Another person chiming in to say it does get better. Some of us get better more slowly than others and I think it just has to do with individual differences in how badly the radaition and chemo affects us. I had phlegm problems for about 3 months then overnight (it seemed) I went to having much less phlegm but have a cotton-dry mouth most of the time (and very painful still as well). It took about 9 months from the end of rad/chemo for me to notice that I have a *little* saliva back (and that's with taking salagen, IMRT, having taken amifostine during radiation, and getting intra-oral massage to stimulate my salivary glands) and it's really only in the last two months that I haven't regularly had to take some kind of pain killer for mouth pain (I still do have some low level pain all day but it's not bad). Oh, and did I mention I *still* struggle with phlegm sometimes (in part because I can'r swallow it easily but also I still have more of that goopy stuff than I used to)?

I look back on trhe first few months after radiaiton and I am stunned, in retrospect, by how totally awful I felt and how sick I was for how long. It's been a slow road back but it *does* get better. Have patience and have hope.

Nelie