Dealing with the latest episode. I'm resigned that this is how it will be from here on out.

Couple of aspiration pneumonia episodes since I last posted. Then, last week ER and a week in the hospital with pneumonia that isn't typically aspiration - more likely due to weakened immune system and possibly infection from rotting teeth. Guess where the rotting teeth came from...radiation. This latest pneumonia also resulted in sepsis, so even after being released from the hospital, he's going in every day for IV antibiotic therapy. Because of all the poking from IVs and chemo during treatment, finding uncompromised veins is always a challenge.

Swallowing issues haven't gotten any better, either. Even after more than a year of weekly swallowing therapy, swallowing seems to get worse and worse. Husband is now resigned to having his PEG tube for the rest of his life and getting most of his nutrition that way.

I hope somebody that has just started into this journey isn't reading this. Then again, maybe treatments have changed in the last 10+ years and these late side effects are a thing of the past - I certainly hope that is true.