choking

[Guest guest]

why cant you suction it out of your throat?

[Guest guest]

I think we're talking about different kinds of choking. I am talking

about blocking off my throat airways. I think you're talking about

aspirating. Am I correct?

[Guest guest]

when you swallow does your saliva and food and mucus get stuck in

your throat???? so that you have to open your trach in order to

breathe??

[Guest guest]

Same here...too.

Re: Re: Choking

Same here. I'd be dead without my trach. I just love my little " blow hole " !

Vicki

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 9/7/2002 11:59:58 PM Central Daylight Time,

pickndaisies2002@... writes:

> when you swallow does your saliva and food and mucus get stuck in

> your throat???? so that you have to open your trach in order to

> breathe??

Yes, quite often.

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 9/8/2002 4:18:59 PM Central Daylight Time,

pickndaisies2002@... writes:

> How old are you? and when did you get your trach?

I'm 44 yrs. old. I was 12 when I got my trach. That was 32 yrs. ago.

[Guest guest]

How old are you? and when did you get your trach?

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 9/8/2002 7:39:28 PM Central Daylight Time,

pickndaisies2002@... writes:

> are you on a vent?

No, why do you ask?

[Guest guest]

are you on a vent?

[Guest guest]

For the last couple years or so I've started running foods I have

trouble chewing through a food processor. I can even eat salad this

way which was at one time a " gauranteed choke " cuz of the lettuce

(like I think Amy mentioned). During the day when I'm home alone with

Ravyn, my 5 year old, I just drink protein shakes. The last thing I

want to happen is to choke to death in front of my kid! Choking is

the scariest thing ever for me. I hate the feeling of not being able

to breathe!

The only time I have trouble with saliva is if I sleep on my back for

a really long time. Ocassionally, I'll breathe in a big gulp of

salivia, especially when being transferred from bed to a sitting

position, and it'll set me off into an asthma like attack.

I take Claritin for what was termed " chronic allergy-induced

draining " . (I can't take decongestants though cuz everything tends to

drain straight into my lungs. Yuck!) I get especially gunky when I

eat lots of dairy.

> Do any of you guys choke a lot?

[Guest guest]

Kris,

Many years ago I would wake up choking. Since joining this group and reading

all the messages, I have learned many tricks on how to deal with this

disease. For instance I no longer eat anything or snack after 8PM. I liked

having crackers with cheese and a glass of milk just before bed until I

finally put 2 and 2 together and realized whenever I did this is when I

would have a problem especially the milk. It would make phlegm and choke me.

I was afraid to fall asleep at night, afraid I would choke and not wake up.

Since I don't do this anymore, and since all my dilations, I sleep good at

night and no longer cough or choke during the night. I do cough during the

day and have phlegm and post nasal drip but it is from allergies.

Ma

[Guest guest]

Hi Kris and Peg,

I am a little late in my reply, but thought I would share a couple

of things. Kris I'm not sure how much your bed is elevated, but I

have had good results raising the head of the bed with 4 inch pieces

of wood. It sounds like plenty of people have had good results with

the wedge. I rarely get the choking anymore. It often happens if I

take some sips of water before bed. Maybe something you have

already thought of, but I keep a small plastic garbage can near the

bed. What do you think of getting a second opinion. It's not very

reasuring to have your Doc. shrug their shoulders about aspirating.

Also I just started taking amitryptaline 3 days ago and I will let

you know how that works for me. I was on cipralex (another anti

depressant)for 8 months and it seemed to increase my pain over

time. My Doc. is concerned because I am going through my demerol

much more quickly than I used to. The pain I get is also right near

my spine in between my shoulder blades. It seems to coincide with

my spasms. My Doc is thinking surgery on the Vegus nerve may be the

next step. Anyway, I noticed you got lots of replies and I hope you

get some relief soon.

Kat

> > Hi everyone! Do any of you ever wake up choking in the night or

> > during a nap? It feels as though fluid from my esophagus spills

into

> > my airway and then the flap closes. It struggle (trying to stay

calm)

> > to get air into my lungs (because of the closed airway) so I can

cough

> > the fluid out.

> >

> > This happens about once a month. When I ask the doctors about

it, they

> > always just shrug thier shoulders-like it is a normal

progression of

> > this disorder.

> > ---yes, my bed is elavated and this does not make a difference.

> >

> > I must tell you all this!! My regular doctor prescribed

amytriptyline

> > (an anti depressant) for arthritis pain in my spine between my

> > shoulder blades. It has helped that pain but ALSO has helped the

> > spasms I get (espohageal-chest-PAIN in chest, neck, back) Ya

> > know-that pain that makes you want to die it hurts so bad. I

don't

> > know why or how and niether does my doctor (not surprised).

> >

> > If anyone has any info to share about teh choking-please let me

know!

> > THANKS! Kris

[Guest guest]

Choking and SMA go hand in hand. As our swallow muscles weaken, we tend to

aspirate into our tracheas. Grinding food up does help, as does eating food with

gravies and sauces. Hamburger crumbles and often goes down our airways....so

does dry flaky fish, nuts, rice, cornbread, etc.. Try to stick to foods that

form a nice, soft bolus when you swallow. Avoid thin liquids when eating, too.

Milk is good.

Vicki

[Guest guest]

Have someone push on your stomach to help cough stuff out.

Been there, done that thousands of times.

jv

Meg Witkowski wrote on 01/14/07 11:18:

> Does anyone know how to help a person with SMA

> (or in a wheelchair in general) who is CHOKING ???

[Guest guest]

<Why avoid thin liquids? Like what? Pop? Water?

My mother had Parkinson's Disease and they have problems swallowing later in

the disease. Thin liquids tend to go down the wrong way and can cause

pneumonia.

There is a powdery product to thicken liquids, can't think of the name of it

off hand.

Pop, water, juices, watery soups.....all needed to be thickened. I suppose

even, Popsicle's, alcohol, milk could cause a problem too.

Take care

Bye for now

[Guest guest]

You can aspirate more easily on thin liquids like pop or water than on liquids

with slightly thicker consistency like milk.

In your situation, it might actually be a good idea not to eat alone.

And if you do choke, the first think to do is to make somebody push your stomach

just below the rips. The person can stand in front of you and push you against

the back of the wheelchair.

You can also ask somebody to bend you double - all the way forward - in your

chair (that is if your hips aren't too stiff).

Perhaps it might be a good idea to practice all this before the next incident.

When you're choking, you cannot explain anyone what to do.

-Taya

Re: Choking

Choking and SMA go hand in hand. As our swallow

muscles weaken, we tend to

aspirate into our tracheas. Grinding food up does

help, as does eating food with

gravies and sauces. Hamburger crumbles and often

goes down our airways....so

does dry flaky fish, nuts, rice, cornbread, etc..

Try to stick to foods that

form a nice, soft bolus when you swallow. Avoid

thin liquids when eating, too.

Milk is good.

Vicki

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[Guest guest]

The stuff is called THICK IT, and your doctor can prescribe it. It can be

used in most liquids, at least that is what my doctor told me, except

carbonated beverages. I was given the option to use it years ago, but chose

to focus more on my chewing and swallowing techniques when eating. I know

eventually I will have to rely on stuff to help me improve my food and

liquid intake, but I am doing okay for now...this is also why Boost has been

a great choice for me, it’s very thick and has the nutrition I lack in the

foods I eat.

We can talk more at the meeting next week...are you still planning to

attend?

Amy M. Marquez (Ames) – Families of SMA Illinois Chapter Vice President

McHenry, Illinois

(for the latest updates, check out the Illinois Chapter Website at

http://www.fsma.org/artman/publish/cat_index_26.shtml)

“You can go on living, or you can go on dying…the choice is yours!”

Re: Choking

<Why avoid thin liquids? Like what? Pop? Water?

My mother had Parkinson's Disease and they have problems swallowing later in

the disease. Thin liquids tend to go down the wrong way and can cause

pneumonia.

There is a powdery product to thicken liquids, can't think of the name of it

off hand.

Pop, water, juices, watery soups.....all needed to be thickened. I suppose

even, Popsicle's, alcohol, milk could cause a problem too.

Take care

Bye for now

[Guest guest]

Because of past experiences I've had with choking, I only eat solid food around

folks that

would know what to do if I started choking. For lunch, I drink a Kashi Go-Lean

shake. If I go

out with friends, I try to stick with drinks or food that doesn't need a lot of

chewing. I avoid

certain " hard to chew " foods all together.

Someone mentioned getting someone to raise your arms over your head. This seems

to help

a lot because it seems to expand my rib cage. The " stomach push " works wonders

too.

I don't seem to have any problem with liquids. In fact, it seems like liquids

help me. The

only time I seemed to aspirate thin liquids was when I had a trach while

recovering from my

nightmare surgery in 1993.

[Guest guest]

when something is stuck in my throat - i never ever drink, cause i know that it

would choke me for sure. i just have to spit out all spare saliva and with time

- sooner or later - it`s going down my throat. then i can swallow.

[Guest guest]

I’m sorry, but I won’t be able to attend the FSMA

meeting. Now I am having more serious breathing

problems and am at the point of using oxygen.

There is something wrong with my lungs, and the

nurse said that the SMA is progressing and that my

lungs have weakened. I was suffocating on phlegm

this morning. My lungs were clear, I got up very

early so I was tired and decided to nap. I tilted

my chair back. When I woke up from my nap, I

could barely breathe. My lungs were suddenly full

of phlegm and I couldn’t get enough air to even

cough it up. So I got my brother to quickly call

for granny, then I took 2 puffs of my Albuterol

inhaler, and used the Cough-Assist machine. It

worked wonderfully. Took about 30 minutes, but it

kept pulling up the phlegm up and so I was able to

caught it up. And it was clear, so no bacteria.

I keep getting these “phlegm attacks” more

frequently, usually after eating, or just changing

positions. Why? I asked the nurse and she’s at a

loss.

So I’m pretty worn out, freaked out, depressed,

and tired. Plus I’m using some oxygen to make me

feel better. Mom checked all my vitals, and I am

fine. So, why the “phlegm attacks” ???? I just

don’t know what’s happening to me and I am

terrified of what else is awaiting me. :-(

Take care everyone!

God Bless!

~ Meg ~

(HYPERLINK

" http://www.myspace.com/margrett1977 " http://www.my

space.com/margrett1977)

(HYPERLINK

" http://360./margrettameritech (DOT) net " http:

//360./margrett@...)

_____

From:

[mailto: ] On Behalf Of

Amy M. Marquez

Sent: Sunday, January 14, 2007 3:54 PM

Cc: margrett@...

Subject: Spam Alert: RE: Choking

The stuff is called THICK IT, and your doctor can

prescribe it. It can be

used in most liquids, at least that is what my

doctor told me, except

carbonated beverages. I was given the option to

use it years ago, but chose

to focus more on my chewing and swallowing

techniques when eating. I know

eventually I will have to rely on stuff to help me

improve my food and

liquid intake, but I am doing okay for now...this

is also why Boost has been

a great choice for me, it’s very thick and has the

nutrition I lack in the

foods I eat.

We can talk more at the meeting next week...are

you still planning to

attend?

Amy M. Marquez (Ames) – Families of SMA Illinois

Chapter Vice President

McHenry, Illinois

(for the latest updates, check out the Illinois

Chapter Website at

HYPERLINK

" http://www.fsma.org/artman/publish/cat_index_26.s

html " http://www.fsma.-org/artman/-publish/cat_-ind

ex_26.-shtml)

“You can go on living, or you can go on dying…the

choice is yours!”

Re: Choking

<Why avoid thin liquids? Like what? Pop? Water?

My mother had Parkinson's Disease and they have

problems swallowing later in

the disease. Thin liquids tend to go down the

wrong way and can cause

pneumonia.

There is a powdery product to thicken liquids,

can't think of the name of it

off hand.

Pop, water, juices, watery soups.....all needed to

be thickened. I suppose

even, Popsicle's, alcohol, milk could cause a

problem too.

Take care

Bye for now

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[Guest guest]

Not sure what the opinions of others are, but oxygen is proven to be a bad

idea for folks with SMA. For further information, research

http://www.doctorbach.com/. It tends to mask more complicated problems and

it does lead to dependency...take it from someone who knows. You might be

short of breath simply due to your oxygen use. Your body may also be having

a reaction to the Albuterol. I know many SMAers who are allergic to

Albuterol, it causes the heart to race and leads to shortness of breath, so

Xopenex is very frequently used in its place. It is a Lev-Albuterol, thereby

not having most of the side effects as Albuterol.

Do you use a BiPap? If not, it would definitely help with all the phlegm.

Might be something to consider...

Amy M. Marquez (Ames) – Families of SMA Illinois Chapter Vice President

McHenry, Illinois

(for the latest updates, check out the Illinois Chapter Website at

http://www.fsma.org/artman/publish/cat_index_26.shtml)

“You can go on living, or you can go on dying…the choice is yours!”

Re: Choking

<Why avoid thin liquids? Like what? Pop? Water?

My mother had Parkinson's Disease and they have

problems swallowing later in

the disease. Thin liquids tend to go down the

wrong way and can cause

pneumonia.

There is a powdery product to thicken liquids,

can't think of the name of it

off hand.

Pop, water, juices, watery soups.....all needed to

be thickened. I suppose

even, Popsicle's, alcohol, milk could cause a

problem too.

Take care

Bye for now

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[Guest guest]

Don't know about anyone else but I aspirate 100% of the time if I try to

nap tilted in my chair. Don't know why. So, of course, I don't nap in my

chair. As I had reported before, I often wake up choking due to

aspirating. Some nights I will take an Actifed to try and " dry up " prior

to going to sleep (btw, I have to order Actifed from Canada now as it

seems not to be available in TX and other states will not ship to TX).

It seems to help. Also putting a rolled up towel under my shoulders to

lift my neck up a bit helps (no pillow).

I hope things get better for you.

Lori

Meg Witkowski wrote:

>

> I’m sorry, but I won’t be able to attend the FSMA

> meeting. Now I am having more serious breathing

> problems and am at the point of using oxygen.

> There is something wrong with my lungs, and the

> nurse said that the SMA is progressing and that my

> lungs have weakened. I was suffocating on phlegm

> this morning. My lungs were clear, I got up very

> early so I was tired and decided to nap. I tilted

> my chair back. When I woke up from my nap, I

> could barely breathe. My lungs were suddenly full

> of phlegm and I couldn’t get enough air to even

> cough it up. So I got my brother to quickly call

> for granny, then I took 2 puffs of my Albuterol

> inhaler, and used the Cough-Assist machine. It

> worked wonderfully. Took about 30 minutes, but it

> kept pulling up the phlegm up and so I was able to

> caught it up. And it was clear, so no bacteria.

> I keep getting these “phlegm attacks” more

> frequently, usually after eating, or just changing

> positions. Why? I asked the nurse and she’s at a

> loss.

>

> So I’m pretty worn out, freaked out, depressed,

> and tired. Plus I’m using some oxygen to make me

> feel better. Mom checked all my vitals, and I am

> fine. So, why the “phlegm attacks” ???? I just

> don’t know what’s happening to me and I am

> terrified of what else is awaiting me. :-(

>

> Take care everyone!

>

> God Bless!

>

> ~ Meg ~

>

[Guest guest]

Lori, do you have a link for the Canadian site where you purchase your Actifed?

I choke all night on saliva/sinus crap. Did you try drugstore.com? Alot of

products containing psuedephedrine are hard to find now, or you have to purchase

at the pharmacy. Guess the druggies or the kids take it to get high, or drugs

are made from it, I forget now the reason. As usual someone else has to pay for

the actions of others!! Doug

[Guest guest]

Meg -

My lungs used to fill up with phlegm because I have allergies. Over a decade

ago, I started

taking Claritin (not Claritin D!) and it dried up those nasty secretions quite

well. Regular

Claritin is just an antihistamine. Claritin D also has a decongestant.

Decongestants seem

bad for me because when they loosen up the phlegm, it all drains into my lungs.

When I get bronchitis, I still experience that phlegm-filled lung thing. It's

very scary!

Jenn

[Guest guest]

I use : https://www.canadadrugs.com/ (good service and reasonable prices).

I did try drugstore.com--no go on the Actifed.

I hope this helps.

Lori

Doug wrote:

>

> Lori, do you have a link for the Canadian site where you purchase your

> Actifed? I choke all night on saliva/sinus crap. Did you try

> drugstore.com? Alot of products containing psuedephedrine are hard to

> find now, or you have to purchase at the pharmacy. Guess the druggies

> or the kids take it to get high, or drugs are made from it, I forget

> now the reason. As usual someone else has to pay for the actions of

> others!! Doug

>