A little history ~ my husband Ted was diagnosed with cancer in the tonsil cavity in July 2007. He had 36 days of radiation and 8 chemotherapies. He finished his treatment in September of 2007 and been cancer free since. Last year started having some lung issues and was having trouble eating without choking. He was never able to fully eat the same afterward, always had to flush with water. By summer he had lost a lot of weight and continued to get lung infections. He took 8 weeks of Swallowing therapy in Sept & Oct. In November they tried the dilation which did nothing. By December he had lost 40 lbs and was aspirating on everything. Admitted him to hospital in January with Aspiration pneumonia and had G tube put in. Now he is nothing by mouth. His lungs cleared up and oxygen level is great. My question is what is next. They said he has a scar band. That the scar tissue in pushing in and throat opening is narrow. That he has a shelf. He has little saliva and lots of mucus . He has lost another 10 lbs. He is 6 feet tall and weighs 134 lbs. I am giving him 9 Boost a day through his tube. But the main concern is he feels like his throat is continuing to close and he can't breathe. He is 59 and other than having a kidney transplant 23 years ago was healthy and active until this. Any advice?

Cheryl, welcome to OCF! You have found the very best source for info and support for OC. Like your husband, I finished my initial round of rads and chemo in Sept 2007.

Your husbands issue certainly sounds like it would be very scary for him. I will try to give you a couple ideas but please understand that none of us are medical professionals, we are fellow survivors and caregivers. My suggestion would be to seek another opinion with an ENT from a comprehensive cancer center. Im wondering if robotic surgery would be able to help remove some of the scar tissue. But this would also cause scar tissue so it may not be something that would work. Some members will have their throats surgically stretched to widen things. It may require repeating to be successful and also doing it every couple years again.

Best wishes to you both!

Hi Cheryl - I wish I had some advice for you, but I don't. This is probably the best place you could ever come to for the information you seek. Unfortunately, your husband's case is an unusual one, so it make take a while for others who can advise to see it and then comment.

Hang in there, stay strong.

Tony

Cheryl,

The mucus can easily be from diet as well as compromised breathing. See if you can find a pulmonologist with specific experience with neuromuscular issues such as ALS or cystic fibrosis. Much of what we go through on the breathing side is understood when managing these types of illnesses. Even Ensure will drastically increase mucus production as will dairy and sugar of any kind.

Is your husband exercising the neck regular and often? Muscle weakness in the neck increases dysphagia and can also contribute to increased mucus production.

He was doing a lot of exercises but kind of slacked off when he was in the hospital. I have been really pushing him to do them every day again. I am concerned now that he is not eating by mouth his throat will try to close shut if that is possible. I keep hearing about Wake Forrest doing new procedures for the scar tissue. Has anyone had any experience with them?