Hi! My husband had stageIV base of tongue SCC diagnosed 1-7-04. He is now cancer free! The advice I want to spread throughout the H&N society is about esophageal strictures. How to prevent them and /or get them resolved. My husband could not swallow his own saliva due to a stricture from IMRT from 2-04 until 6-07 after we found a miracle by the name of Dr. H. Worth Boyce at USF. If you are having problems, please contact me so I can help you, we want to spread the news not to get a PEG and quit swallowing like so many H&N patients do.

Jenifer, why don't you just post on here what the doctor's solution was rather than expect people who may see your post to contact you. If there is something new or innovative this doctor is doing, even those of us not needing the information should understand it, as we deal with so many patients as a matter of routine. Otherwise the cryptic manner in which you have posted this looks too much like the weekly commercial product posters that only wish to reach our population of posters with some new widget, herbal cure, religious solution, and more they wish to sell...and which we regularly deleate and ban their ip address from posting.

Also, I had a PEG, 7 weeks of IMRT, and I swallow just fine. Sometimes, as in my case, there is no option. That said, I am very happy that your husband was helped and hope you will share the details with this community.

Forgetting how to swallow is abig deal. When I was being treated, I ran into a woman who's father-in-law had lost the ability. Had been living on a peg for 5 years. I had terrible trouble while being treated due to mucositis, but forced myself to swallow small amounts of water with my oxycontins. they were very small. Whatever advice you may haved will help all here.