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Diagnosis and Treatment of Dysphagia-
The diagnosis and treatment of dysphasia can be difficult. According to the research below, untrasound is reliable. So diagnosing dysphagia is reliable. Diagnosing any health issues is the first and most important step in treating it.
The challenge then becomes treating this difficult and potentially lifethreatening problem.
I know this because I developed dysphasia following surgery and local radiation for a lesion in my neck. A lesion caused by a blood cancer called multiple myeloma.
I would be the first person to declare that I don’t think that my dysphasia is as serious as many cases are. I think this may be because I was able to figure out my diagnosis at the first sign of choking (years ago) and began daily Shaker exercises.
5 Swallowing Exercises to Reduce Choking and Fix Dysphagia
The one lifestyle change that I want all dysphagia sufferers to know and practice is a coping mechanism that I learned by accident. And that is to NEVER, EVER put any food in your mouth without a drink (water, juice, etc.) within reach. The most effective method to clear my throat is to swallow liquid.
I do th shaker exercise daily. However, I still choke on a piece of food or capsule occasionally. If this happens I need liquid ASAP.
While this may sound obvious, it can be difficult to practice 100% of the time. And Murphy’s Law of dysphagia means that the one time your dysphasia causes you to choke may be the one time in 1000 that you don’t have liquid within reach.
Do you have myeloma? Have you had radiation to your cervical (neck) area? Email me at David.PeopleBeatingCancer@gmail.com with questions about your blood cancer or any of your side effects.
Hang in there,
David Emerson
- MM Survivor
- MM Cancer Coach
- Director PeopleBeatingCancer
Diagnostic accuracy of ultrasound for dysphagia: a systematic review and meta-analysis
“Objective:
To investigate the diagnostic accuracy of ultrasonography in detecting dysphagia and to compare it with other diagnostic methods.
Methods:
This is a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies. The literature was searched in multiple databases, including the Cochrane Central Controlled Trials Registry (a global database of controlled trials); MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Web of Science (biomedical, pharmacological, and multidisciplinary citation databases, respectively); CINAHL (focusing on nursing and allied health research); and Chinese databases including Wanfang Data, CNKI, and VIP (covering academic, scholarly, and scientific-technical literature).
Only articles published in the English and Chinese languages were included. Studies were eligible if they compared the accuracy of ultrasound testing with that of other diagnostic methods in dysphagia patients.
The Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS-2) criteria (a tool for evaluating bias risk in diagnostic accuracy studies) were used to assess the risk of bias following standard procedures.
We included eight studies involving a total of 538 patients with dysphagia: seven trials for post-stroke dysphagia and one trial for dysphagia in children with cerebral palsy.
The combined results showed that the sensitivity and specificity of ultrasound were 0.81 (95% CI 0.73-0.87) and 0.86 (95% CI 0.76-0.93), suggesting that the diagnostic performance of ultrasound is reliable for detecting dysphagia in patients.”
5 Easy Swallowing Exercises for Dysphagia
What is Dysphagia?
“Swallowing is a complex motor skill that requires the coordination of a multitude of nerves and muscles. Individuals with neurological conditions such as cerebral palsy, dementia, cervical spine injury, or a stroke, may experience difficulty swallowing. Known as dysphagia, symptoms of trouble swallowing can range from excess saliva production to choking while eating. Further complications such as aspiration pneumonia may also occur.
Can Swallowing Exercises Help Treat Dysphagia?
Speech therapists and occupational therapists are specifically trained to asses swallow function, and will develop a dysphagia treatment plan that may include exercises specifically aimed at improving the ability to swallow. Your therapist may also assign simple swallowing exercises for dysphagia—like those below—for you to do at home…”
diagnosis and treatment of dysphasia diagnosis and treatment of dysphasia