Urgent advice please

[horseshoes]

My best friend's Dad has been in a residential home for a while and last week something (?) was wrong and he was admitted to hospital where he remains as yet. My friend has just phoned me now and she is VERY upset - I don't know if the hospital has called her but this morning she said that the hospital had found that his food was not going into his stomach but into his lungs! What would cause this? When she phoned just now, she was practically hysterical she said "I don't know if he's going to get better" - they're having such a hard time at the minute, and now her poor Mum is having breathing difficulties and is in bed at my friends house, oblivious to all this. Anyway, my friends siblings are on their way from Mid Wales and Lincolnshire; I'll go later on. What would have caused this and do you think he'll recover?

[murraymints]

you need Sqad for this one....

[horseshoes]

Agreed MM. I'm hoping he's around.

[tinkerbell23]

Try not to worry! Swallowing problems...you may find that they will use a thickening powder called thick and easy to thicken up drinks, and advise certain diets which will help the food find its way to the right place....speech and language will do swallowing assesments xxxx

[murraymints]

usually here in the morning before he goes for breakfast/swim...

[tinkerbell23]

http://www.livestrong...-goes-into-the-lungs/
Xxx

[Sqad]

Commonest cause is paralysis of his muscles of swallowing following a stroke.

There are many other causes, but this is way at the top of the list.

[tamborine]

Wishing the best for your friend Horseshoes.

Tinx, your advice makes sense to me. Your caring knowledge is invaluable here.

[murraymints]

WOTCHA SQAD......this also happened to my fil when his Alzheimers advanced....is this a common thing ?

[tinkerbell23]

Aww thanks tambo! Thats really nice of you im hardly massively experienced but in my "experience" people who "aspirate" get a textured diet, ie mash, and juices tea etc made to custard consistensy or syrup using thick & easy which is a tasteless powder and it helps the food and juice to find the right way down xxxxx

[Sqad]

Hi murray my darling.........yes it is not uncommon to have paralysis of the muscles of swallowing following a CVA (stroke) and that is why people who have had a stroke "dribble", because they can't swallow their own saliva.

[tinkerbell23]

MM mabye this will help- ive looked after lots of people with demetia who were dysphagic...id say it was common yeah....and as sqad said plenty people who have suffered a stroke xxx (not that im saying thats whats happened to OPs friends daddy) xx

http://www.nhs.uk/con...Pages/definition.aspx

[Sqad]

tinker....if they can't swallow.......they cant swallow ANYTHING...textured diet or whatever else.

The either have to be fed intravenously or by nasogastric tube.

[murraymints]

ta Sqad/Tinks... I could never understand why the speech therapist needed to see fil....now I can see why...if I get to the point when I can't eat an eclair...shoot me !!!

[tamborine]

Credit where its due, methinks. Am sure sqad would agree.

[Kiki-frog]

murraymints - this happened to my dad when he had Alzheimers. I think it probably is quite common.

[tinkerbell23]

I know....but that link shows that speech and lang can help aswell as changing the texture of diet which hopefully will be the treatment for that persons dad :) xxx

(oh and has a link to asp pneumonia) you are much more the pro than me though LOL ;0> xxx

[Sqad]

tambo.........indeed.

[murraymints]

Sqad..get here NOW...my reflexes have dried up...need a bit of attention...warm the hands first though !!!!

[horseshoes]

Hello again, I'm just back from the hospital. It transpires that the hospital had phoned this morning but my friend told them they couldn't get there straight away as Mum was ill in bed and she (my friend had the grand children, which she does every day). It became clear that the hospital had made a second, more urgent call, to ask the family to be there, so when I arrived her Mum, Paula was there too. My friend's Dad, Dennis, has pneumonia. You can hear the fluid gurgling - it's awful. I had only been there 5 minutes and the nurse came and said they were moving him to a side ward on his own. Paula is 80, and she kept asking that if Dennis opened his eyes would he be OK. The doctor, was explaining to her how ill Dennis is and that they are trying to make him comfortable. She's staying in the hospital with Dennis tonight. I get the feeling that they have moved him to a side ward as they're expecting him to die. Would this be a fair assumption. The siblings will arrive at about 7 pm tonight.

[Sqad]

I get the feeling that they have moved him to a side ward as they're expecting him to die. Would this be a fair assumption

YES.....I am afraid so.