I was not able to pass the barium swallow test--too much liquid is getting down my airway, posing a potential aspiration situation. The solution is to have a stomach feeding (PEG) tube inserted so I can take my liquid food safely and easily. The good news is that the dreaded nasal tube will come out, but that is offset by what will be a long delay in getting off the liquid food. Perhaps several weeks.
Once the stomach tube is installed, I can start PT to strengthen my swallowing muscles. There is some chance that I won't ever get back to a safe and functional level of swallowing, which will lead to more difficult decisions down the road.
This is a real setback. Not so much for just failing the swallow test, but because it raises questions about quality of life down the road. I just can't imagine life without green chili cheeseburgers, or even something as simple as a DQ Blizzard--but I am now a long way from even thinking about eating those things again.
As has been typical for 6+ years, setbacks like this one get me down at first--so be sure to send some extra Good Vibes our way. But also true to form, we will get our game faces on and do everything in our power to work through this new challenge, and then hope for the best. As always, it sure beats the alternative.
More soon, once I have figured out how to get a Gin and Tonic down the stomach tube...
mike
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