Food in my Future

Sorry about the length of time since the last post but not much has been going on. Progress has been so slow due to lingering radiation reactions that it's hard to tell from day to day if I'm improving. But based on how I feel now and how much mucous and blood I'm spitting up compared to two weeks ago, I have improved. The big deal today was I visited the surgeon who did the throat and neck surgeries for a follow-up. He liked my progress, said the swelling is minimal and I could try to start to eat some soft foods instead of taking 100% of my food through the PEG tube. I haven't tried eating anything for the last couple of months but the doctor said you have to keep swallowing to keep the throat open - to stretch it, otherwise due to the stress from radiation, it tightens. So I'm going to have to start slow and work up to eating solid food. Once I'm able to eat full meals, I will have to depend on sustaining my weight through solid food for two weeks without using the tube before they will remove it. At that point, I should be able to get back to a more normal life. Anita asked the doctor if I had to go in for an operation to remove it, just like it was put in. He said, "No, I just pull it out right here in the office." OUCH!