Guest guest Posted December 7, 2003 Report Share Posted December 7, 2003 ditto, what is vital stim,? i have been kinda out of the loop for a month or so. cathie, mom to erika Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 7, 2003 Report Share Posted December 7, 2003 Debbie, Whitney has started VitalStim Therapy for dysphasia. It's basically electrodes attached to her throat that stimulate her swallowing muscles while she eats. By three months old her swallow was very week, and any formula would block her airways, or go up her nose. This therapy is given by her speech therapist. It was recently FDA approved last June. She is now able to drink 5-10 cc's of formula with rice cereal mixed in to slow down the flow. So far she has had 6 sessions of therapy. They are slowly weaning her from the rice additive. Here is a web sight for more information and help in finding a therapist that is certified. http://www.vitalstimtherapy.com/ DeAnn, Mom to Austin 8, 5, and CHARGEr Whitney 4 months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 7, 2003 Report Share Posted December 7, 2003 is this the same as the electrical stim therapy by marcy freed? we did that 3 yrs ago it was no help. we were aprt of the FDA approval research. we stayed 3 weeks. i think alot may have ahd to do with erika having a trach. but now that she is trach free it could be different. cathie josephson, eriaks mom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 7, 2003 Report Share Posted December 7, 2003 is this the same as the electrical stim therapy by marcy freed? we did that 3 yrs ago it was no help. we were aprt of the FDA approval research. we stayed 3 weeks. i think alot may have ahd to do with erika having a trach. but now that she is trach free it could be different. cathie josephson, eriaks mom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 7, 2003 Report Share Posted December 7, 2003 Yes, It's the same. Vital Stim is the brand name. DeAnn Mother to Austin 8, 5, CHARGEr Whitney 4 months Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 7, 2003 Report Share Posted December 7, 2003 Hi, I missed this. What is Vital Stim and where can I find it? Debbie Matasker Re: Vital Stim Questions (Attn: DeAnn!!) Jody, For us after the first day of therapy, I noticed Whitney's little swallows, were a little harder and she would swallow several times in a row. I'm glad to hear that others are trying VitalStim. I think it is one of those new things that will help a lot of people. Good luck with Ethan, and keep up posted on his progress. DeAnn, mom to Austin 8, 5, and CHARGEr Whitney 4 months Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 7, 2003 Report Share Posted December 7, 2003 Debbie, That's true, one thing about Whitney is that she has always wanted to eat. She has always cooperated, and enjoyed eating. Her swallow was just to week. I don't know exactly why it seems to be helping Whitney. All I know is that it has helped her, and it may help others with the same problem. I do think it is worth a try for those with dysphasia. DeAnn, Mom to Austin 8, 5, CHARGEr Whitney 4 months, and wife to Jeff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 7, 2003 Report Share Posted December 7, 2003 Debbie, That's true, one thing about Whitney is that she has always wanted to eat. She has always cooperated, and enjoyed eating. Her swallow was just to week. I don't know exactly why it seems to be helping Whitney. All I know is that it has helped her, and it may help others with the same problem. I do think it is worth a try for those with dysphasia. DeAnn, Mom to Austin 8, 5, CHARGEr Whitney 4 months, and wife to Jeff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 7, 2003 Report Share Posted December 7, 2003 Same here, my son is 6 and went to Marcy when he was 2 and it didn't help him. This might help him now, because he can talk and give more feedback and is more willing to cooperate, because he wants to eat. Cathie -- I went to NYU where they are doing it, you gave me the name. It is sooo far for me to do it there. But I found somewhere closer where it says they are a certified facility in Ridgewood NJ, I am going to call tommorrow. Debbie Matasker Re: Vital Stim Questions Yes, It's the same. Vital Stim is the brand name. DeAnn Mother to Austin 8, 5, CHARGEr Whitney 4 months Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 7, 2003 Report Share Posted December 7, 2003 Same here, my son is 6 and went to Marcy when he was 2 and it didn't help him. This might help him now, because he can talk and give more feedback and is more willing to cooperate, because he wants to eat. Cathie -- I went to NYU where they are doing it, you gave me the name. It is sooo far for me to do it there. But I found somewhere closer where it says they are a certified facility in Ridgewood NJ, I am going to call tommorrow. Debbie Matasker Re: Vital Stim Questions Yes, It's the same. Vital Stim is the brand name. DeAnn Mother to Austin 8, 5, CHARGEr Whitney 4 months Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 8, 2003 Report Share Posted December 8, 2003 I am excited to see what happens with the CHARGE babies who receive vital stim. It seems there would be greater results, because you are working on it in a more typical developmental timeframe when the body is hard wired to learn such skills. Maybe it will all come together better for them. Kim Mom to Dylan 7 CHaRGE, Kayla 12, Tyler 15 > Debbie, That's true, one thing about Whitney is that she has always wanted to > eat. She has always cooperated, and enjoyed eating. Her swallow was just to > week. I don't know exactly why it seems to be helping Whitney. All I know > is that it has helped her, and it may help others with the same problem. I do > think it is worth a try for those with dysphasia. > > DeAnn, Mom to Austin 8, 5, CHARGEr Whitney 4 months, and wife to > Jeff > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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