Hi Pattymac:I have been quietly reading your discussions. I am sorry to hear you are so scared. I want to ask if you are taking time just for you, everyday where you can just sit and quietly relax your body and mind, head to toe? When I was guided to do this, with paced breathing, post lung cancer surgery the healing was significant. My vocal cords felt swollen for a few months. It took at least three months for those delicate areas to calm down, I did not even dare to cry. Give your body, mind and spirit time to heal and with your brilliant mind think about how the healing process can help calm your fears. Have you read any of Dr Amit Sood's  books? Happiness is one of my favorites because it helped me understand a lot of my being scared. You have a lot of people who truly care about you don't you? Let me know what you think of Mayo Clinic Dr Amit Sood's books or his free daily on line messages available through his website. Integrative medicine programs helped me learn how to control my ding scared & now i can literally blow my fears away. You deserve a big cyber hug;-)All my best,linda 

@pattymac Hi Patty: I agree with @llwortman as she suggested Dr. Amit Sood's book. He really does offer some very practical suggestions for dealing with our emotions. Please consider that.

With regard to your fear of aspiration - I can understand your fears. Do you have any swallowing/choking problems currently?

If you are having swallowing problems I recommend you eat slowly and have small meals. Softer foods that don't require a lot of swallowing might be a good idea as well. Proteins from fish, eggs, etc. might work better than beef, etc. that is harder to swallow.

Keep in touch and give Dr. Sood's book a try - I'm sure you will gain something from it. I wish you a peaceful day! Teresa

Hi @pattymac - I like Linda's suggestion. Here is the link to Dr Amit Sood's website Resilient Living - http://stressfree.org/. He also has some great videos on his site that may be helpful to you. We all have you in our thoughts and prayers.

John

Thank you and I'll see if my library has his book:) I don't know what I would have done without all of you these past few months and I thank all of you:)

I'm not having any issues with swallowing at all. I started thinking about the space(I think there's one), that the non-working vocal has left and if every time I swallow does that go into my lung? And is that contributing to my cough or is cough just from the procedures and I'm worrying about it for nothing:)

@pattymac If the coughing is occurring when you drink or eat I can understand your concern about aspiration. However, this question might best be addressed by a doctor, give him a call.

By the way, there are "thickening" products (available at a drug store) that you can add to liquids to help them go down better if you do have swallowing problems. Best wishes to you for a worry-free day! Teresa