Hi Everyone,
I am mainly here for answers and support from other folks going througjcwhat I am. I was involved with some other online groups and most of the time, no one else was ever online at the same time. That doesnt do much good when you just need a shoulder.

So. My name is Art C. I live in the panhandle of WV right before the VA state line.

Got diagnosed in December of last year (2018). 10 days later I went into John's Hopkins hospital for my 1st surgery. But unfortunately, my skin grafts would not accept normal blood flow, so I had 2 more surgeries within the next 2 weeks finally ending up with a pectoral flap rotation into my right side of mouth. I would be ecstatic if there was another patient on this site that had the same surgery! Please reach out to me if so!

Anyway. I was sent home with PEG tube about a week after that to get ready for 6 weeks of radiation therapy. Oh. I forgot. I had a trach tube in for 8 weeks. Yuch! And I thought for sure that I would be able to eat normally after that was taken out. EEERRRRR!!! (insert Family Feud buzzer here)

1st of all. None of my bottom teeth are anchored to anything. AND, something is going on to when I swallow even soft foods, it seems to get stuck about 1/2 way down. Has any one experienced that? If so, how did they fix it.

I am going down for another swallow study tomorrow. Wish me luck!

That's about all for now. I'll be happy to talk to anyone that wants to chat.

Thanks for listening,

Art C (Gypsyrock)

Art, exactly what have you be diagnosed with, tongue cancer? It’s not clear from your post. What kind of treatment have you been through, surgery, radiation and/or chem? If you could give more info, you’d find more people can answer your questions to the point.

I would think that the swallowing test right now is the most important. The doctor will be able to determine what’s the problem with your swallowing and then he may choose to do more dilatations or have your work with a speech and language pathologist.

Just so you know, not many of the members of the forum are online at the same time and can talk back and forth. It just doesn’t happen for a forum of this nature. I hope you don’t get disappointed as a result.

Wishing you all the very best at the swallowing test.