Laurie,

Swallowing difficulties have been a problem for lots of us on this site, but not all of them have been surgery-related. I had surgery before radiation, and had many more swallowing problems after radiation than after surgery. I never had a PEG tube, so I went through periods of having to swallow a diet that was almost completely liquids, then moving on to soft foods in very small bites (it seemed like every meal took at least 2 hours because I could only swallow tiny amounts at a time, and I needed tons of water to try to wash them down my throat).

It's important for your husband to try to keep working the swallowing muscles. If he continues to have problems, his doctors may need to check for a possible blockage.

Cathy

Tongue SCC (T2M0N0), poorly differentiated, diagnosed 3/89, partial glossectomy and neck dissection 4/89, radiation from early June to late August 1989