Name: Susan Joyce
Location: Tennessee
Date: 05/20/2012
Time: 09:40 PM

Comments

Mom,83,has copd,diabetes,and dementia.False teeth that fit poorly are part of the problem.She has a good appetite,but doesn't seem to realise that she can't take big bites.I cut her food,encourage water sipping(through a straw helps),and remind her to chew thoroughly.I couldn't say if thin or thick liquids make a difference.She also can choke on her own saliva.I am truly grateful that she can still feed herself and enjoys every meal..whether she chokes or not.Thanks to all that have commented,it always helps me.

Name: Lisa
Location: Michigan
Date: 05/17/2012
Time: 07:07 PM

Comments

My mom suffers from esophageal spasms. It has gotten worse after her hiatal hernia and as the diabetic neuropathy has gotten worse. Sometimes she can choke on her own spit. It doesn't matter if the food is moist or dry. One of the hardest parts is that she has lost most of her bottom teeth and the partial doesn't fit well. That is hard as mom had always taken care of her teeth. I don't like for her to eat alone in case she chokes. I have had to do the Heimlich maneuver on her. She also has gastroparesis so her food has a hard time digesting. Since she had the hiatal hernia repaired, she can't throw up so she has that issue to deal with also. My aunt recently had a neck surgery and now she is having issues swallowing too. They say there is nothing we can do – you know the drill - cut her food into small pieces, use lots of gravy ..... it's like the food gets stuck in her esophagus and won't move. Plus she has a few goiters. Mom is 79 and has had this issue for quite a few years.

Name: Harriett
Location: California
Date: 05/16/2012
Time: 06:29 PM

Comments

I found that antihistamines to avoid a stopped up nose, etc., helped, as did smaller more frequent meals, so that an extra-hungry eater wasn't gulping badly chewed foods. Consider pre-cut and softer foods, peas instead of corn, for instance, since peas can be slightly mashed, and if need be, for times when the symptoms are worst, taking every bite of food (and any pills) with gravy, sour cream, (there is non-fat sour cream available) pudding, yogurt or some other slide-right-down-food on the same spoon, and more in between each bite. Drinking thicker, or thickened liquids helps a lot, as does making sure the eater is sitting well upright and not slouching. It all helps. The main element in all of this is being there and sharing/supervising, as is appropriate, the meal-time experience. Beyond choking, of course, and mal-nutrition there is the problem of aspiration, and aspiration pneumonia. Hey, consider it a chance for you to sit down and get off your feet. Your attitude makes a difference too.

Name: Judy Beauchemin
Location: Branchport, N.Y.
Date: 05/15/2012
Time: 07:16 AM

Comments

My husband has had difficulty swallowing,(dysphagia) especially when taking some of his pills and when eating, for the past several years now. The problem developed gradually after his severe stroke 20 years ago. He has used thickener in his beverage and sometimes that helps, but not always. He also uses honey on a spoon with the pills and that seems to help the most. His posture is bent forward now, which is a contributing factor. It sometimes helps to pull his shoulders back.

Name: Leta Laible
Location: Toluca, Il.
Date: 05/10/2012
Time: 06:12 PM

Comments

I want to know if anyone with parkinson's has a lot of mucus?? It gets so bad at time it is chocking my husband. He is on a neblizer several times a day. It does help some. Anyone out there with any sugestions. He swallows a lot of the mucus and also has a gtube. We worry about his lungs.