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I love this site...I have been noticing that Mom has been having difficulty swallowing. It's esp. hard if the foods are fresh fruits or veggies, or crispy crunchy foods. She doesn't seem to chew very much and too often ends up coughing and choking to bring up the food that is stuck.
I hadn't heard about that issue until I read this post, but was aware of Mom's difficulty. It's always good to know that others are experiencing the same things. thanks for the insight...when we get her back to the dr. (it's always a challenge with her too) we'll point that out.
Dorian,
It is moving to read this post. Now my father-in-law is eating pureed diet 3 meals a day but he can eat regular desserts/snack.
I don't think we would put him through the swallowing test since he would be choked at times. The nursing home was able to judge it given the experience with the patients. Somehow we alerted the home about his choking problem so they switched to pureed diet Thursday.
It is so sad to see it goes downhill and don't know how long it will take. It could be months or years. He is still eating normal food (pureed or not) and that is the important part.
Regards,
Nina
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I just read your story about feeding your Mom her last cookie.
My Mom had MS for over 30 years. When she was 86 years old she had a stroke which impeded her swallowing ability. At the hospital an NG (nasal gastric) tube was put in her nose to provide supplements. The doctors were hesitant to suggest a PEG tube (one inserted surgically into her stomach) because she was already a frail quadraplegic of advanced age. However, she desperately wanted to live and she told us she wanted to risk having the surgery. I talked a surgeon into it. She came through the surgery wonderfully and for the next 4 years she enjoyed life. She could not swallow much of anything by mouth, but the nutrients (and vitamins) we fed her thru the tube kept her healthy, with even a weight gain. About every 4 months we needed to have the tube replaced with a new one by a trained nurse. Mom was able to
see her great grandchildren be born and enjoy getting to know them. She enjoyed
those last years, which would have been denied her if we had not opted to use a feeding tube. Your mother's case may be different because of her mental capacity,
but my word out there to anyone who is
against feeding tubes is that they are lifesavers. I would not hesitate to have one myself if it was the difference of staying alive or not. People can live with them for years, and if you do research on it you will find that even little children sometimes need them. Good luck.