Today's testing was difficult to swallow

In the time between chemotherapy cycles my doctors took a look today why I’ve been having extreme difficulty swallowing which has been a problem for me for the past several months.

 You may have already had a swallowing test with a speech-language pathologist, also called an SLP. During this test you may have tried different foods and liquids. The SLP may have checked how well you can move the muscles of your mouth and how clearly you talk.

Sometimes the SLP needs even more information about how you swallow. You may need another swallowing test - this time in the radiology, or x-ray, department.

Today’s testing included:

§                         videofluoroscopic swallowing study, or videofluoroscopy

§                         modified barium swallow, or MBS

§                         esophagram

§                         cookie swallow

I wore a purple Warhawk football sweater. I left the testing with my sweater caked in barium.

I was a demanding couple of hours.  I’m back home tonight.

Back to The VA in Madison tomorrow where a dental team will study why chemotherapy continues to destroy my teeth.

http://www.asha.org/public/speech/swallowing/Videofluoroscopic-Swallowing-Study/