An Orgy Of Mastication

Things are starting to look better.
Today's therapist appointment went pretty well. She wanted me to try to swallow food again, and thought just maybe I might be able to handle something classified as "solid".

Her explanation: pureed foods, such as applesauce, have a tendency to get stuck in the folds of the esophagus for some patients. Normally, puree would be the starting point, but I just might be one of those exceptions.

Following her instruction, I took a few nibbles of a saltine cracker and, Praise the Lord, it went down.
Gradually, I was able to work up to about 1/4 of a cracker at a time.
And a corn chip. A full teaspoon of water. Diced peaches (one piece at a time).

To get them down is a five-step exercise of it's own:
Step One: Turn head sharply to the right.
Step Two: Tilt head sharply downward. (Basically, my chin should be almost on my shoulder. The right side is the paralyzed side. This pinches off that side, forcing everything toward the muscles on the left side.)
Step Three: Breath in. (This fills the lungs, to keep 'stuff' from going into them.)
Step Four: Bear down, as if taking a hard dump. (This clenches the vocal cords, and helps to keep 'stuff' on the right path.)
Step Five: Swallow hard.

I'm still a long time away from enjoying a dinner plate, but I'm grateful for any blessing that comes my way.(Like realizing just how tasty a saltine cracker can be.)

That, and there is some hope that I may be 'fit' enough to attend a certain wedding in May.
For now, I'm keeping the fingers crossed.