Realizing that you have a swallowing disorder can be heartbreaking. However, it doesn’t have to ruin your life or even take over your life. When you focus on dealing with a swallowing disorder head-on, you can then deal with what you are going through and you can improve how you feel. So, what tips should you be applying and following to help you deal with a swallowing disorder?
Establish Any Underlying Causes
You need to establish if there are any underlying causes, which need to be corrected. Has this swallowing disorder just come on, or has it been building in intensity? What are you noticing in relation to your swallowing disorder, and have you had anything happen in your life that could have triggered what you feel, and what is happening. Getting to the root of the underlying causes will help you to positively move forwards.
Regular Checkups with a Healthcare Professional
You are not alone on your journey and it is important to get regular checkups with a healthcare professional. They can help you identify what is causing your swallowing disorder, and they can also give you guidance on how you can ease the symptoms. When you are having regular checkups with a healthcare professional, you are ensuring that you are staying in control of your situation – as much as you can. Getting regular checkups also ensures that you are also doing what you can to prevent further issues from taking over your life.
Using a Gum Thickener
When you have a swallowing disorder, you can find it difficult to swallow a lot of the drinks and foodstuffs that you love. When you are struggling to easily consume your favorite morning coffee or your favorite smoothie, you can then find life becomes more difficult than it has to be. Adding a gum thickener like the ones from Simply Thick can change how you associate with drinking, and it can make drinks a lot easier and more comfortable for you to swallow. Adding a thickener to your drinks at home (or on the go) can ensure that you can carry on with your everyday life as easily as possible.
Watching Your Diet
You may find that certain foods and drinks trigger your swallowing disorder. Getting healthy and nutritious meals is important, as is drinking lots of fluids. Your diet may not be as good as it should be, especially if you are avoiding eating and drinking certain fluids or foodstuffs. Balancing what you are eating and choosing foods and drinks which you know will be easier to swallow is what you need to be focusing your efforts on.
Be Kind to Yourself
When you are struggling with a swallowing disorder, you can find that you blame yourself. This blame and pressure that you put on yourself are not going to be beneficial to you moving forwards (either in the short term or long term). Taking time to be kind to yourself and focusing on your wellbeing is of paramount importance.
