I know this sounds somewhat negative, but it is a fact in our lives. My husband, like approximately 80% of other people with Parkinson’s Disease, has developed issues with swallowing. The medical term for this is dysphagia. It seemed to get worse after his DBS surgery, but I am not sure whether it was a result of the surgery or simply normal progression of the disease. What I do know is that he doesn’t go through a day without at least one episode of choking. It is usually water, which I find really interesting since it seems that it should go down easiest.

The complications of dysphagia are scary. Difficulty swallowing can interfere with my husband’s ability to get his pills to go down. His inability to swallow certain foods could impact his diet if he makes unhealthy choices that are easier to swallow. Choking puts him at risk of aspirating food or liquids into his windpipe which could even lead to aspiration pneumonia. By the way, according to many studies aspiration pneumonia is the leading cause of death for People with Parkinson’s. It is important that I take his choking issues seriously.

We have done all the right things. He attended several sessions with a speech and language therapist, had a swallowing study done and practices his huff and puffs three times a week. He knows to tuck his chin when swallowing and to take small bites or sips. No matter what he does, it is still a challenge to get all of the muscles involved in the mechanical process of swallowing to work in conjunction with each other. So, it has become my job to be present and keep an eye on those choking episodes. I make sure that his medical team knows about them. They may not be able to fix what’s happening, but together we can monitor it to make sure we are ahead of any further complications that might come up.

For more about dysphagia see What is dysphagia, and how does it impact living well with Parkinson’s?  – Davis Phinney Foundation.