Speech – Language Pathologist
Eating is an activity of daily living that we as humans seem to take for granted since it has become something of second nature. But isn’t that mostly the case, until it gets taken away from you? Eating is something that provides nutritional value for energy and growth, is cultural, and is a sociable act. Now try and imagine someone telling you, for whatever reason, that you cannot eat - or even worse drink! You’re told you can no longer eat your favorite foods until further notice and possibly even take a simple sip of water because it may be harmful to your life.
You may be told that you have to alter these foods and drinks to taste differently (mostly not to taste good) so you can swallow safely. All of the sudden, the act of eating becomes not so second nature anymore. Eating loses its enjoyment factor it once held as sacred. The medical term for “swallowing difficulty/disorder” is called a Dysphagia. Dysphagia can occur at any part of the multi-faceted physiology that encompasses swallowing from the mouth to the esophagus.
Dysphagia is not a disease, but a symptom of something else that may be going on. Therefore should you notice your loved one showing signs or symptoms of swallowing difficulties, it is imperative not only to see a Speech – Language Pathologist for a Clinical Dysphagia Evaluation and possible swallowing therapy, but to also see your physician. Possible Signs and symptoms of Dysphagia include the following:
- Inability to recognize food
- Difficulty placing food in the mouth
- Inability to control food or saliva in the mouth
- Coughing before, during, or after a swallow
- Gagging
- Attempts to clear throat during or after swallow
- Frequent coughing toward the end or immediately after a meal
- Wet/gurgly voice quality after swallow or during meal
- Inability to produce voice
- Increase in secretions in the pharynx or chest after a swallow, toward the end of a meal, or after a meal
- Change in rate of respiration
- Difficulty/inability to breathe
- Change in lung sounds
- Audible or visual breathing
- Chest pain
- Back pain
- Watering eyes
- Runny nose
- Facial reddening
- Facial grimacing
- Temperature spikes
- Reoccurring pneumonia
- Weight loss when no other reason can be defined
Swallow: A Documentary About Dysphagia
According to the American Speech-Language Hearing Association, dysphagia can result in:
- Poor nutrition or dehydration (Palmer, 2000)
- Risk of aspiration of food or liquid, possibly leading to pneumonia and chronic lung disease (Palmer, 2000). Pneumonia, a prevalent infection in nursing home patients, has the highest mortality rate of any secondary infection in institutionalized elderly patients.
- Decreased enjoyment of eating or drinking
- Isolation or embarrassment in social situations involving eating
- Physical discomfort
www.amyspeechlanguagetherapy.com
To read more about the entire swallowing process go to http://www.amyspeechlanguagetherapy.com/the-normal-swallowing-process.html.
About The CareGiver Partnership. The CareGiver Partnership helps caregivers and their loved ones with answers to their caregiving questions, including information about home health care products and supplies, from our Wisconsin-based team of Product Specialists who are all current or former caregivers. The company’s Web site provides the largest online library of resources on subjects most important to caregivers — from arthritis to assisted living, and Parkinson’s to prostate cancer — as well as access to more than 3,000 home care products for incontinence, skin care, mobility, home safety and daily living aids. The CareGiver Partnership was founded in 2004 by Lynn Wilson of Neenah, Wis. Visit http://www.caregiverpartnership.com to learn more or call 1-800-985-1353.
1 comments:
Thank you for this useful information. Also the link you have given has everything about swallowing process.
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