Hi Sophie, sorry I missed your post and did not respond sooner. John's esophagus was totally blocked after radiation, he could not even swallow his own saliva. However, even at ten weeks post radiation, the doctors were saying to us to not be impatient and that the best help for swallow was to swallow. We finally got him a barium swallowing test which showed that he was not swallowing anything.

Given Stephen's symptoms, I would think the first step is to get a barium swallowing test. The doctors may then decide to perform a dilatation or have him work with a speech and language pathologist on swallowing techniques. The fibrosis can get worse as the internal scarring continues. (Yes, it takes a few months for the scarring to happen.).

In Ontario, it takes ten to twelve weeks to get a barium swallowing test. I strongly recommend that you start the process ASAP. Try to get yourselves on the cancellation list if you can manage to go at the drop of a hat. That way you may get lucky and get in early. If Stephen is coughing up bits of food, he is having difficulty getting them down.