swallow exercises

Grandmax4 said:

Super supera-Glottic Swallow

Hold your breath tightly ( bear down)
Swallow hard ( liquid or food)
Cough
Swallow again ( your saliva)

Exercises to improve swallowing

Lay on floor, shoulders flat. lift only your head and neck to look down at your toes. Hold for 1 minute, repeat 3 times

Lifting your head from the floor, look toward your toes and put head back down...think of it as doing a sit up with your head, shoulders down and only lift head and neck...repeat 30 times...relax

Do these 3 times a day

Stop the exercises and tell your Doctor if you feel light-headed or get a head ache.

Swallow exercise...Mendelsohn maneuver
swallow, freeze with voice box at top of throat, hold 2 seconds, release...repeat 5 times

All of these methods have helped me with my swallowing of food and have made my neck much strongerI do them more than 3 times a day, just whenever I think of them

Super supera-Glottic Swallowm
my palap (sp) is damaged from the radiation treatment I received for throat cancer. It was in stage 4 and 7cm long. The so called experts say i well never be able to eat. I am on a feeding tube. They found my cancer in 08 and I have not had food since. I can not mentally go on living this way. I have no quality of life.
Wonder if these exercises will help?
twm

Grandmax4 said:

swallow exercises
twn, I'm not sure what was damaged in your treatment, but I'm so sorry to hear that you feel like you have no quality of life.
Why don't you speak with your Doctor and see what he says about the exercises, I'm sure they won't hurt you, but to be on the safe side.
I had surgery to remove cancer that attached to my epiglottis, I had feeding tube for 3 weeks and have been eating soft foods and liquids since then...my doctor feels , in time I will add more and more foods...I do the exercises a lot, simply because they have and are helping me.
I'm praying that you will be able to do them and perhaps one day be able to eat...
Peace be with you,



Carolyn

Thank you for describing them so well....
I've been wondering and wondering about the "exercises"......I hear other people talk about them, but never a real description. I'm sure my soft palate is being affected by the rads...and this is only my 3rd week...I make all these promises to myself without knowing diddley squat what's ahead of me...but actively DOING something gives me confidence in holding true to myself.

I agree with Grandma, twm...talk to your Dr. about the exercises, to make sure you can do them. Also, TALK to him about how you feel about life having no meaning....there has to be deeper reasons than tube feeding...altho, I remember my mom going thru a real depression when she could no longer taste anything due to her laryngetomy......she was skinny like me, but she loved to eat...loved breaking bread with friends and family....It was a big loss to her. She did find other things, tho....to fill her life with meaning. Please talk to your Dr.

p