Arnie,

I really don't think the thyroid itself is causing your swallowing problems or thick saliva. Most likely as your throat has healed from the radiation, it is not what it used to be. Here is a link you might check out: http://www.bdssite.com/ and specifically here: http://www.bdssite.com/esop.html to see an actual xray of how BDS discovered his swallowing problems from a clinical perspective. This is not to say yours is like his but it gives one snapshot as to what happened from radiation for him. It makes sense that all of us with similar amounts of radiation to our throats have some type of scarring or healing issues from the damage caused by the radiation.

In regards to your thick saliva that is most likely a result of damage to your salivary glands. Many products are out there including Salagen and Evoxac that are supposed to increase the activity of your salivary glands with side effects of sweating and a few other things. I have tried both and don't know if they are helping. Saliva is 90% water and if you sip water every few seconds, that is probably the best thing you can do for your thick saliva. Unfortunately, it is something that we will all live with from radiation on.

Ed

SCC Stage IV, BOT, T2N2bM0
Cisplatin/5FU x 3, 40 days radiation
Diagnosis 07/21/03 tx completed 10/08/03
Post Radiation Lower Motor Neuron Syndrome 3/08.
Cervical Spinal Stenosis 01/11
Cervical Myelitis 09/12
Thoracic Paraplegia 10/12
Dysautonomia 11/12
Hospice care 09/12-01/13.
COPD 01/14
Intermittent CHF 6/15
Feeding tube NPO 03/16
VFI 12/2016
ORN 12/2017
Cardiac Event 06/2018
Bilateral VFI 01/2021
Thoracotomy Bilobectomy 01/2022
Bilateral VFI 05/2022
Total Laryngectomy 01/2023