*We both have had a helluva several months Greg. I thought 2018 what is going to be a better year but by February I was diagnosed with superficial low-grade bladder cancer and still more bladder infections.*
*Mine started out with the February diagnosis of superficial bladder cancer, the removal of the cancerous growth, my beloved Golden Retriever daughter getting diagnosed numerous tumors (called *Hemangiosarcomas) *in her spleen less than 2 months after my diagnosis and passing away and then me ending up in the hospital (2 weeks in ICU and another week in the hospital) between late June and July 18th whereby I almost did not make it. * *I had a chest tube put in with a collapsed lung and they had to pump me up with so much sodium because I had drank too much water and depleted my body of too much sodium which caused very nasty things. Before I was taken to the hospital... the day before I was out of it for a short period of time and didn't even realize I was chewing on my left hand's forefinger! I can't feel my left hand or any of my fingers so thankfully my caregiver was right with me. I had been eating my breakfast bar in bed like every morning and she had just washed my hands when she heard a 'crunch, crunch' when she turned around and saw what I was doing and could pull my hand away from me or I would have done much more damage than I had our the had done. I know this does not sound real but that is exactly how it happened. I was then okay for a while but then...* *The following day got worse and I aspirated on a peppermint that I was chewing on. I was not strong enough to cough it up and with the loss of sodium I was just "out of it" so was rushed to the hospital and had to stay there 3 weeks because of how bad I was.* *Not too long after being in the hospital I aspirated on some fruit and got too much liquid in my lungs and therefore needing to have breathing treatments. This was before the chest tube. I think they waited to put the tube in so they would get more money out of me because I kept asking the pulmonary physician to please take an x-ray of my lungs to say that I was dealing with and he kept putting it off. I'm paying for it in hefty co-pays now!* *ANYWAY, when my injury occurred in 1979 I had so much throat damage that I have been very very easily choking ever since. My neck was split open from my jaw almost down to my collarbone so it is a wonder I survived. I still have the scar that runs down my neck although thankfully it has faded over the years. I also have a great deal of scars on my chin from the accident. I spent 3 to 4 months in ICU and had a trach from October 1979 to somewhere around September 1980.* *I, after all these years, still easily choke on things that I inhale particularly liquid like milk with my cereal. I did that this afternoon and spent the afternoon trying to cough it up. My caregiver is here but I wanted to see if I could cough it up on my own because I have been choking a lot lately and sometimes I CAN cough it up by myself. * *Yesterday I needed her to do the quad cough. My choking was so bad in the 1980s that I once had them do a scope to see if there was any scar tissue that things were getting caught on but they did not see anything. I have diagnosed it myself since I can swallow easily when laying back (I should say tilting back in my wheelchair or laying in bed) so that indicates to me that when the straighter up I sit -- the more I choke. So when I am sitting up my neck and throat muscles somehow tighten causing the food catch on something. But the only thing back there is my tonsils. I never had them removed and don't plan to because I'm unsure if that is the real reason I keep choking so very much. Since food and liquid easily go down when my neck muscles are relaxed... I just need to tilt back a little when I am sitting up feeding myself. I don't have much of a problem at all if I am in bed and therefore having to have someone feed me. * *When one nurse came in to give me my medications while I was in the hospital I told her that I could take my meds in the position I was in (almost completely flat) and she said "I could lose my job if you choke on these so please sit up." My caregiver was right there so both of us told her to give them to my caregiver and my caregiver would give them to me. Since I know my body best, it was all I could do not to say "I could lose my life by choking on these if I sit up more!"* *One day last week something caught in my throat and I couldn't get air by for the longest time but by tilting back in my chair... that helped tremendously. My caregiver wasn't here and even if she was... it was at a time where she would have been at the other end of our abode in her bedroom. I never eat if I am alone.* *Choking has been one of the most terrible secondary conditions I have had to deal with as well as Posttraumatic Syringomyelia.* *I have someone stand in front of me and unless my airway is completely blocked... I take the biggest possible breath I can take and use my eyes to tell my caregiver EXACTLY when I am trying to try to cough so we will be "in sync" with the timing for trying to cough and so it will be effective. Most often we have to do it anywhere from 2 to 7 times or more. She is very strong so she just uses her two hands and pushes in and upward. She pushes where the top of my stomach is and below my rib cage.* *I inhaled milk from the cereal I had for lunch today and it sat in my lungs for most of the day. Finally, when I laid down and just by moving around a little bit... I was able to cough it up myself. Many times it will bother me by gurgling and tickling my lungs and then disappear for a while until I move by pulling myself forward or move completely by getting into bed.* *Since the experience is different for all of us... the videos that are available are somewhat helpful but, like most, I have had to educate everyone how I need to do it - specifically.* *Also, since my injury and being able to sit up to eat which took a good 8 or 9 months or possibly more (I was flat on my back for a very very long time) I have always had to turn my head to the right when swallowing. I know that sounds very odd but it has become a natural thing for me to do. I cannot swallow if I don't turn my head to the right. I also cannot swallow if I am on my side in bed so, in other words, I can't eat or drink anything if I am on my side in bed.* *Best to all who are dealing with this!* *~Lori* *PS - I know I should do more deep breathing exercises than I do so I am guilty of not doing that. I have not used the spirometer that I took home with me but I should to see what number I can get at these days.* On Sat, Aug 25, 2018 at 2:16 PM <[email protected]> wrote: > Boy Greg > > It certainly hasn’t been your best period of time the last little bit! Do > you use the quad cough assist at all? We use it every day that I need to > have my nose blown (and seeing how it’s allergy season that’s quite a bit) > and I have used it for choking. I’ve attached a link for a U-tube that I > found. I don’t do the second and third steps. We also use a fist right in > the V of the ribs pushing upwards rather than the open hand. One of my > favorite things to do with the new attendants is to have them learn to do a > quad cough, and then when they take a CPR first aid ask the instructor how > they would take care of a quad in a power wheelchair that was choking. I > know, not nice, but it’s fun. 😊 > > Take care of yourself, you’re the only one you have. > > Joan in Reno where we have finally broken the 57 day over 90°weather > streak. > > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfR3KF8mYhw > > > > *From:* Greg <[email protected]> > *Sent:* Friday, August 24, 2018 8:35 PM > *To:* [email protected] > *Subject:* [QUAD-L] choking > > > > After all things that happened health wise after my chair tipped. > Last week I was eating cornbread, went to take a bite and inhaled a big > piece. It was stuck in my throat, I could not breath at all. Luckily others > were here. They could not get their arms around me and the back of my > chair. But enough pounding on me got it out. Scary stuff. My old hospital > room mate and friend passed away just like that. A bad few months I've had. > Greg > -- "Petting, scratching and cuddling a dog could be soothing to the mind and heart and deep meditation and almost as good for the soul as prayer." ~Dean Koontz
