hello all,
del my hubby has recently had a biopsy- 21/2 months post radiation tx. still not able to eat, just sipping water. but the observation of the surgeon is that the epiglottis has been irradiated to the point of non function; and although he says people can live with this situation, del will always have a risk of aspiration. but has anyone have any experience with this sort of thing?? i'm trying to help him to be able to swallow things soon. havent seen the speech swallow therapist since this news-
thanks, and have a peaceful holiday season

Hi Nyc

My epiglottis was removed during surgery 2 years ago at MD Anderson. I'm sure our situations are different because I didn't have radiation. After surgery, I woke up with a feeding tube through my nose. They immediately sent me to the speech therapists for swallowing evaluation. After working with them I was able to swallow OK and feeding tube was removed 4 days later. Yes, I had aspiration problems also, especially at first when tube was removed and again when I got home from hospital. After conscious effort and taking care what I eat, I am swallowing just fine now. If I get in a hurry or eat grainy stuff such as rice, it will happen but I am always able to cough it up without further problems. It seems in your husbands case, he needs to see speech therapist ASAP because they can show him many different ways to swallow. Hope this is of some help to you and good luck.

wow. Thanks for answering that russell. That gives me hope. I was told my epiglottis had worn away by radiation and I am able to swallow liquids and smooth pudding-like stuff (yogurt, pastina with sauce) but I can't do much else. I did have radiaiton as well as a partial glossectomy prior to radiation, and had a almost total esophageal stricture which prevented me from swallowing much for over a ytear after radiation, not to mention a highly sensitive tonguie that burns in response to many things, so my swallowing problems are probably due to several variables. I still have a G tube but get about 1/2 to 2/3 of my calories each day orally. Swallowing is still a lot of work for me--I wish I had been treated more aggresively and sooner by a speech pathologist that really knew how to help (I did see a speech pathologist, two in fact, who are both very nice people but really didn't help--long story).

Nelie

thank you so much, its good to hear that we're not dealing with a life threatening situation, just one that needs attention and teaching.
best to both of you,
nycgrl