Back with an update. Last summer I had a stent put in my esophagus after an attempt to unblock a complete stricture, and dilate the esophagus ended in a perforation. The surgeon who put in the stent wanted me to keep it in a year because he thought that would prevent the need for additional dilations. However, starting around October, it got harder and harder to swallow anything. My local ENT scoped me at the end of November and said he thought there was a strciture that ahd grown across the top of the stent (the one place in my throat where a stricture COULD grow with the stent in!) so I went to have the stent removed a week and 1/2 ago. There was indeed a stricture that had grown over it and there was some leeding from removing it, but he also dilated my esophagus even more than it was last summer.
And for the first time sicne radiation (over a year and 1/2 ago), at least with liquids, I feel like I can really swallow again! I mean, normal size gulps. I can actually gulp down water when my thorat feels dry without choking. It's great. I still have a long ways to go--I've only just begun exerimenting with non-liquids (my throat was sore right afetr surgery and it seemed wise to jst stick to water and broth for swallowing work to let it heal). Tonight I tried isntant mashed potatoes with some extra butter and it felt like sand going down my throat. And any liquid with any acid in it (like this berry smoothie stuff I was pouring down my tube) also irittates both my mouth and throat.
I'm hoping this is just a matter of gradually toughening up my mouth again. Its been a long long time since I've swallowed much.
The other problem may be something that just requires more swallowing practice or it may be really intractible and that is that any little solid bits of things I seem to have a prpoblem swallowing still-even using water to help wash them down. I was told a year ago I have a shortened epiglottis and it also isn't moving all the way down when I swallow so stuff kind of gets stuck on it. Also the back of my mouth is really dry and the tissue is not nice and smooth and stuff just gets caught there.
I'm hoping these are also things that, with time and work, I can improve and learn to work around. But even if I can just swallow smooth liquids that means I can eventually get off the PEG as longas I can swallow enough of them, which it now appears I can.
The thoracic surgeon said 6 months with the stent might be enough to keep my throat from wanting to close up again so maybe I won't even have to go back for more dilations but if I do, I do. I'm finally FINALLY seeing some light at the end of the tunnel!
Nelie
