Swallowing liquids after throat surgery and lymph node dissection

Ah ha! I expect to referred to speech therapy too! I sound like I have a clothes pin on my nose!!

We had the NAVdx blood tests my husband's came back negative which is wonderful news. However, our doctors say yes NAVdx is beneficial but best administered before cancer /tumor mass removal. There's just so much going on during that time I don't know how that would've been possible. Very stressful time going through discovery, Surgery and biopsies Etc. Nevertheless, glad we went through it. Blessings to you and continued healing and recovery. 💕

Wishing you a speedy recovery. I had (have) the same issues with liquids entering the nose. My speech therapist told me to lift my chin up when swallowing. It has gotten better now 4 months post treatment. I also had the weird sounding voice and it’s also better after doing exercises recommended by the speech therapist.

If it comes to radiation, beg for proton rather than photon as the damage and side effects are often far less. Hopefully surgery and drugs will be the route. Pins and needles until the 14th I am sure. Good luck.

The surgeon got clean margins with the residual surgery. Cancerous tumor was in my right tonsil with metastasis in lymph nodes. Stage 2. The NavDx pre and post will determine if the HPV is still active. The teaching hospital that I am going to is a little behind the curve on using it but my dr has good faith in it. I am in NC and the test has to be read in Mass. so a little delay of about 7 days for results. He will recommend after that. I really would like to avoid radiation in my throat if possible.

Another surgery? I feel so bad for you that you had to be chopped up again. You haven't had a chance to fully heal from your previous work. I will have to read a little more about NavDX as I thought that was the genetic test to confirm HPV16 but you already know the cancer was HPV16. Or do they suspect additional non-HPV16?
HPV16+ Squamous Cell Carcinoma is often very treatable without return. Unfortunately it's not 100% curable. I pray that is not the case for you. In the meantime you have to suffer through the difficulties of eating and swallowing. I'm sending a long distance hug in hopes that things get better for you quickly, that this is your year for cancer and it ends soon before the year is up, and that next year you get to live a good life again.
Things should improve as you heal. Don't worry what you sound like when you talk; at least you can talk. Eat a whole pie; it's soft and delicious and no one will judge you. You can say it's for swallowing exercises.
Do the docs think they got it all this time? What is the next phase or does that depend on the test results?