I went through two separate proton beam radiation therapies- 35 (2019) and 5 (2021) doses. I had a feeding tube for 15 months in 2019 and most of 2020. August 2021 I had a tracheostomy done by my ENT. I was scheduling it for 4Q 2021, trying to avoid it as long as I could, but was in distress breathing so had it done after an incident when I was "drowning in air." This was an incident to be avoided-it was frightening for me and my family. Traches have plusses and minuses-plusses-I can sleep without a CPAP now and exercise without breathing difficulty so can climb hills and golf-the minuses-I can't swim, boat and have a low gravelly voice. The plusses win. No larengectomy to date.