Saturday, November 3, 2018

Helpful Tips On Dysphagia Treatment

By Frances Harris


Having difficulties more than once when swallowing your food is a clear sign that there is something wrong with your throat or oesophagus. The condition also known as Dysphagia is one that makes it uncomfortable or even painful when trying to enjoy a meal. Seeking Dysphagia Treatment is important as it will help you find out where the exact problem is and what the causes are.

Being in this kind of situation may cause you to have a problem when swallowing food after chewing on it. It is associated with pain when swallowing and makes eating to be a very uncomfortable process. The condition is however, not similar to occasional chocking or difficulties caused by eating fast or not chewing your food properly. Dysphagia is quite common among the elderly and babies.

Some of the causes of this condition can be easily depicted. For instance, if you have experienced a stroke or spinal cord injury before, it may affect the muscles used to push food down in your oesophagus. Problems with your nervous system such as Parkinson disease also has a great impact on the functioning of the throat. Immune system problems such as inflammation in the gut which leads to swelling are also key causes.

At times, having something blocked in your throat or the gut also causes this pain when swallowing. A condition known as GERD whereby the stomach acid gets backed up to the gut leading to ulcers make it a painful process to eat. Ulcers leads to scars forming in the walls of the gut, making it narrower and harder to pass food down. Having a tumour in the gut or masses such as lymph nodes can also become a problem.

This condition has a number of symptoms that clearly depict its presence. One of the most commonly known is the difficulty in swallowing your first bite of food or even liquids. Feeling the pain when eating may cause you to eat less which leads to weight loss. Having the food and liquid coming back up to your throat or even through your mouth and constant coughing, chocking and gagging are clear signs of Dysphagia.

It is wise to visit the nearest medical clinic around you so as to get treatment before things get worse. The doctor you see will prompt you to answer some questions which will help him determine which specialist can deal with your case. Questions such as when the condition started, how long it has being going on, pointing out where you feel food is getting stuck, experiences of some symptoms mentioned among others will be asked.

You will further be taken through further tests to find out the causes of dysphagia. Such include having throat x rays. The treatment process also depends on what is causing the difficulty. Some of the processes you can be involved in is exercises to train your muscles on how to properly lead food down your throat into your stomach. This also includes positioning your body well so as to swallow well.

In addition to exercises, you will be asked to change your meal plan, eating things that are not difficult to swallow. For some scenarios, a surgery is needed to remove things that are blocking your gut. The specialist will also give you medicines to prevent GERD and to treat infections.




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