John underwent esophageal dilatation five or six times over a six-month period so he could eat solid food. Each time it took a whole morning. Since the patient is heavily sedated, the recovery takes a rather long time. They also want to check for any bleeding post dilatation as that is a possibility. The whole time John needed dilatation, he had to keep his feeding tube in case the dilatation failed.

I’m surprised that your husband needs dilatation since from what you said, he was eating burgers and pies,etc. So, was he having swallowing problems previously but he didn’t tell you? Is he now working with a dietitian who makes suestions about what he can eat to boost his weight?