This has been a very interesting discussion for me for several reasons.

I was diagnosed with slight idiopathic peripheral neuropathy ten years ago in my finger tips. When it moved into my lower extremities last year, I finally got diagnosed with a cause, CIDP, and was started on a two-week infusion program with IVIG. Now on to the discussion of the swallowing problem. Not sure my subtle problem of swallowing is related to the CIDP, but it is increasing slowly over time.

Maybe 5 or 6 years ago I had a period when my voice would fade and was sent to a speech therapist, which I followed for a short period. The condition seemed to resolve.

Some years later, I fell and broke my jaw, which lead to sleep apnea and I was given a CPAP. Long story, but I wondered in more recent times if difficulty swallowing was partly related to that condition secret for years. Since snoring was part of the sleep apnea diagnosis, I learned of a program to reduce snoring by strengthening the throat muscles through singing therapy. I note that I had over time lost the ability to carry a tune, although as a young person I sang in choirs. Admittedly, I had stopped singing on a regular basis. So, I ordered the singing program in digital format and believe it helps, but I m not consistent in using it (bad boy). It is called, Singing for Snorers by Alise Ojay in England.

Not only do I have a bit of a problem swallowing, saliva sometimes tries to go down the wrong way, which is not a good thing.

One last life-time observation. I drink more liquid when I eat than most people. It is like I have to flush the commode after chewing each bite. This is not a new problem, but one I have had as long as I can remember. I was one of five siblings and this 87-year-old lived at a time as a kid when the family of seven sat around the table together to eat - no cell phones, etc. My dad often said the reason I was so skinny was that I did not eat enough as I was filling up my stomach with too much milk at each meal. BUT, all my life I have had to use a drink (cold obviously) to flush the food down after almost every bite. Go figure.

Isn't live interesting?