Swallowing difficulties

Wow, I've never heard of that before. That's great. Thanks for sharing. That's so interesting because for the treatments my dad and I are getting, they would last 6 months, maximum. But usually it's more like 3 months for me.

I'm on my way today to an ENT doc because I have other associated symptoms. If thy draw a blank I will definitely consider a speech therapist. Thanks for your response. Greatly appreciated.

You’re welcome; I hope your appointment goes well! I think of speech therapy as PT, but for talking, thinking, and swallowing. So hopefully you’ll be able to get clarity about what’s going on from your doctors and maybe if you need it a speech therapist could help with treatment 🤞.

I realized there’s a lot of confusion over what they do, and it’s sometimes not thought of as often. Good luck!

Thanks for replying. Just got back from the ENT. The PA went over everything...scope down nose, removed ear wax, examined throat, etc. Wants me on daily Flonase for at least two weeks. Also looking for me to take meds for acid reflux. Her thinking is that I may have a slight bit of reflux that is causing irritation. So, it seems to be a coin toss, like most of my mediacal issues.

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?

Indeed, life is very interesting. So, you were diagnosed with CIDP. How was that done? I took an online test, and seemed to check a lot of the boxes. Nothing from either of my pain docs. I would really like to know definitively whether I have it. I wish you well.

I have difficulty swallowing and sometimes I can’t get food down. It burns and it’s really scary. I have had esophageal dilation and this helps. Swallowing is especially difficult for me with chicken and fish. I chew the food really well and drink a lot of water while eating.

The neurologist did or ordered a number of blood tests, etc. including testing of my nerves with electric shock and having a spinal tap to study the spinal fluid.

Thank you! What prompted you to get tested?

See the first paragraph in my long original posting above where I explain the conditions and reason for me being prompted. Let me know if that is not adequate.