Gail, welcome and sorry you have to be here... but it's a great place for support and information so you've come to the right place.

Everything you're undergoing sounds normal to me. I had many of those same issues and even now, nearly 20 months out of RT, I'm still dealing with throat pain, constriction, stomach upset, swallowing issues and numbness.

David CPA, one of the top veterans and most knowledgeable posters here, has said it takes 2 full years to recover from throat radiation and I can testify that in my case that's turning out to be true.

So hang in there, try and take as much of your nutrition through the tube as possible, keep swallowing water and lots of it, and keep us posted.

It's hard to comment on the going back to work issue. That's different for all of us. I finished rads at the end of May and didn't really feel up to working until October, part time, and I'm a writer! So I wasn't lifting anything but my fingers and, hopefully, a few brain cells...

Did they give you a numbing agent for the sores in your mouth and throat? I used viscious lidocaine... which helped somewhat. Ultimately you just have to tough it out until the irritation subsides.

Hang in there, we're right there with you!

David 2