The Old Man always had a pretty hefty appetite, to put it mildly, but had a great deal of difficulty swallowing for some time after the tracheotomy surgery. They gave him a Passy-Muir "speaking" valve, which he didn't like and refused to use for many weeks. Once he was persuaded to use it, however, the appetite increased and he was able to eat quite normally until well into the radiation treatments.
We discovered this little place on Lex, between E 61st and E 62, while searching for a button shop I had read about. Pane e Vino, open to the world in front yet air conditioned inside, it became one of our favorite spots.
The treatments caused swelling and irritation, not to mention changes in the tastebuds, so by mid-August, the tube feedings took over. Today, for the first time in almost two months, the Old Man was able to get down some Cream of Wheat! Whoohoo!
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