Jimbo3, is it correct for me to guess that the scarring has closed the esophagus so that the GI could not get a wire in to open it up? John's esophagus was totally closed for two whole years due to scarring and was opened up recently when our interventional radiologist performed a new procedure on him. You can read about the details in here

http://oralcancersupport.org/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=186296#Post186296

If you are interested in the procedure and would like to have the name of the hospital and the doctor, please PM me. Your GI may want to consult our doctor. My understanding is because John was the first person in the world to receive the procedure, it has not been published yet. I do know the doctor will be presenting the technique at an endoscopy conference in Europe.

With the passage of time, you may lose even the little ability you have of swallowing as more scarring occurs.

Gmcraft...thank you for the response. I am not sure why the procedure could not be completed. (I will get a copy of medical procedure record). My wife and I assumed that the esophagus had "shrunk" to the point that the instruments could not go in--or--the tissue was so fibrotic that it could not be dilated. Glad you raised the question. I will read up on the procedure that John had. Maybe the GI docs here are not aware of it.
Question: was John on a feeding tube while his esophagus was closed? IF so, what kind (PEG or NG)?

Jimbo3, John was on a PEG from the third week of treatment. As far as I understand, the scarring from the radiation creates strictures in the esophagus and that causes the swallowing problems. The scarring seems to take a long time, way after the surface burns on the skin of the neck has healed.

Gloria...appreciate your comments. I had a total of 38 radiation treatments; last one was on March 17, 2014. The last session was called a "boost" and took about 4 times as long as each of the other sessions. The way I understand it, my esophagus is "narrowing" due to the radiation scarring. My fear is that it may eventually close off completely--leaving me with a permanent PEG tube. Will just have to wait and see...but in the meanwhile I plan to live each day as normally and as sane as I can. I don't chat much in here but the group's comments on many aspects of our disease is really educating me to many topics.

Hey Jimbob3, just wanted to say "Welcome" and share in your joy of the "No new cancer" scan you had! That's awesome! Looking forward to hearing more from you. Warm Wishes.