Laurie,

I had noticeable swelling for MANY months following neck dissection/partial glossectomy/radiation (not sure how much was attributable to surgery vs. radiation). I never had a feeding tube, but spent a long time dealing with recurring swallowing problems and eating in VERY small bites with large amounts of liquid to get enough food down. Eventually, things started to improve, but it was a very slow process for me. I did manage to get back to the point where eating became almost second nature again, and I had to worry about putting on too much weight.

That being said, I'd suggest that you make sure your husband's doctors are continuing to watch his progress, as several others here have had more severe swallowing issues that needed treatment.

Cathy