What causes PSP sufferers to cough so much?

[SuzieQ]

[Kathy]

Hi Suzie,

One of the problems with PSP is that the person has problems swallowing (medical term - dysphagia). Basically, it means that food or drinks or even just their own saliva is "going down the wrong hole"! You need to ask your GP for an speech and language therapy referral. They will do a swallowing assesment and can give you various "coping" strategies. If the food etc continues to go down the wrong hole the person is at risk of develping a chest infection.

Hope that helps

love Kathy

[PSPA_JillL]

Hi Suzie, Kathy is right you need to ask the GP for a Speech and Language Therapy referral for swallow assessment.

[SuzieQ]

Many thanks to you both for your advice. I am waiting for an appointment from the S.A.L.T. lady so I will see if she can suggest some ways of making things easier for my hubby. I so appreciate that you both responded to my query so quickly. Thank God for this site.

Best wishes..........SuzieQ x

[judy1962]

Hi Suzie,

My husband coughs and chokes regularly and he has had a flouriscopy swallow test performed at the hospital. The test takes an xray of barium coated drinks and solids that my husband was asked to swallow. The test revealed that he is swallowing things down his airway but he is also able to cough it out. I encourage him to cough hard after he chokes in hopes that he will get all of the fluid and or food out of his airway. The therapist asked us to thicken his liquids with "thick it" and has asked me to feed him smaller meals more often during the day. All of his food needs to be diced up and he seems to do better with mushy foods. Pastas with sauces and such seem to be much easier for him to handle. The therapist stated that he chokes on his own saliva too and that is why he is coughing even if he is not eating or drinking. I know that he coughing can seem very uncomfortable for the patient and also very alarming for the caregiver.

Take care.

[LucilleLidbeck]

This question is very interesting to me cause altho I am in the early stages of PSP I am having a lot of couphing. It seems I now have was others call saliva and I would call phlegm. I happened on a booklet on line the other day which indicated that lemon slices in hot water might help? I am waiting for the next development. Lucille

[dorothy-thompson]

Hi All

Just come across these blogs on coughing from 3 years ago.

My husband coughs and chokes and has saliva a the time, it is so distressing for him and for me having to watch him for through if and cope the best we can. Red Grape juice or pineapple helps, certainly with the gurgling and controlling the saliva.

He had a fluoroscopy organised by our SALT team and we we're told pretty much the same, some of his food etc goes down the wrong way and we were given strategies to deal with it, some help, some do not.

A couple of times he has brought up something that looked like white foam, that was a bit scary because I thought it was probably coming from his lungs, but it seemed ok the next day.

And he we are, still here, three years on, still doing the same thing.

Regards all

Dorothy t