New Therapy Improves Swallow Function [Schiavo related]

Fairlawn Rehabilitation Hospital ^ | unknown | unknown

[Future Useless Eater]

 



New Therapy Improves Swallow Function
 
Swallowing. It's like blinking or breathing - you never think about it. You just do it. Thousands of times a day. Unless you're one of 15 million Americans who suffer from dysphagia, a painful, often debilitating disorder that makes swallowing extremely difficult or even impossible.
 
Henry Sroka, a 58 year-old businessman, is one of those people. Due to a neurological condition, Henry's epiglottis, the mechanism that protects the airway during swallowing, wouldn't close properly. Therefore, the simple act of managing his own saliva became a problem. And eating or drinking became life-threatening.
 
"It's a shocker - when you've been swallowing all your life and then they tell you that one of the things you do naturally isn't going to happen," said Henry, who was placed on a feeding tube. "But then you ask the question, 'Ok, what do I have to do to get back to normal?'"
 
VitalStim Therapy
 
For Henry, the answer was VitalStim Therapy, a new innovative treatment used to retrain the throat muscles affected by dysphagia. VitalStim stimulates inactive or atrophied swallowing muscles by passing a small electric current through external electrodes on the neck. With repeated therapy, throat muscles are re-trained, and the patient progresses to an optimum level of swallow function.
 
"Swallowing involves a whole sequence of events. If one thing goes wrong, the whole sequence is affected. Therefore, when an individual tries to eat, food might not go down the right way and the person may aspirate," explained Linda Larson, a Fairlawn speech-language pathologist. "With VitalStim, we're contracting those exterior swallowing muscles to strengthen them in order to facilitate a more efficient swallow. Essentially, we're trying to get those muscles to work again to make the whole swallowing sequence work the way it should."
 


During VitalStim therapy, electrodes, attached to Henry's neck and connected to a hand- held device (right) controlled by his speech therapist, send electrical impulses to his throat muscles. The current stimulates those muscles, leading to improved swallow function.


 
Following a videofluoroscopic study that confirmed profound dysphagia, Henry began daily VitalStim Therapy at Fairlawn. During the therapy, he also did swallowing exercises and food trials, which provide an opportunity to further strengthen the throat muscles while engaging in a functional activity.
 
After the sixth session, Henry began to notice that he could swallow his saliva, and after the seventh, he successfully swallowed ice chips. But it was the eighth session that brought the most encouragement.
 
"At that session, when Henry was able to drink a quarter teaspoon of gingerale, I broke out into applause, and another clinician came into the treatment area to offer a standing ovation," recalled Linda. "We would not have seen that kind of progress with traditional therapies."
 
In subsequent sessions, Henry successfully swallowed a small piece of graham cracker, and a follow-up videofluoroscopic study showed more movement of his epiglottis. "He was also able to tolerate small amounts of nectar consistency. So he's definitely making progress," said Linda.
 
Recently discharged from Fairlawn’s inpatient Neuro-Rehabilitation Program, Henry will continue VitalStim Therapy at the hospital’s Outpatient Center. Encouraged by the results VitalStim has brought, he is quite clear about his hopes for continued progress. "I'm hoping to return to a normal swallow so I can eat off a plate," he said. But even after months of being unable to swallow, Henry still has limits - "I look forward to eating anything I can - anything except liver."
 


Left: Encouraged by progress made through VitalStim Therapy as an inpatient at Fairlawn, Henry Sroka, shown with speech-language pathologist Linda Larson, will continue treatment at Fairlawn's Outpatient Center. Below: To further strengthen Henry's throat muscles, Linda Larson conducts food trials during therapy sessions.


 
 

 

[Pepper777]

The VitalStim Therapy is EXCELLENT AND TERRI should be given the chance to use it.

Felos/Greer and so called Husband will NOT allow her to eat. One court document I read written by Felos, stated that Terri is considered TERMINAL, due to the fact that she can NOT swallow. Felos also said, (paraphasing) if her feeding tube is removed she will die. Again, Felos using double talk.

Murdering Terri by STARVATION, has been DELIBERATE from the beginning and it's OUTRAGEOUS~!!! May God have Mercy on our country.

All of us would DIE WITHOUT FOOD AND WATER. FORBIDDING Terri to be feed by mouth, has been deliberate. Changing the law in 1998, was also part of this scheme to KILL her.

[Future Useless Eater]

Yes, there are a few videos, but the husband's lawyer is furious the schindler family has them.

Go to terrisfight.org

and 4 or 5 videos are there. The animation of her raising
her eybrows really really high on command (part of post 1) came from one of those videos

[True Republican Patriot]

Great Treatment and a Great Post!! Thank you, am assuming you sent this on to Terri's Family Lawyers and others. Glenn Beck had a tremendous broadcast today pointing out the insanity of Greer ordering no natural feeding because that could cause Terri's Death thru asperation because he wanted her alive so he could order the tube feeding stopped thus causing a slow agonizingly painful and certain death via Dehydration and Starvation.Greer is not a Judge, he is an Executioner in this case and unknown how many others.

[Future Useless Eater]

>>am assuming you sent this on to Terri's Family Lawyers and others

I pinged lots of the heavy hitters from memory, it should get there. Plus, it sounds like lawyer Gibbs must already have heard of this. I posted it for the rest of us to understand the situation better.

[Future Useless Eater]

I found a blurb that mentions the DEFININTION for DYSPHAGIA...

Baptist Collierville Offers New Technique For Patients with Swallowing Disorders
Memphis, Tenn., May 28, 2004 – The Wellness Center at Baptist Memorial
Hospital-Collierville recently began offering VitalStim™ Therapy for patients
suffering from the swallowing disorder, dysphagia – the
medical term for any difficulty or discomfort in
swallowing.

[Lauren BaRecall]

The "I Love Terri DVD" was a stroke of genius. I first saw it on the Empire Journal. (And guessed correctly who came up with it.)

[Finalapproach29er]

This ailment took my fathers life.

I'm glad there is a treatment for people now. Good news for Throat cancer/radiation victims.

[supercat]

Has anyone videotaped Terri interacting with family or medical staff? I would think that might be an effective way to show her responsiveness.

The would be. That's why Michael has done everything he can to prevent anyone from taking any.

[Pepper777]

Ping to Gordon Watts!!

Just wondered if you can do anything in the way of a legal filing for Terri on this new swallow treatment.

[Ohioan from Florida]

Terri ping! If anyone would like to be added to or removed from my Terri ping list, please let me know by FReepmail!

[ruoflaw]

good and promising info!

[PhilDragoo]

terrisfight.org

[exDemMom]

Otherwise its just plain murder.

I thought that's what it's always been about, and Terri's inability to swallow just a convenient excuse to rationalize it.

In fact, since the law (in FL) seems to be saying that the ability to swallow is the line that separates people who deserve to live from those who don't, I'm surprised that the Henry of this article has been "allowed" to continue living.

[Chocolate Rose]

Bump! Bump!

[Chocolate Rose]

Terri Schiavo's Parents Argue for Medical Tests Before Starvation Death

by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
March 8, 2005

http://www.lifenews.com/bio756.html

[Kitty Mittens]

Thank you for the Information on this Thread, FL Engineer!

[pollywog]

what do you think are the chances that Judge Greer would allow this test?? Since he has been so negative on everything else??

[pollywog]

what a marvelous grapic FL!!!!!!!!!!!

[Chocolate Rose]

slim to none :( and the slim being if he can arrange to have Terri pre-drugged :(

im praying with all my heart and soul for a miracle :)
i depend on them, ya' know ;-)

God Save Terri!

[windchime]

Bump!