It seems that B vitamins and even doubling on D3 seemed to have improved my moms swallowing to where I think there is no more issue. Yet sometimes it starts up again. Two months passed without any issue swallowing liquids. Yet it seems to have started again last week. It is improving again.
Does anyone have other ways that have worked to improve this issue or avoid it all together? Thickening drinks and making everything blended and smooth sometimes does not work unless I add little pieces of soft food into the pureed meal otherwise my mom forgets to move it around in the mouth. Also being completely awake and alert and hungry is a must. I wonder if at a certain time, the body's swallow reflex is compromised? I am interested in restorative ways to improve this issue that others may have tried. I do everything very conservatively and slowly.
Also; Does anyone know if simply standing can cause gurgling? If I am not mistaken, I stood my mom up off the potty before and she began gurgling and coughing. When she eats, she eats just fine, but later sometimes she begins to cough. Is it possible that the food pools into any little crevice somewhere even though there is no issue and swallowing chewing food is fine?
Post stroke, my Mother coughs on thin liquids - is better on thicker fluids.
But sometimes she just coughs, when not eating or drinking. I suspected saliva but as there is also some heart arrhythmia, I am now suspecting this has cardiac reasons.
I found this information online that seemed to fit;
"As the lungs become congested, due to CHF, excess fluid can start to leak into the air sacs (alveoli). Coughing is the body's natural response to this airway blockage, cuing you to clear the bronchial passages in attempt to relieve the congestion".
Of course no-one would want to google diagnose & I would suggest you mention this issue to her Doctor.
There are menus with sample lists of what foods are acceptable at each different level.
This is not a DIY project; you'll need the assistance of a speech pathologist to DX, then a speech therapist to check on your mother at least for what the speech pathologist recommends as home therapy.
If you don't know of any pathologists, ask one of her doctors, a pulmonary one for example.
Has your mother even been intubated? If she has, for a long period of time, that can also compromise the swallowing muscles.
There are some exercises that can be done, but this can only be determined by a good speech pathologist or therapist, and monitored by a speech therapist. When you see the pathologist, ask about this. We used Shaker exercises, recommended by a speech therapist. And they helped, a lot!
These can be cleared by a swab. Or if the person is in bed turn them on their side and the fluids can flow more easily out of the mouth.
Often it is secretions that can pose as much of a problem as fluids or food. There are medications that can dry secretions. One of the ones that Hospice had me use was an off label product. An eye drop, Atropine it worked reasonably well.