hi,

i have a similar situation and am now 14 months since end of chemo&radiation. For 10 months i had professional eating school. Re-training my tounge and throat has been a slow process but things seem to be still improving. The latest thing is strengthing the E to open/close. Presently, its excercise and eating.

Teacher told me to do excercises to strengthen neck mussles. Basically i lay on my back then lift and bend my head to view my feet. It starts with 3 reps of lift and hold for 1 minute - with one minute rest periods. Then i do 30 reps with no holding or rest periods. My neck it getting stronger and the opening/closing is improving. Supposed to do this three times per day - but i only do it once a day.

Eating also excercises these mussles... like others i've found canned peaches to be a very good food source. additionally cream of potato soup is good. later i graduated to dinty moore beef stew.. other foods also work, but what i am looking for is a moist food that is slippery and pliable. i have used these to help 'streach' what seems to be the constricted region.

i also drank shakes for weeks! they are great because i gradually increased the gulp volume and frequency of gulping. The shakes are Ensure Plus, yogart and jelly for 550 cal/12 oz, or add a package of Scanshake (From Giant groceries, or a breakfast shake thing) to get 1000 cal/12 oz. After getting good with shakes, i trained with thinner liquids.

presently, i think it is the neck excercises that are strengthing and helping to lift the adams apple that are most effective.

i hope we'll see additional comments on techniques that can help us.

for me 12 months seems like a very long time, but when i look back at the gradual progress, i am very happy.

cu,
larryb