swallowing

[whwiechm]

A good friend of ours with MS has just been put into hospice. She was hospitalized with difficulty swallowing and had a feeding tube inserted. She has now asked for the feeding tube to be removed and wanted to go home. Is this another MS attribute? I know the symptome can vary widely, but I never heard of this one.

[MSFlea]

I'm new to having MS, I've been doing non-stop research since I found out it was even a possibility, and difficulty swallowing was one of the side effects that I read about. It's called Dysphagia. I don't know much more about it, I didn't research it further. Hope that helps. 🧡

[NorasMom]

Yes, unfortunately. I go through spells when I can only eat very soft foods or liquids, and I have to be very careful when trying to swallow them. It's never been serious enough that I need help, but it's definitely one of the more serious MS problems.

Mashed potatoes, peanut butter, and cream soups are the easiest during those times. Take small bites. Things like oatmeal, cottage cheese, and fruit jam are possible sometimes, but I avoid them when I'm having a lot of difficulty. Chunky and Progresso soups have too many large pieces to attempt. So do canned pie fillings. Soft bread can be possible, but cut off the crust.

Definitely avoid things like toast, crackers, potato chips, hard cookies, any meat except a pate, all fruits and vegetables unless they're cooked to a smooth mush consistency. I also have to eat foods that have cooled close to room temperature. Hot foods send my throat into spasms and make things worse. This includes coffee and tea.

Aspiration pneumonia is a definite possibility, so make sure that your friend is sitting up to eat. TMI: They may also want to keep a small bucket nearby. When I'm going to have problems, it's the moment the foods reach my throat. I frequently can't cough it out, so I just have to lean over and let gravity handle it.

[Greentime in reply to NorasMom]

Nora’s Mom, you have a lot to deal with. This is a terrible one. 😳

[kdali]

I'm sorry to hear this. Yes, swallowing issues can happen with MS. If you Google it, you are probably going to see articles written about it in end stage MS, but that's not always the case. I'm going to talk a little more because I wonder if you are bit concerned? It's not nice to learn of a new horrible thing MS can do to us 😞 even if it is uncommon.

Here's a great article from MSAA:

mymsaa.org/ms-information/s...

This author mentioned speech therapy, but I am going to cheer about it. Speech pathologists see so much, have amazing tricks, and can change lives 🥰 So, that's my only note about swallowing issues; if I notice something in myself, I would tell my neuro (probably end up with scans, of course), and ask for speech therapy services.

I hope your friend is happy to be returning home and has excellent hospice care 🙏

[falalalala]

I'm sorry about your friend.

Yes, swallowing can be difficult at times

[Jesmcd2 CommunityAmbassador]

whwiechm I'm so sorry about your friend, like the others have said I have heard of it. 😥🤗💕🌠

[whwiechm in reply to Jesmcd2]

Another example of how diverse this malady called MS is for us all.

[Jesmcd2 CommunityAmbassador in reply to whwiechm]

It's a horrible unrelenting monster when it chooses to 😥

~May Your Friend Be Wrapped In The Wings of Angels ~

🤗💕🌠

[CatsandCars]

I'm so sorry to hear about your friend. May I ask whether there are other reasons for her being placed in hospice, or was it the swallowing problem itself?

[whwiechm in reply to CatsandCars]

Her husband said she had just recovered from a "bad UTI"

[CatsandCars]

I hope that she will be comfortable and at peace. And I'm sorry again that you face losing your friend. It is hard to think of worst case scenarios with MS as well. I will be thinking of you and your friend. ❤️

[whwiechm in reply to CatsandCars]

She is comfortable and at peace. She is only receiving small amounts of water through ice chips and has a wonderful support group through her sister's church.

[Tazmanian]

I occasionally have problems swallowing, small bites and drinking water to help food go down helps

[bxrmom in reply to Tazmanian]

I have the same thing sometimes, and it is just random when it happens. So scary when it does happen.

[Elizt3]

my mother had a feeding tube for 5+ years because she choked and aspirated.

[1yoyo]

Why does she not want to have the food put in her stomach? No one sees and she could have the most comfortable life possible