You know, Isoemtimes kind of wish I had toughed it out without the PEG tube, because I wouldn't have this battle to get back to eating real food. Although I can see why the folks at Dana Fraber said the required a PEG for their patients who were doing chemo and rad. One of the artciles they gave me on the effectiveness of chemo and rad looked at severity of side effects and the one most likely to increase in severity (from rad alone) was mucositis and it increased often to the point where the patients couldn't eat or swallow. I never stopped swallowing --I made myself sip water once in a while even when it stung--but I don't swallow unconsciously anymore, except when I'm sleeping. I think this is part of the reason I'm spitting so much is I have to consciously tell myself "OK, try swallowing that spit in your mouth" these days. It isn't surprising really because there is a very sore patch on my throat as well the the sore spots on my tongue.

I hope the pain lessens soon too. I can see from looking in my mouth and feeling around with my finger that some of the mouth sores are shrinking in size. It would also hwelp me not worry about the possibility of having a recurrence already if the pain lessened a little.