I had esophageal dilations every year for a decade. They always helped my swallowing, but the radiation damage over 18 years finally started impacting my nervous system. The nerves that controlled my swallowing ceased to carry signals well, and my dysphasia got worse. I started aspirating liquids silently while eating, and they got into my lungs. I had three bouts of aspiration pneumonia which were cleared up with antibiotics. But after the third hospital stay, the doctors warned me that at some point in the future I would become antibiotic resistant, and it would kill me. The dilations solved my eating issues for years. They were great and painless and simple to undergo.

But as long as you can do these simple procedures, my recommendation is that you continue them. IF things go further south, there are other battles with swallowing, speech and more. If you are lucky those will not become part of your world.

The recommendation was that i should go back to nutrition through a PEG tube. I was crushed because I’ve always been such a foodie. I loved the different tastes, textures and more. But three years ago eating and drinking by mouth was no longer part of my life. I’ve adjusted and life goes on without that simple pleasure. But it is a healthy life. My cardiologist could not be more pleased as what I eat now is an optimum concoction of foods chosen for their nutritional value not their flavor. So my blood work looks like a 25 year olds. It’s some pretty weird stuff, but all bought at the grocery store not pharna company junk just full of soy and corn syrup for calories mixed with vitamins. Along with the eating issue, shortly afterwards neurological issues ruined my speaking and my life of lecturing and other simple ideas like talking on the phone were done. Brian