Liam had his swallow study this morning. It wasn't really the news we were hoping for, but at least everything is staying the same for now. They found he silently aspirates on anything less than honey consistency. We were really hoping he could at least tolerate a little thinner liquids now than what we have been giving him, but I guess it's more waiting again. They are referring me to the feeding clinic through the hospital to see if feeding therapy would still be beneficial, even though he does not seem to have any aversions or issues other than swallowing function. I am hoping we can continue the Vital Stim therapy and that they think it will help.
I am also looking for some advice...I just really thought Liam would have grown out of the swallowing deficiencies by now, and I'm not sure what we are dealing with as far as long-term....Is anyone's toddler still having swallowing/aspiration issues with paralyzed vocal cords? Just trying to figure out if we need to dig deeper to find out exactly WHY he can't swallow effectively (and not just default to the vocal cord issue) or even who we would see to figure that out?? Ugh...frustrated.
On the brighter side, his follow-up appointment with the Pedi for his strep went great. She said he looks great (lungs, nose and ears all clear - Yay!) and she even said she was happy with his growth...even though it's not much! I just love that she really can put perspective on the whole picture, while some of our other doctors tend to be very weight focused. So I guess this appointment balanced out the swallow study =).
And last little bit before I go, and I am not going to post about my shop on here all the time, so don't worry... but, don't forget to visit my Etsy shop tomorrow! It's my GRAND opening!
Hi, I'm a speech therapist and heard your feeding issues. Usually you would go to a speech therapist for feeding therapy, it may need strengthening of the muscles that take to swallow to help him out. Sometimes the nerve that helps close the airway can be damaged also because it goes to the vocal chords. There are several strategies that could be taken for people with swallowing problems, but it is for sure not really appropriate for children because they can't always follow directions. Try to see what issues on the swallow study cause hiis aspiration such as timeliness of the swallow, incomplete closure of epiglottis to arytenoids. There are mainly three protection points our body does to prevent aspiration first, closure of true vocal folds, second, closure of False vocal folds which is the area right above actual folds, and third the epiglottis and aryntoids coming together to form a barrier. It can be complicated and one little thing can set a lot of others off. Any other questions, I'd be happy to help. Email me at yellowroom33@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteI hope someone has some answers for you! I'm glad the pedi visit went well and Liam got a good report! I love it when the docs can see the big picture too. Our Pedi is like that. He doesn't harass us about Derrick's weight as long as he's gaining. And it's never much! Supportive, but realistic. Love it!
ReplyDeleteGood luck!!!