Larry, radiation can make it difficult to swallow. John was unable to swallow even a couple of sips of coffee after Week 4. You may need to use the PEG for the time being, so don't feel bad about having to do so. It helps you to keep up with your nutrition intake and hydration. However, you must do your swallowing exercises daily and do dry swallows to keep the muscles in shape. This is vital.

Do a saline soak three or four times a day where the skin in your neck has broken down. I followed our hospital's suggestion of putting the saline on a J cloth. I then covered it with a clean dish cloth. Remove the J cloth after ten, fifteen minutes, then put the skin cream (like Pro Shield Plus, which is a barrier cream or what Christine suggests) on your neck, cover it with a non-stick dressing and put some gauze over it. The saline dries up the sores and helps them to heal. Just don't put any cream on your neck prior to treatment because it will exacerbate the effect of burning.

Is your coughing caused by the phlegm that has collected in your throat since you can't swallow your saliva? If so, rinsing your mouth with flat club soda to clear the phlegm will help, so will using a WaterPik on the lowest setting with a bit of magic mouthwash. John carried a bottle of water and a spit cup around with him for months. Keeping his mouth moist helped a bit with the phlegm. Sleeping with the humidifier on as Christine suggested helps too especially at night when the mouth gets dry.

It is a tough treatment and sometimes it feels like it's never going to end, but it will end. If you need to rant, we are here for you.