Hey there Buster - sorry to hear you're still dealing with a severe sore throat and thick mucous. Have you checked in with your MD? Pain too severe to swallow should really be managed by your doctor. There's a wide range of "normal" -when I was recovering after treatment I would be discouraged when I found I wasn't getting a bit better every day - but when I started looking at it week to week, I could really appreciate the gains I made.
I am concerned that you're not eating now due to the sore throat - do you have trouble swallowing (coughing, choking?) If you do, you should see a speech therapist for assessment and treatment- if you don't have trouble swallowing (other than the obvious-pain!) then you may need to push yourself (tough love here)to at least drink so that you maintain those swallow muscles - it doesn't take long for them to decrease in their range of motion and make what might be a safe swallow today an unsafe swallow in a couple weeks.
Regarding that mucous - sometimes it gets really thick when we don't stay well hydrated - could that be an issue for you? Do you think you're getting enough water through your PEG?
Take care - seems like you have enough concerns to warrant a trip to the Doctor!


Jennifer (39)
02/10 SCCa Tongue & Base, HPV-
03/10 Partial Glossectomy & ND 11/10 Revision due to additional nodes 12/20-2/2/11 IMRT & concommitant chemo 2/11 PEG in 3/11 PEG out
Back at work and feeling good 03/24/11!
12/20/11 - 9 month f/u PET/CT - all clear!