Re: Ok, another swallowing question...Update..

[Guest guest]

Dear dear a and ,

Thank you very much!  I feel the same.

 

MBS Update: It didn't tell us anything we didn't already know.  Major difficulty

with the swallow process.  It didn't show an aspiration but even if it did,

there's no strategy that will improve the swallow.  She was concerned about my

nutrition as I am only having one meal (dinner) on work days so I can avoid

suctioning at work.  I've only lose one pound is two months so I am not worried

about that.  Hungry but not worried.

Am I making any improvements?  If we had to measure in some way, over these few

weeks we were suctioning every hour at night and now it's about once or twice a

night so I'll call that an improvement and am hopeful that I'll return to no

suctioning (unless I'm sick).

e, Most of my nighttime problems are while I'm sleeping so suctioning

while I'm awake won't help.  If I thought it would help, I could easily suction

my mouth at night by keeping a unit close by and using a little remote control

to turn the machine on/off.  The difficult part of trach suctioning is

removing/replacing the trach button and positioning my arm to reach the trach

stoma.

Lori

________________________________

From: a B. <kristina45231@...>

Sent: Tuesday, December 9, 2008 8:00:41 PM

Subject: Re: Ok, another swallowing question...

Oh, Lori! Please don't think for a second that we are tired of your

questions--we love you! That's what we do here--ask for help and

supportive advice. For me, when I have excess " spit " I suction it out

(not in my throat but in the front of my mouth). I know you've

mentioned you can no longer suction independently. I still can when I'm

in my wheelchair but not in bed. I have to have the machine positioned

at an exact angle in order to turn it off/on. Some machine's buttons

are harder than others so I've gotten creative--let me know if you want

more detail. ~a

From: Lori G <lorig713 (DOT) com>

Subject: Ok, another swallowing question...

" sma friends " <@gro ups.com>

Date: Tuesday, December 9, 2008, 7:25 PM

For those of you who no longer have a functional swallow and had to get a

feeding tube, how do you manage your oral saliva? My current problem is that the

oral saliva goes down my trachea and not down my esophagus like it should and

right into my left lung.

 

 

Thank you for your patience with all my swallowing questions. I am sick of me

and I don't blame you if you are growing tiresome with my questions. My swallow

study is tomorrow and I hope to have a better understanding of what is going on.

 

L