I know that I have posted about my dad choking before, but I have another choking question. I guess what my dad has been choking on is water, not necessarily food. Someone had mentioned a thickening agent that you can put into water. Does anyone remember what it is called? And, for those of you out there who do choke on water, what is the best way to get the water down? Does coughing help or swallowing a bunch? My dad says he can breathe still but he gets very panicked and starts pacing when it happens. My mom hits him on the back, tells him to tilt his head down, drink something else to get the substance down, etc., but nothing really seems to work. My mom said that the last time this happened, it took about 10 minutes before he was o.k. again. I told her that the next time it happens, just try to get dad to relax his throat so the water can slide down better. I don't know if my "doctorly" advice will help or work, but I don't know what else to say. Dad is now nervouse to drink water with pills and hardly drinks any water throughout the day. Is there another liquid that he could be drinking that will keep him hydrated other than water? Would carbonation from sparkling water or soda help? I'm hoping you all might have some sound advice, and someone might know what he could be adding to the water to thicken it up, and/or find a different liquid to be drinking all together. Thanks for the help.
Dana
Dana