemo. No surgery was done. He is now cancer free which we are so thankful for. My question is regarding healing time. He had treatments 2 years ago and still cannot eat. He had a stomch feeding tube for a long time but that is out and now he drinks liquid meals only.

He has very little saliva and no lower teeth.

Wondering if anyone else has had similiar experiences.

Hi Pam. Welcome to OCF! Congrats to your father for finishing his treatments and now being 2 years cancer free! I know all too well what having a feeding tube is like. Your father should have a swallow test done to determine if he is physically able to swallow. Then it can take months of slow progress to regain his ability to eat again. It can be done so I hope he will give it a try. But he must seek out a dietitian to first do the swallow study so he doesnt aspirate.

By the way, I dont have any teeth at all. Mine were lost due to radiation damage.

You and your father are among others like himself now. We have many similarities!

SO glad that he is cancer free for two years. It has also been two years for me, and I still have dry mouth. I wish I could be of assistance, but Christine gave you great information about getting a swallow test done.
Welcome to OCF!

So glad your dad is doing well what you've described is common, radiation has many side effects - particularly stiffening of the muscles and tissues, a therapist should be consulted, and acupuncture may help as well. Good luck and welcome.

Hi Pam

My Alex is in the same boat. We have just passed our 2 years since diagnosis mark and about 18 months out of treatment. chemotherapy followed by chemoradiation finished in August 2010. PEG came out in May 2011. Like your father, Alex has almost no saliva and minimal teeth(getting less and less every month)

It was the speech pathologist who ordered the modified barium swallow to check Alex's swallowing function. His function is damaged either by the tumour, the chemo or the radiation - we are not sure.

After 2 years, he is still on nearly all liquid feeds (Ensure Plus). Initially, we were made to feel by the RO that Alex's lack of swallow and refusal to eat was somehow his fault and due to lack of will or dedication but our speech pathologist reassured us that this is not as unusual as the RO inferred. Given what Alex has endured, this is not really such a surprise.

Now, whilst Alex is not as diligent in his speech exercises as I would like, he has a better chance of flying than being able to just "suck it up and get over it" as one physician suggested just before he had strips torn from him.

Alex has a physical issue with swallowing (sorta like the swallowing sequence is out of kilter and one of the steps is completely missing) that does not seem to be improving in any great rush, so he is resigned to very slow progress, one step at a time.

My suggestion to you would be to ask about the barium swallow as others suggest, and then if there is a physical problem preventing your father from enjoying his food, support him, and protect him from the well meaning but really annoying people who think it is a matter of trying harder.

And make sure you are not one of those well meaning but really annoying people as I was .

Alex makes a good point when he rants about the WMBRAP - "do they think I have lost my mind as well? How is it that they think I am so stupid that I haven't considered (insert obvious soft food suggestions here) already?"

Yeah. It's an ongoing problem, and very frustrating, as well. Some of us are able to eat much sooner than others, and others, not so much. I still have issues and I am nearly three years out. I used to love to eat and to cook, but that's no fun anymore. Good luck to you and your father. It's a long hard road, but two years is great, try to keep up your spirits!

He had a swallow test that revealed some "leaking" when he swallows. He doesn't give detail when relaying info to us so I'm uncertain if he was told it would heal ??

Thank you for the "welcome".