Mark and Bob - thanks for the helpful info. I would have to say overall - eating is much better for Johnny now, then it was just a few months ago. But he is way too embarrased to go out to a restaurant and eat in public, since he hates the coughing up/re-swallowing food thing that still happens. When I think back right after his radiation, when the only thing he was managing without too much difficulty was Mrs. Weiss' noodle soup, Rice Krispies cereal and glasses of Ovaltine and Ice cream - he HAS come a long way! He went to see a dermatologist today to see if there's anything he could recommend for the tight/hard neck..and unfortunately he said there was "nothing" out there that would help. He did however, inject him with a steroid to help reduce a puffy scar he has on his chest where the drainage tube was after his neck dissection. He said he can also have that removed by a lasar procedure as well. But thanks for the info. once again - I will pass it on to Johnny. So far he hasn't heard about the test results. Keeping my fingers crossed that everything is OK.