A person who has swallowing difficulty is unable to swallow food or liquid easily. In medical terms, it is called Dysphagia. It has become a common problem among young and old people nowadays.
Sometimes it can be cured easily without any medical treatment but sometimes it may last forever or for a long time. Here the main query is what happens if you can’t swallow?
If you cannot swallow, your tongue may become swollen and painful. If you choke or choke on food, you could possibly aspirate it into your airway, putting you at risk for pneumonia or other serious complications. A medical professional should be called to assess your situation.
Only a specialist can diagnose the problem and suggest the right treatment. People with this difficulty may start coughing while eating. As a result, they leave eating and become weak day by day.
There are about 15 million people suffering from this health issue and fighting against it. Before getting better treatment, the patient has to reveal all his symptoms whether he is feeling difficulty with liquids or solid food items.
Let’s explore more about it!
What Happens If You Can’t Swallow
Some people feel difficulty swallowing anything whether it is hard or soft. If you are also facing such an issue, you must be curious to know the reason behind it. It is not pleasant to live with this problem because it prevents you from eating properly.
Here are some symptoms that appear when you realize that you can’t swallow. Let’s see what are these:
- Slavering
- Croaking Sounds
- Weight loss
- Feeling something stuck in the throat
- Vomiting
- Coughing and pain while swallowing
- Can’t swallow solid food
- Sometimes food comes out of the nose
These are the common signs that you feel when you have swallowing problems. In this case, many people stop eating food that is not good for their health. Their appetite may lose gradually and they become sick.
To avoid such a horrible situation, you have to find a solution. It is best to contact your doctor as soon as you realize about swallowing difficulty.
What Happens If a Child Can’t Swallow
You must become angry and irritant when your child refuses to eat again and again. Don’t be angry. Just find the reason for your child’s refusal to eat a meal. Maybe he/she is feeling difficulty swallowing food.
Or it may be possible that he/she is feeling pain when trying to swallow something. Why does it happen? Let’s try to understand what happens when a child can’t swallow?
There are some signs that tell you about the swallowing problem of your child. These are listed below:
- He refuses to eat solid food
- Liquid food comes out of their mouth like juice, milk, etc
- Can’t breathe while eating
- Their weight starts losing
- Vomit while eating
As soon as you find these symptoms, take your child to a specialist and get better treatment. It is essential because the problem may become serious if you neglect it.
How to Treat Swallowing Problem
Here it is important to treat swallowing problems properly because it prevents you from eating and leads you towards weakness. Another term used for swallowing problems is called “Dysphagia”.
A specialist in speech-language may help you to diagnose the disease after swallowing analysis. After that, he will be able to treat you properly. There are some common recommendations to fight against this issue.
- First, you have to change your diet plan.
- Secondly, there are some muscle exercises that are recommended by your doctor.
- Adopt other swallowing ways.
- You should have to change your swallowing style when you are eating.
For very young and very old people, swallowing problems may create some serious issues like dehydration and starvation.
There are several medical treatments that you can get from your doctor in case of swallowing difficulty. Some are listed below:
- Esophageal Dilation: In it, a balloon is fixed in your esophagus to expand it. Later the balloon is removed from there.
- Unnecessary growth of esophagus: In this stage, surgery is essential to remove extra tissues.
- Ulcers: These can be handled with medications and by following dietary charts.
- Medicines: If a swallowing problem is related to stomach acidity, it can be cured with the help of oral medicines.
If the issue becomes worse, your doctor may recommend a feeding tube to put food directly into the stomach. Then, it is good to take liquid food to prevent serious issues.
How to Treat Swallowing Problem at Home
Your doctor may help you to treat swallowing difficulty at home if it is not serious. Be careful, don’t do anything at home without your doctor’s recommendation. National Institute on Deafness and other Communication Disorders(NIDCD) provides you with some home treatment to handle this issue:
- Prepare food in different ways
- Do some muscle exercises
- Take a specific position while eating
- Avoid hot and cold drinks, food, and fixed type of food items
Follow the above-mentioned treatment to avoid swallowing problems and make it possible to eat properly.
Is Difficulty Swallowing a Sign of Cancer
Difficulty swallowing is not necessarily a sign of cancer, but it could indicate one. Swallowing problems can be caused by conditions like enlarged tonsils, pharyngitis, larynx inflammation, and esophagus tumors. It may also occur as a side effect of certain medications like anti-histamines, narcotics, or other anti-inflammatory drugs.
Difficulty swallowing can be a sign of many different things, but it’s usually not the only sign of cancer. That’s why it’s important to undergo a thorough check-up if you experience any difficulty swallowing, no matter how minor it might seem. By doing so, you’ll be able to rule out any serious health issues and move forward with treatment.
Food You Should Avoid Eating
It is important to know what type of food you should eat and what type of food you shouldn’t eat. You can get a dietary chart from your doctor and follow it according to his advice. Here we make a list of such food items that are not suitable for those who are facing swallowing problems.
Let’s read!
- Peas and corn are difficult to swallow especially for those who are facing swallowing difficulty. So avoid taking them. Take them only when cooked completely.
- Avoid taking meat because it can get stuck in your throat and you can’t swallow it. Take it only if it is prepared and cooked properly.
- Don’t take rice in the condition of swallowing problems as it may stop in the esophagus and you can’t swallow it.
- Bread is another food item that is difficult to swallow for people with dysphagia issues.
- Fresh fruits like apples and pears are also difficult to swallow. So, it is recommended to avoid these fruits.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Happens If You Can’t Swallow Anything?
If you can’t swallow anything, it is called Dysphagia. It leads you to many health issues like coughing or choking. It happens when food goes down the wrong way and blocks the airway. Chest infection and pneumonia are other issues created by it.
Is Swelling Difficulty Curable?
After better treatment, it can be possible to improve the Dysphagia problem. Speech and language therapy is the best treatment. You have to change food and liquid consistency to Swallow them safely.
Can You Live without Being Able to Swallow?
Some people feel difficulty in swallowing liquids, foods, or saliva. Eating food is a challenge for them. They can handle it after getting proper treatment. So, it’s possible to live with this problem.
Bottom Lines
Swallowing difficulty or dysphagia is a medical term that happens because of different health issues or sometimes medicines. In some cases, it can be cured after treatment but on the contrary, it may last a long time.
Hopefully, this post will help you to understand this problem in a better way so that you can handle it. We have also mentioned medical treatment along with some treatments to make sure that you can fight against it.
After reading this post you will be able to make a list of food that you should eat with this problem and what you shouldn’t eat. So, follow the treatment and live a healthy life.
