Mike

You do not have to wait for your doctor to start some swallowing exercises. Here is a link to the exact exercises that two SLPs had me doing and they are standard. Swallowing exercises
Any doctor of yours can write a prescription for you to see a therapist to help you with these exercises. You will want a SLP (speech language pathologist). Here is a link to a general overview of how they can help you
slp info

Okay: beard loss: I no longer have to shave my neck. It took a couple of years before the beard actually came back, and even now I can skip a day without shaving whereas before, one day and I had more of a beard than those patchy things young people sport. I now have a luxurious and full handlebar mustache.

Keep the faith
charm