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Joined: Dec 2018
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well, swallowing well chewed egg salad, very lightly cooked egg and some spoonfulls of oatmeal/maple syrup.At 5 weeks, throat is sore but have to put up with it. Apparently you have to stretch the throat all over again?

Have tried some of these exercises - anyone concur ? or something different?


Falsetto Phonation or “Sirening”

Make a siren noise from a low pitch to a high pitch. Use a “ng” sound. Hold the pitch for 2-3 seconds. Repeat 10X, 3 sets, twice daily.



Masako Maneuver

Protrude tongue slightly between your front teeth. Hold tongue in this position by bearing down gently with your teeth. Swallow while keeping tongue protruded. Use this technique several times daily when swallowing your own secretions (water if you have no saliva). Repeat 10X, 3 sets, twice daily.



Effortful Swallow

Keep your mouth closed and the tip of your tongue elevated to your palate. Swallow as strong as you can, focusing on squeezing with your throat muscles (like you have something stuck in your throat and you have to get it down), repeat 10X, 3 sets, twice daily.



Mendelsohn Maneuver



Place fingers gently on your neck to feel how the larynx/voice box rises when you swallow. When you feel your larynx rise to it’s highest point, try to hold the larynx in an elevated position for 5 seconds. Repeat 10X, 3 sets, twice daily.

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Your esophagus may be scarred due to the radiation and so it requires to be stretched out again. It is important to remember that the radiation touches and impacts those parts of the body on its way, not just the cancer. You sound like you’re doing well, you have to give it time.

There are a variety of swallowing exercises. It is helpful to do them all to strengthen your swallowing muscles and keep them from becoming atrophied.


Gloria
She stood in the storm, and when the wind did not blow her way, she adjusted her sails... Elizabeth Edwards

Wife to John,dx 10/2012, BOT, HPV+, T3N2MO, RAD 70 gy,Cisplatinx2 , PEG in Dec 6, 2012, dx dvt in both legs after second chemo session, Apr 03/13 NED, July 2013 met to lungs, Phase 1 immunotherapy trial Jan 18/14 to July/14. Taxol/carboplatin July/14. Esophagus re-opened Oct 14. PEG out April 8, 2015. Phase 2 trial of Selinexor April to July 2015. At peace Jan 15, 2016.
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I am seeing a swallowing therapist monthly. She said, this is not something you should think of as temporary, but for life. It makes sense, all our body functions decline with age, but those that are affected by external factors will be more susceptible. I think of it as sun skin damage. It isn't noticible when you are young, but it does show up in your elder years.
The exercises you posted, are part of my regimen, but there are many more. I don't have a PDF copy, but I found this that has my exercises and a few new ones.

https://swallowingdisorderfoundation.com/free-swallow-exercises-pdf/

My therapist advised to do 60 various swallows per day, and I can count swallows when I am actually eating or drinking, but fall under one of the exercises.

One note of my own opinion. Swallowing improvement is only part of issue with getting back to normal. I am eating more foods, but still having issues with chicken, pork, beef, etc.
I think throat saliva is essential, no matter how good our swallowing returns. So that improvement, has to return through time.
But having a glass of fluid handy, could help with those foods that are getting stuck.
But my therapist advised, don't use that as a crutch all the time, or I will get dependant on washing down every bite.
Best of luck, it sounds like you are right on top of your recovery needs.


Enlarged left cervical lymph node in neck on 1/9/18. Male, age 60. Had retired from working as a computer technician and a project manager for almost 38 years, on 7/1/17.
Node was removed 1/16/18 and found to have SCC P16.
Chest xray clean.
Since then, PET/CT, slight activity left parotid, possible malignancy left lingual tonsil. MRI clean.
3 endoscopies, nothing seen.
2/26/18 Larryngoscopy,primary not found.
TORS 3/23/18 lingual tonsil biopsy.,biopsy negative.
Chemo/rads started 4/18/18.
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