: saliva management questions

[Guest guest]

> Improvement in swallowing?

> - mother to Cole and wife to

> Louisville, KY

Dear -

Our son is sixteen now and still has an effortful, deliberate, easily

fatigued swallow. He still has great difficulties managing a bolus or

textures in his mouth. His aspiration was in fact so great that he had a

tracheostomy until he was twelve to protect his airway from increased

aspiration.

His swallow improved dramatically at around the age of 2, again at the age

of 4 (a change to almost a completely dry face!), at the age of 7 (no more

" drooling " from the tracheotomy tube!) and at the age of nine (we taped the

tracheotomy tube closed, so he effectively did not use it at all for the

last three years - even when he was sick!) It seems that the improvements

corresponded with physical and developmental spurts )

We did not ever try the e-stim or botox (though I think I would have tried

the botox if I had know it was available). We had massive OT and ST for

feeding, but the basic issue is managing the bolus and the textures. His

swallow still does not effectively clear his mouth, and whatever remains

tends to just slide into his throat, pool into is valleculum or simply

aspirate....

I hope this helps-