food - nutrition - recipies

 

 

 

eating problems

 

Something stuck in your throat?

Because the esophagus is smaller or sometimes has a stricture, a number of us have had food caught in that area.  Being neck breathers, it doesn't cut off our air supply but, if you can't get it "down" or "up and out", it can be uncomfortable and might necessitate a trip to the ER or your doctor's office.  Here are some methods recommended by our members

1.  Yesterday I got something caught in my esophagus. (which I had reconstructed due to a stricture) Anyway, I wasn't able to swallow anything. Whenever this has happened before, I have been able to dislodge whatever was caught but, yesterday, I wasn't able to. I called my doctor's office and spoke to his assistant. She suggested that I mash up banana and then drink water -- and it worked. I thought that this was worth sharing with the group. Needless to say, I will always keep bananas in the house.  (Rita in NJ)

2.  I want to add another tip,take a small piece of bread, without crust,chew it
well and it works too. (Marianne Peereboom)...[Ed. note: Several people commented that bread was one of the problems for them.]

3.  I have a TEP and several times I have had to occlude the stoma and just blow.  That can be enough to dislodge a pill or a bite of food stuck above the level of the prosthesis or even one that covers it.  (Pat W Sanders)

 

Suggestions from people who have swallowing problems or those who have feeding tubes

 

1. I have problems swallowing food (Big Time). I buy "Bob's Red Mill" grained cereal, it is usually in a section by the health foods. I mix 4 or 5 of these together, just pick out your favorites, I use ground wheat, rice, flax seed, thick cut oats, and what ever else I can find to throw in there, mix it all up and cook over slow heat about 10 - 15 minutes. Put milk and sugar on there and it's healthy and goes down really well. (Marlene E. Snider)

 

2. For those on a PEG tube. I know it seems like you will never eat again, but hang in there. Your time is coming. I had a PEG for almost six months and these are a few things I did to try to get by. Suck on stuff like chips and pretzels, it gives you the flavor, then spit it out. You can also use sugar free hard candy, but you have to spit out the juice. It sounds terrible but it got me through many cravings to eat. I would also pour different liquids in my tube. A soda or even a beer would do wonders. A burp was something to cherish after a while. Same as above, take a sip for the flavor and spit it out. Coffee, soups, just about anything that would go down the tube. Even your Ensure and stuff, take a sip, just remember "NOT" to swallow. Like I said, your time is coming. As long as you keep using the tube until your doctor says "lets try some soft foods first." (Steve Verngren)


3. I just discovered a little trick to keep the syringe tips from slipping out of the feeding tube. I'm not on one but my wife is while she tries to recover from a couple of strokes. I've got her at home now. The syringes that were sent to me are the ones from Nestles and they have a shorter and fatter tip than the ones in the hospital. The tip kept slipping out of the tube and making a mess until I used my wife's nail file to rough it up. The nail file that looks like it has diamond dust on it is the one I used. I just made a couple of passes all around the tip and now I really have to pull hard to get it out of the tube. (Parnell Stratton)

 

4. If you're a laryngectomee with a post-operative or post-radiation eating, chewing, swallowing, or dry mouth disorders, I can heartily recommend a very helpful "cookbook" you might want to get and use. The title is: "THE NON CHEW COOKBOOK" - written by Dr. J. Randy Wilson of Glenwood Springs, CO. The book, which can be sampled and ordered "on-line", has 200 recipes especially developed for those of us with the above eating problems.

 

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