I’ve been betrayed by my breakfast cereal.
Apart from consuming it, I’m undecided what I did to deserve this. I all the time favored cereal and thought we had an excellent relationship. The one disagreement we’ve had was once I tried mixing two high-fiber cereals. The outcome was a bowl of one thing that appeared prefer it ought to’ve been raked up into neat piles within the yard. It additionally made me a bit too, um, common.
That wasn’t the cereal’s fault, and I by no means blamed it, so I’m undecided why we’re at odds now. I’m as cordial to it as I ever was, nevertheless it retains making an attempt to choke me.
Come to think about it, a number of meals and liquids have it in for me lately, nevertheless it actually isn’t their fault. Despite the fact that I can do issues to make the state of affairs higher (or worse), it isn’t my fault, both. As typical, the actual enemy is my a number of sclerosis (MS).
Foolish rabbit …
In keeping with a latest examine, practically 50% of MS sufferers reported having difficulties with swallowing, a situation often called dysphagia. It’s not simply annoying; dysphagia may result in choking or aspiration, which, in flip, could cause severe problems like pneumonia.
The treatment that has helped me drastically is seeing a speech-language pathologist, often known as a speech therapist. Earlier than I used to be referred to 1, I believed speech therapists simply helped with pronunciation or enunciation points. I rapidly discovered, although, that they’re the specialists to see whenever you’re having issues swallowing.
I carried out a swallow take a look at, which sadly had me consuming quite a lot of substances laced with barium. Then a analysis was given and several other therapies prompt.
The primary was easy positioning. I are likely to eat whereas I’m in my wheelchair and have a foul behavior of desirous to be barely reclined. That’s a recipe for choking, so it was really useful that I attempt to eat extra upright.
A second suggestion needed to do with the consistency of the meals I used to be making an attempt to swallow without delay. Having each solids and liquids in your mouth on the identical time isn’t really useful. Meals which have a twin consistency of each a strong and a liquid, like cereal, for instance, are particularly harmful, my therapist stated. These dangerous meals may embrace soups, stews, and even juicy fruits.
Swallowing difficulties, together with choking, can’t be fully eradicated, so a big a part of speech remedy is targeted on strengthening the muscle tissues related to swallowing and coughing. For coughing, it’s vital to have the ability to expel something that will get aspirated into the lungs. Plenty of workout routines will help strengthen these muscle tissues.
When you’re in a wheelchair like me, you may need to examine strategies for performing the Heimlich maneuver on an individual in a wheelchair. You may also need to guarantee that members of the family or caregivers know the maneuver as nicely.
I’m virtually by no means fully alone, however I’ve had instances on my own whereas consuming once I’ve had a slight swallowing drawback. I began fascinated about what I might run into with my wheelchair to expel an inhaled object. Since a number of my time has been spent eliminating objects that I would run into, this considering could be an train in creativity.
I’m not fairly prepared to surrender on cereal. I nonetheless eat it. I simply guarantee that I eat it in a manner that eliminates the dual-consistency drawback as greatest I can. For me, meaning not having a spoonful of each cereal and milk on the identical time. It’s sluggish and never how nature meant, nevertheless it’s one other one in all my MS workarounds — a way, slightly than a instrument in my MS toolbox.
MS might attempt to choke me every now and then, however with sure precautions, I can nonetheless be a cereal killer.
Notice: A number of Sclerosis Information In the present day is strictly a information and knowledge web site concerning the illness. It doesn’t present medical recommendation, analysis, or remedy. This content material isn’t meant to be an alternative choice to skilled medical recommendation, analysis, or remedy. At all times search the recommendation of your doctor or different certified well being supplier with any questions you might have relating to a medical situation. By no means disregard skilled medical recommendation or delay in searching for it due to one thing you may have learn on this web site. The opinions expressed on this column will not be these of A number of Sclerosis Information In the present day or its dad or mum firm, Bionews, and are meant to spark dialogue about points pertaining to a number of sclerosis.
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