Keep.➡️ GULP. Taking a Seat at the Table After Head and Neck Cancer (Print Edition)

All prices are in USD. International cards will convert at checkout.

Keep. ➡️This is the paperback edition of GULP for clinicians, libraries, and readers who want a physical reference.

GULP.

Taking a seat back at the table after head and neck cancer.

If eating has become effortful, frightening, or quietly isolating, this book is for you.

“The timing of your book could not have been more perfect.” - Reader

Living with dysphagia changes more than how you swallow.

It reshapes confidence, identity, relationships - and whether shared meals feel possible at all.

GULP. is a practical, deeply human guide for people learning how to live well with dysphagia after head and neck cancer.

Not to cure it.

Not to push through it.

But to adapt with confidence, creativity, and dignity.

This is not a clinical manual.

It’s a companion for real life - at home, socially, and beyond the clinic.

What changes after reading GULP.

1. You stop blaming yourself

Dysphagia is not a lack of effort, resilience, or the “right mindset.”

GULP. names what’s really going on - physically, emotionally, and socially - so shame eases and self-trust returns.

2. You regain agency around food and eating

Instead of forcing yourself through fear or following advice that doesn’t fit real life, you learn how to make choices that work for you - what to eat, how to eat, and when eating is optional.

3. You find your way back to shared life, on your own terms

GULP. supports re-entering meals, social situations, and travel without pretending everything is fine or explaining yourself into exhaustion.

Connection becomes possible again - without performance.

Who this book is for

When eating - and everything around it - feels out of reach



“After extensive head and neck cancer surgery, eating and speaking felt frightening and out of reach. The timing of GULP could not have been more perfect. I plan to use it to help me transition back to oral eating - and back to my life. Yvonne articulates exactly how difficult this is, without minimising it.

Her work has had a huge impact on me.”

Margo Baker



This book is for you if:

• You live with dysphagia after head and neck cancer and want food to feel less frightening and more human again
• You’re tired of advice that ignores the emotional and social reality of eating
• You miss shared meals, spontaneity, and confidence at the table
• You want practical ways to adapt without giving up connection or joy

This book is also for clinicians who:

• Work with dysphagia and want to understand what living with it actually feels like beyond the clinic
• Support patients navigating fear, grief, identity, and social eating
• Want language, frameworks, and insights that textbooks don’t offer

What this book is really about

GULP. speaks directly to lived experience - the fear, frustration, grief, and the small wins that slowly rebuild trust at the table.

It acknowledges that dysphagia is not something to “overcome,” but something to navigate.

With honesty.

With creativity.

With compassion.

It’s not about swallowing perfectly.

It’s about staying connected to life.

The Back At The Table (BATT) System

At the heart of GULP. is the Back At The Table (BATT) System - a flexible framework for re-entering eating and social life after dysphagia.

The BATT System is built around four adaptable food anchors:

• Stock
• Soup
• Sauce
• Smoothie

These anchors support safety, nourishment, and enjoyment as needs change - at home, socially, and while travelling.

The system meets people where they are, not where they think they “should” be.

Inside GULP. you’ll find

• Real stories that reflect the emotional reality of dysphagia
• Practical ideas for navigating everyday eating and social situations
• Language for explaining dysphagia to others without embarrassment or apology
• Reflections on identity, grief, and rebuilding trust with food
• Permission to adapt without shame and on your own terms

This is a book for fellow travellers - and for those who walk alongside them.

What clinicians say

“Yvonne has a profound understanding of the physical and psychological hurdles around eating issues. This allows her to write with true empathy and provide knowledgeable insights. Her content educates, comforts, and inspires in equal measures. I cannot recommend Yvonne’s writing enough to anyone looking for an authentic, compassionate voice in this space.” Dr Jana Rieger, PhD Founder & CEO, True Angle