Hi Craig! I am glad your here. I was told all of the consequences of treatment up front & found this site before treatment started. It scared the HELL out of me! I clearly remember asking the docs point blank, "What if I just don't treat it?". The surgeons charge nurse/assistant said, "You'll be dead in 6 months. The tumor will keep growing & close off your airway." I also have 3 children & a helluva wife & the decision from there was not that difficult. I am a little over 2 years out from that day, alive & living life very well. Your still early on in the healing process, be patient & fight like hell! Keep yer chin up! You can do this! Can you swallow anything at all? Keep trying & experiment with different foods for softness & slipperiness & combinations. I love a good steak, but it is still hard to swallow, so I will combine bites with bites of tomatoe for instance. Real butter lubes up everthing. Olive oil, etc. Wash everything down with milk, it was easier to manage than water at first. There are still certain foods I just won't bother with today, but I can eat just about anything I set my mind to now, but it has taken time & dtermination. Erik