Dear Uptown,

I'm so sorry this has happened to you. I suppose you have had a swallow test to confirm that you are indeed aspirating. This is, in my opinion, the worst side effect of radiation for head and neck cancer patients. Silent aspiration is insidious and hence extremely dangerous. John had it and he kept getting bacteria that normally are not found in the respiratory system in his lungs. He literally was on antibiotics non-stop. It is way safer not to swallow even sips of water because they can go down the wrong way and you wouldn't even know.

John and I struggled with that continuously and it is very hard to know that another member of the forum has fallen victim to it too. I hope you will find a way to come to terms with it eventually. I wish you all the very best.