If you have ever heard of dysphagia or if you have just recently been diagnosed with it, you might be wondering just what it entails and how to cope with it. Generally speaking, a person is said to have dysphagia when they have begun to experience difficulty swallowing food and drink. Severe cases of dysphagia can involve a person being completely unable to swallow anything at all.
There are many reasons why this condition can be challenging to live with, not the least of which is the fact that it can become increasingly difficult to get the nutrition your body needs through the food that you consume. Ultimately, though, whether you are responsible for caring for a person with dysphagia or if you have developed the condition yourself, there are ways of coping with it and leading a healthy, balanced life.
Here is a bit of information about the condition known as dysphagia that can help you to understand it better and find the best ways of coping with the symptoms.
There Are Many Things That Can Cause Dysphagia
While dysphagia is more of a general term that implies the inability or difficulty in swallowing, it can be the result of a number of conditions and illnesses. For instance, you might have been in an accident of some sort that affected your mouth or throat in some way. Perhaps you have undergone surgery to your throat for some reason that has left those muscles weakened. Other reasons for developing dysphagia include acid reflux issues such as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
When you are faced with the development of dysphagia, it is important to become as informed as possible about the underlying condition that has caused it. The more you know about your condition and how to treat it, the easier your dysphagia can be to manage.
There are a variety of resources out there about dysphagia and other swallowing conditions. You can find information on blogs like Simply Holahan and even learn from others who have had to cope with swallowing disorders. It is also important to take into account any and all advice that your healthcare provider offers you about your dysphagia and any underlying conditions that you have that resulted in the development of the condition.
It Is Possible to Strengthen Your Swallowing Muscles
One of the things that you will most likely be advised to do, depending on your particular situation, of course, is to take steps to improve the strength of your swallowing muscles. There are more muscles and mechanisms involved in the process of swallowing than you might think. The act of swallowing one’s food seems so simple; however, when you actually look at the breakdown of how many things have to work together in order for you to swallow properly, you will learn that there are many moving parts and processes.
If one of these parts or muscles starts to malfunction for some reason, it can cause you to lose the ability to swallow properly or at all. The good news is that certain strength-building exercises can be done in order to improve and increase the strength in the muscles that are involved in swallowing.
Most of these exercises are simple and can be done at any time. If your goal is to build up the strength in your swallowing muscles, you will need to commit to performing these exercises during your daily routine. The more you are able to perform these exercises, the more improved your muscle strength will be, and the better your ability to swallow can become.
It is important to note that you might not ever be able to completely regain the ability to swallow all foods. However, this is no reason to neglect to perform these exercises. They can go a long way to helping to ease your symptoms of dysphagia and improving your ability to swallow.
Changing Your Diet Can Help
As you learn more about your dysphagia and the underlying condition that has caused it to develop, you might find that changing your diet can help. This is particularly true if your dysphagia is linked to an issue with acid reflux.
There are certain foods that you can eat that can help to manage acid reflux issues. Moreover, there are definitely foods that you should avoid in order to keep the pain and symptoms of acid reflux issues at bay.
If your dysphagia is the result of a mechanical issue as opposed to an acid reflux one, you should opt to avoid extremely solid foods that are already difficult to swallow. You can change the consistency of such foods by turning them into purees. You can also use a food thickener to help you to achieve the right consistency of food that will be easier for you to swallow.
