To eat or not to eat, that is the question.

I have done blogs on my other "all purpose blog" (http://www.justsomeposts.blogspot.com/) about how we Americans are obessed with food and eating. Imagine yourself being told you cannot eat any more solids, nor can you drink any more liquids. That is where we are now.

 We have a new addition to our list of ailments - Dysphagia - aka inability to swallow (or problems swallowing). Since about the first of December, my wife has been dealing with more and more problems related to eating and swallowing. She was (and is) having a lot of problems with both liquids and solids. (for those of you following this damned disease, or caring for someone afflicted - dysphagia is a very common and expected symptom - be forewarned) She has problems doing with her lips, mouth, tongue, and throat what we all take for granted pretty much from the first minutes of life. Using a straw has become a challenge, as she cannot get the muscles of her mouth to do what needs to be done to get it to "suction" the liquid. Drinking liquids directly from a cup is a problem because of lack of control of the liquid and the chance of choking. (another note for those following along - pneumonia is the greatest threat with this disease and is the leading cause of death) Aspiration of the liquid, especially anything other than water, is very dangerous due to the inability to cough. My wife has a pretty good reflex cough, but almost no ability to cough "on cue". Actually, liquids can be harder to swallow than solids because of the amount of "control" required to keep from choking. This was something I had to learn, as it was counter-intuitive to me. Most of us take drinking a liquid to be a given and very easy to do versus eating solid food.

Today we went to the hospital for a modified barium swallow test. My wife had one done almost a year ago and was told other than a bit of slowness with her swallowing, all was well. Today was an entirely different story. She did the test, which involves swallowing (and chewing where necessary) various thicknesses of liquids and semi-solids infused with radioactive barium while having an X-ray taken of the mouth and throat. When we got the results, we were both taken a bit aback. The lady that administered the test, and gave us the results, calmly told us that she recommended that my wife avoid eating solid foods or drinking liquids of normal consistency. She said we should get her nutrition and fluid from semi-liquids of honey consistency (which I have since learned through the internet is an "official" consistency of Dysphagia products). We were further instructed to get her medications converted to liquid form and then give them in a product like applesauce or any "honey-like" liquid. I have also learned that there are a LOT of dysphagia products out there. Meal replacements, thickeners, etc in a myriad of flavors and consistencies. Thank goodness for that.

So, my wife, an American through and through was faced with a life of thickened fluids as food. No more Chinese food, no more fast food, no more fried chicken, etc. Purees and thickened fluids were prescribed. I am not sure of her immediate reaction, but I know mine was one of shock. We have both known this day would come, but it was still a blow. The trip home was solemn and sad. Food is such a part of who we are it was almost like the amputation or removal of a body part. We mourned a bit, and will continue to do so; but this is another loss among many that this disease has caused. So, we did what Americans do - she ate KFC fried chicken, slaw, mashed potatoes & gravy, and a fried apple pie for dinner. We will face the rest later.