Meryl, the PA gave a big smile right after I took the first swallow of the test, and said--"no aspiration and good movement of the test liquid." That stayed the same for the rest of the short test, and the results were very encouraging, and more than a bit relieving after several weeks of lingering doubt.
So, I am safe to start eating more kinds of soft food--even foods that need a bit of chewing before they can be swallowed. My chewing is still limited, given that I have no teeth on the lower left side of my mouth, and it's difficult moving food around with my tongue--but if I can chew something well enough to get it into little pieces and wash it down with water, I am cleared to do that. Coming up next--scrambled eggs, syrup-soaked pancakes, tuna salad (hold the celery), fish, and pasta with lots of sauce on it. Who's better than me?
Meryl says that I can start to wean myself off the liquid chicken as long as I can maintain my caloric input to keep my current weight. I am a very long way from eating green chili cheeseburgers again, but that could happen down the road.
Next goal--getting rid of the stomach feeding tube. In order for that to happen, I need to not use it for two weeks straight, while not losing any weight. I am a very long way from that goal--maybe several months--but I am now cleared to start working on it.
As always, our thanks go out to Team Mike for the many Good Vibes and well wishes going into the test today. You came through again with the best birthday (tomorrow) present I could have asked for.
Mike
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