Chewing problems

[dkcarl62]

Greetings all,

I've been having problems biting my cheeks when I chew my food. They're getting pretty sore! Also, the chewed food is staying "stuck" around my gums so every other bite I have to use a q-tip to push the food out so I can swallow it.

Thoughts? Cures?

Deb

 

[bigmark1954]

Welcome to my world, the inside of my cheeks are wounded all the time. When I yawn I bite my cheeks and tongue sometimes.

I have a doozey of a cold right now and during a sneezing fit I bit my tongue bad today. I have my fingers crossed that it doesn't turn into pneumonia.

Food always gets stuck between my cheeks and gums. I usually just clear it with my finger....eewwwe!

Do you ever swallow food before you are done chewing? Chewy food works tHat way for me, if food gets past a certain point it just drops back on me.

 

[GregK]

One thought:

Time for a g-tube.

 

[ShiftKicker]

Have you consulted with a specialist? I can't remember if you have access to an ALS center or not. I hope you do. I had a nutritionist and SLP put me through my paces with managing different textures the last time I was in to the clinic. It might be a matter of changing the textures of your foods to a softer form. The clinic might have some pointers for you specific to your observed swallowing issues. If not, they would be the ones to be able to assess your need for a g-tube, as mentioned by Greg.

I hope you are able to find some help for continuing to enjoy eating.


Fiona

 

[Green Queen]

Deb
I'm so sad to read you and others are going through this.
I hope you find a solution.

 

[affected]

Deb you may want a swallow study done just to see where things are going wrong.

Sadly, there isn't a cure, but there are strategies.

Firstly, you need to stop eating food that needs to be chewed - either slow cooked soft foods like stews, or use a food processor to do that first line of chewing to break it down a bit.

It really is time to start considering strategies such as soft foods and a peg so that you can get lots of nutrition and just eat for pleasure, knowing you are getting lots of nutrition in.

So sorry, it's horrible. The biting the cheeks is partly due to the muscles inside your mouth beginning to fail and so they become kind of floppy and easily bitten. Partly it is the lack of coordination causing you to have less control over everything as you chew.

 

[dkcarl62]

Thanks for all your comments, although the advice is a bit disheartening. I certainly didn't expect to have to consider a p-tube. If there isn't anything that can be done, I'm not sure how I would benefit from a swallow study? I keep hoping that maybe this will pass. Sometimes problems do and have gotten better or have gone. In the mean time, I sure don't look forward to eating.

Deb

 

[GregK]

A g-tube isn't a big deal unless you wait too long.

 

[affected]

If you are not sure how bad things are, where you are at, then a swallow study is the way to go.

If you simply decide this is purely ALS progression then a feeding tube is the way to go.

So sorry you have to make these decisions, but we say here all the time - get the peg in now, don't delay it!

 

[Duker52]

When I first started having swallowing problems, I went to softer foods. When those became a problem, the blender became our best friend. We would throw Progresso soups into the blender and make them smooth so I could just drink them. At that point my spouse had been begging me to get a g-tube for a month. After support from members of this forum, I admitted that it was time. Best thing I ever did. Now I take all my nutrition through the tube. However, like BigMark, I am constantly biting the insides of my cheeks. Not so much my tongue, though. I suspect in my case the reason I'm biting my cheeks is because I have lost so much weight and my cheeks are sunken in. And when things got stuck between my cheeks and gums, I simply used my finger to dislodge it. Since I've had this horrid disease, I tossed all modesty out the window. Bill

 

[affected]

Biting the insides of his cheeks in his sleep was one of Chris's early symptoms (dare I say that). Of course it was one of many symptoms, and to be honest we didn't think much of it at the time, but looking back after diagnosis we realised how it was related to everything that was happening.

 

[scaredwifetx]

Steve's first noticeable was foot drop although looking back now there were a lot of symptoms. He had quite a few issues biting his cheeks and tongue. We just thought he was having problems with his teeth. There were so many slight issues that we never thought were related to anything important or not at least ALS.

 

[affected]

scared that is why the scale needs to find evidence of ALS in 3 areas I believe. Even if the failing is only happening in one area, this insidious monster is chomping away everywhere!

We thought teeth problems too, and Chris's symptoms were primarily bulbar. When the fasciculations started in his arms I was fascinated at watching them, and made absolutely no connection to them and his speech/swallowing issues!

 

[scaredwifetx]

I agree Tillie. I remember laying next to him and he would twitch a lot. I also noticed fasciculations in his arms and legs and did wonder about them but at that time there just wasnt anything real alarming going on. I think there may have been subtle symptoms going on for at least a couple of years before diagnosis. I do think it is chomping away and maybe longer than we think it is.

 

[lmcdaniel54]

Mark it might be Ewww but I have found that using my index finger to help move food around with every bite has helped me a lot. I think I see it as replacing what my tongue used to do. I cover my face with a napkin if out in public and with the other hand use my finger to move the food around.