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Since I brought my husband home from Memory care everyone tells us to add thickener even hospice RN tells us that so he will not choke.
We have discovered that the thickener coats the throat and builds up to a gooey substance where they can hardly swallow. This then causes choking and coughing. Just want everyone to be aware of this possible issue.
We have now mixed water with baby oatmeal so we can get his liquids down him.

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Thanks for the info
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Reply to Needhelp789
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Thick it is a standard of care. If it is sticking in the throat then his swallow ability is getting worse. Talk to the PCP about a speech re eval or a suction machine
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Reply to MACinCT
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It sounds like you were putting too much of the Thick-It in your husbands liquids if they were building up in his throat.
My late husband(who had vascular dementia)drank all of his liquids with Thick-It in them for the last 22 months of his life after he almost died from aspiration pneumonia, usually just the "nectar" thickness and he NEVER had an issue with it building up in his throat.
I'm glad that you found something that works well for your husband.
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Reply to funkygrandma59
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