Hi Rosie! All those muscles used for swallowing are just like any other muscles and get real weak if not used. From my personal experience, I just never gave up. I hated the peg tube & was real motivated to get that thing out of my body! I tried & tried, & tried some more. I coughed, choked, hacked, but just never gave up. Tell your husband to just keep trying & don't give up. I found that milk washes food down real well, it seems to lube the throat & not make me cough as much as water. I remember my swallow therapist saying to practice swallowing as hard as I could with nothing to eat to strengthen those muscles. It does get better. You have to figure out what you can & can't eat. Some things definately are easier than others & some things just won't go down. It's all part of our new normal. You adapt & life goes on. Key word here is life! Happy Holidays & I hope he sees some improvement soon. Erik