Connie, Having just gone for my swallowing test, I am wishing I had gone much earlier.

It seems that radiation, for me, has had a direct effect on the muscles that got the worst of it--my jaw is tight, and I am using the therabite (and some jaw massage that the speech therapist showed me yesterday) to address that, and the muscles that control the throat around the epiglottis (which are right next to the BOT-which I know they radiated really thoruoghly in my case too) are apparently even tighter and that is why I'm having issues swallowing anything solid (and actually issues dirnking as well--though I have learned to compensate by double-swallowing when I sip somehting). For me too, the surgery doesn't explain it, I was eating almost whatever I wanted after surgery but before radiation.

The speech therapist seemed to think eventually, with exercises, I can stretch those muscles out and back to being normal enough to eat solid food but I wish I'd been doing those exercises a few months ago since my impression is the longer there is stiffening from rad, the harder it gets to use the muscle all the way again. I also know that my jaw didn't start getting as stiff as it is now until maybe two months post-rad, so it seems this sort of thing can sneak up on you after rad.

In short, I would say he should ask for a swallowing test as soon as possible.

Nelie