Hi @cskippy Welcome to the Head and Neck group here at Connect. In my personal experience seven years is not unusual to continue having nerve issues and having to deal with this. My speech was also affected and being a field engineer working in loud environments whilst trying to be heard complicated matters. I learned to slow down my speech, which helped in pronunciation so my mouth could keep up with my brain.
Swallowing on the other hand improved with time. Changing eating habits to mate with loss of saliva and difficulty swallowing improved over time. Likely this was simply that I got used to new ways of eating as I am still the last to finish my plate. I would say however that swallowing issues can be addressed through several methods which include therapy, exercises, and in some cases surgery. Swallowing requires the use of roughly fifty small and large muscles working in coordination. Radiation messes with not only the nerve signals but with the muscles as well. Again, what worked for me was simply slowing down.
Others on this feed likely will have some input to this discussion as time permits. Most of us have faced identical issues from our brief romance with the cancer family.
Have you consulted a cancer experienced ENT concerning these issues?