Since then I have had heart surgery June 19, and had my recovery complicated by aspiration pneumonia! I made the mistake of thinking I could handle swallowing, when I first felt thirsty after surgery. I was still anesthetized, and I must have aspirated some of the ginger ale, and other items.
( if you have any swallowing issues, and are having surgery, I suggest you be considered "nothing by mouth" in recovery )
Oddly since the surgery my tongue has felt even more swollen, while the lymphedema on the right side of my neck almost disappeared. So I am still in search of good MLD techniques for the tongue and its related lymph nodes.
Being G-tube dependent is not a good thing. My PSP has suggested a Vitamix and "real food" liquified to the point that it can be pumped by tube. The pain of recovering from pneumonia with my sternum still tender has made me even less inclined to work on swallowing exercises and swallowing small amounts of real food.
thank you, Jon
SCC, HPV-related P16 Stage III T1N1M0
(prim. site rt base of tongue, 1.5 cm, 1 lymph node, nearly 3 cm)
Rad neck dissection 5/19/17 no probs
TORS 5/26/17 remove rt tonsil and divot at rt base of tongue
Arterial bleed at surgical site 5/31/17, 5 days intubated and sedated
Asp. pneumonia, hosp acquired pneumonia, DVTs
Tot 13 days in ICU
31 days targeted rad, until 9/21/17
No evidence of disease since
Still G-tube dep
Very grateful to be alive
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