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Michael, my brother had a swallowing problem that I wished his family had gotten better information earlier about. He had trouble swallowing his food and would get choked. His mouth would always be full but he could not swallow it. He would end up putting too much in his mouth (gorging) and finally getting choked. He was given small amounts at a time and that solved the problem for awhile. Finally after 3 years he got aspiration pneumonia and the DR's put a feeding tube in his stomach. He is now in a nursing home and is being fed through his stomach. I tell you this because apparently PD weakens the throat muscles and does affect the speech. We were not very smart and DR's did not bother to inform the family but apparently there are exercises that can be done to strengthen the neck muscles and help the swallowing ability for PD patients. Right now I believe it is too late to help my brother but any PD patients that began having voice problems or swallowing problems should consult with a specialist for physical therapy for speech and neck muscle strengthening. As someone on the List Serve said "Exercise....Exercise....Exercise" Larry Wilson ----- Original Message ----- From: "George Docken" <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Tuesday, July 16, 2002 10:13 AM Subject: Re: swallowing > michael frederic <[log in to unmask]> > Sent by: Parkinson's Information Exchange Network > <[log in to unmask]> > 07/15/2002 04:23 PM > Please respond to Parkinson's Information Exchange Network > > > To: [log in to unmask] > cc: > Subject: swallowing > > > Hi group, > > My dad has been having trouble swallowing lately, and it is a source of > concern to my mom, particularly as he is losing weight. He can still eat, > but explains that he can feel the food passing over the back of his > tongue. > He went to an ENT who could find no blockage or growth which would cause > this sensation. I know that difficulty swallowing is a common symptom of > PD. Could anyone suggest a means of coping with this new dilemma? Dad > takes Mirapex, as well as Excelon and some other meds for his heart. > > Thanks, > Michael (son of Wayne 72/70/68) > > > Dear Michael, > For me, swallowing has moved from the realm of automatic functions > to deliberate acts I need to pay attention to. Your dad may want to ask > his neurologist for a consult with a physical therapist about these > functions. All the best, Geo. > > _________________________________________________________________ > Send and receive Hotmail on your mobile device: http://mobile.msn.com > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] > In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] > In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn