What is a good cup with a lid/straw for my husband who has swallowing/choking issues?

SPAM ALERT oliviaisabella is leaver dirty foot prints all over the forum

I don't know what kind of thickener your husband is on, but my husband can't stand thick it or the powder thickener. He likes Simplythick thickener. It's a liquid and it has no flavor. He's been using it since last May. My husband has Parkinson's and has swallowing problems too. I also use a cup with my husband that I can see how much liquids he's drinking. I have found he likes drinking out of bigger straws. Anyway, hope all goes well for you both, because mostly it's going to be trial and error for you to find out what works for your husband. Since my husband's had Parkinson's, I never know what's going to change next. God bless you!🌼

My mother was diagnosed with a swallowing delay two years ago. I was told by my mothers doctor, speech therapy, and nutritionist, never to use a straw because of a choking hazard. She has honey consistency thickened liquids. I feed her liquids by the teaspoon. I never use a cup or straw. Please check with her physician and speech therapist.

Amazon sells cups called nosy cups. They were great for my husband who was not supposed to use a straw. They are designed to allow drinking from the cup in an upright position. One side of the cup is open to allow room for the nose so the head does not have to tilt back. Instead, the cup is tilted so the head can remain level. They are dishwasher safe and the cost was around 3 for $10. I bought enough that he could use a clean cup each time he was given a fresh drink. He also had his fluids thickened. One thing, he could not be left on his own to drink or eat anything.

Imho, Amazon has several for sale.

When my patient who has Dysphagia was examined by the diet specialist she told me it does not matter if he uses a straw in cup or drinks directly from the a cup. He just needed to go slow, I did however purchase plastic cups with lids with holes for straws to prevent spills, Search on eBay and search for children’s drinking cups.

You need to speak specifically with his therapists at rehab to be told exactly what products to purchase for his particular needs when he gets home. No use getting opinions here because everyone has totally different medical needs, and there are thousands of products available, but only a few suitable for your husband's needs and issues.

I bought "adult sippy cups" from Amazon for my father. Everyone in facility knew they were his cups. Worked great for spillage issues!

A sippy cup for adults. Look ithe Leonard medical they have all types of gadgets .. they have flatwear in plastic large handle so they can hold, a bowl with a domed side so they can push the food around into spoon instead of the table. Some of these can be found in medical supplies. Go online I'm sure they can help.

My mom’s speech therapist had us get this cup. It works well with her swallowing.
Essential Medical Supply Power of Red Nose Cut Out Cup for Alzheimers and Dementia https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BFEA320/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_CDXXQ4GV0DM26JQT7YWD?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Depending on how thick the liquids have to be it is possible that a straw will not work.
A coffee cup with a lid that has an opening might work better.
A water bottle with an opening that can be closed when not being used.
There are some straws that are very large like the ones used for Bubble Tea that might work.
But with thickened liquids it might not be a good idea to have him get a full mouthful as that might lead to choking just based on quantity and thickness.
A informative discussion with the PT that is working with him might be in order. Find out what he is using now and if it is working and if it is something that you can use at home.
Also please ask for a list of foods that he should not eat. I eliminated all "slippery" foods. Peaches, nectarines and things like that because they would slip down my Husbands throat or windpipe without him (or me) even realizing they were in his mouth. If I had peaches or other slippery fruits I would puree them then thicken if they needed to be thickened

Mojojojo, I want to echo and support Alva's point that sometimes dysphagic patients can't use straws.  We were specifically advised by the speech pathologist and speech therapist to NOT use straws.   

While he's still in therapy, I would ask that question specifically of the therapists.  

I don't recall for sure  but I believe the issue was that too much liquid can be sipped through the straw at one time, w/o realizing how much has been sucked in, resulting in too much liquid in the patient's mouth.

What level of dysphagia does he have?  You could also ask the therapists if they have the chart of foods and liquids that are acceptable to each level of dysphagia.   It was a real help for us.

One chart was the "National Dysphpagia Level (I, II or III, depending on the DX) but a better one is the "National Dysphagia Diets", with separate charts for Levels 1  - 3, with detailed breakdowns on what foods and liquids can or can't be eaten/drunk.  

I believe there's a Level 4 now, but I haven't been following this since my father died.

Often they recommend no drinking from straws with swallow deficit. Has he been evaluated, and this OK'd? I would look under child sippy cups with heading spill-proof. Probably best bet, but uncertain otherwise. Hope others have better ideas for you. Good luck.

I always used the flip up top type thermos' for my husband who was an aspiration risk. They have a mouth piece instead of a straw to drink out of. I found them at Walmart(don't remember the name brand), but that seemed to work the best with his thickened liquids. I do remember that it was 32 oz. and that also made it easy for me to keep track of how much he was drinking each day as well. Make sure that you always have plenty of the product Thick It on hand as you will need that to not only thicken his drinks, but his soups and such as well. Best wishes.

Has your husband had a swallow study? These are generally done by speech/language therapists.

He may need to have his liquids thickened in order to be able to swallow safely.