I Swallow Enough for a Lollipop

"As a consequence of her brain injury, she was unable to swallow using conventional utensils, and like many Americans required nutrition and hydration by feeding tube in order to live."  https://www.lifenews.com/2019/03/29/14-years-after-they-starved-my-sister-to-death-we-must-never-forget-terri-schiavo/?fbclid=IwAR3J9S8A2Y14HpTt-XppmSMEGWlz1uXB4bFb45NpCA9FmwNTUsFv3ATjE2s

That statement could be me. I have a feeding tube. I quote Bobby Schindler. He's Talking about his sister, Terri Schiavo. She's no longer with us. Her feeding tube was taken. She was thought to have reached the end of progress.

The government cut off providing the formula for my feeding tube. So, through a medicare supplement insurance, I get my own formula and supplies. I pay for the supplement insurance and no one else does. I won't depend on the government for providing medical supplies. I don't trust them. They were going to let me die...all because I talk and don't swallow.

Now you find me with a lollipop in my mouth at most times.

 I get all kinds now.

I use lollipops to get my mouth used to having food in it again. It's been a very long time. It has been so long that some would say 'don't bother.' I say it's just lollipops. I'm not doing a whole feeding program.

Lollipops just aren't for kids anymore. Recently, a daughter gave me the following specialty lollipops,

Starting on the left, the first two are Pineapple Upside Down Cake. This is not standard fare. In the center is the jelly and the peanut butter of Peanut Butter and Jelly lollipop. This is a two-sided lollipop. Second in from the right is "The Bird is the Word" which is Fruit Loops, birthday cake, lemon curd and buttercream frosting. Finally, on the far right are two Canoli lollipops. Yes, there is now such a thing.

My next venture is a margarita lollipop. It's been so long since I had a margarita. 

Cince de Mayo - Classic Margarita Lollipops

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I once saw a speech therapist for a few visits. I was hoping to learn how to drink the formula in order to get rid of the feeding tube. The formula is now Ensure. So it tastes okay now. Swallowing my formula did not happen. I do not swallow enough.

The therapist thought I'd be able to do "pleasure eating."  I had never heard of the concept before, but I liked the sound of it. Now that I have lollipops I understand. Certain flavors give me pleasure.

I looked up the concept. Pleasure Eating has to do with Mindfulness thttps://www.bestfoodfacts.org/mind-your-meals/. I do know that heartburn has nearly stopped since adding lollipops. My digestive system may be working muscles I hadn't been using. I only notice one thing, though- I don't have barf in my mouth.

Sucking Lollipops for Neurogenesis

 I'm bombarding my brain again. "the brain is constantly bombarded with natural information, but in a way that the brain has to deal with it. " http://thoughtfulveg.blogspot.com/2011/08/neurogenic-therapy.html At that time, I did not know about neurogenesis. I also use this concept in https://thoughtfulveg.blogspot.com/2015/11/idea-to-open-eyes.html

This seems to be a natural thing with me, I present  the same information over and over. Going back in my work history, this was "infant stim" or developmental stimulation.

My guess at what is going on is that the brain is producing neurons that react to the stimulus that is presented. I'm saying that neurogenesis happens. It is the body's response to incoming, unfiltered information.

Neurogenesis makes the body's "filter."

 Present the stimulus over and over.

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"My idea has been simple. I just put a lollipop in my mouth. This changes the environment to include taste. All those taste receptors come alive." https://thoughtfulveg.blogspot.com/2018/12/making-me-swallow.html

The brain has to make sense of the information coming in. Taste receptors in my mouth were still there. My stroke didn't affect them. They were sending information to my brain. The stroke affected my brain. My brain had to develop a way to deal with the information.

Compared to the last video, I am 

speaking better.

The old blueprints of previous neurons were there. My brain produced new neurons to handle taste by using old instructions. It is now through growth that I am hoping for a detectable swallow, or... lollipops stimulated neurogenesis.

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2/9/2019

By putting those two lollipop videos together I can compare. Oh my! You can hear a big difference.The first video is 3/12/2017 and the second is 8/9/2018. I have not had any speech therapy.

 

Making Me Swallow

I have somewhat of a swallow, but I haven't dared use it unless supervised. Years ago, when I first opened my eyes after a coma, my swallowing was tested. Jello was used. I swallowed the Jello, but it went into my trache tube (I was on a ventilator) as well as Jello came out my nose. The speech therapist said I swallowed to my airway and not to my stomach.

I've pretty much avoided food ever since. I do taste, though. So this has been hard. I used flavored chapsticks and lipglosses to help. After a long time, I moved to candy spray. As a note, don't spray the back of the throat. Now I use lollipops. I can handle my saliva now. You can see there is already progression and I haven't begun swallowing.

I have a second swallow that I wish was common. I believe it to be correctly doing what a swallow should, but it rarely happens. It is becoming more often, but still doesn't happen when needed. It reminds me of the following video, but instead of pain the bad thing is aspiration or swallowing to my lungs.

My 2nd swallow is most likely the green arrow.

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My idea has been simple. I just put a lollipop in my mouth. This changes the environment to include taste. All those taste receptors come alive.

The lollipop then has added speech therapy benefits. It is specifically used for speech and swallowing therapy.

Lollipop Swallow from Ed Steger on Vimeo.

  Lollipop Swallow from Ed Steger on Vimeo.

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I also have an idea to use tDCS to stimulate swallowing. tDCS stands for Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation. It is the delivery of electric current to the brain. I found some research, but this is new.

"Dysphagia is common sequela of brain injury

with as many as 50% of patients suffering from dysphagia following stroke. " I'm surprised there hasn't been more research with such a high incidence rate.

This article has a picture of electrode placement. https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007%2Fs00455-017-9789-z.pdf

 Using tDCS for the swallow
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I am more than likely rewiring...and growing the wire. 

Heal Thyself

"So maybe the first thing I will think of, will be to actually use my brain to restore my...." He then states eyesight. I cover that in another esasay, http://thoughtfulveg.blogspot.com/2017/03/lets-make-deal.html

The man is answering a question about trading eyesight for IQ. I am doing another physical skill now, but this is along the same lines that I am experiencing. My eyesight is good enough to get by. I'm no longer  blind in my right eye and I can see the computer screen.

Currently, I am working on swallowing. I swallow throughout the day, but it is not controlled. I cannot eat and have a feeding-tube for nutrition. I remember dealing with this issue years ago with some toddlers. Parents were recommended lollipops. I now use a lollipop.

This is actually called something, Functional Oral Rehabilitation. I call it Lollipop Therapy. "Conclusion: Sucking lollipop exercise could be a prospective option which improves the oral environment in addition to oral function of dementia patients." Functional Oral Rehabilitation using Lollipop Candy for a Dysphagia Patient with... | Request PDF. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/277634496_Functional_Oral_Rehabilitation_using_Lollipop_Candy_for_a_Dysphagia_Patient_with_Moderate_Dementia [accessed Feb 16 2018].

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"Boom, now it's gone." I can say that.

When patients have a rare deadly disease, they need to be in clinical trials.

I didn't have cancer, but it was just as deadly. It was immediate pending death due to placement.

I'm still here and the anomaly in my brain is gone. I'd say the clinical trial worked. This was just one issue in a list of many that had to be resolved. It was probably the most important issue, because I couldn't do anything if I was dead.

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Since I immediately wouldn't die, I could think about other issues I had. "I could think." That meant I was misdiagnosed. I searched around and came up with Locked-In Syndrome.

I now look like a person recovering from Locked-In Syndrome.