Swallowing ... particularly wine

[jomo]

Hi,

My poor partner can't swallow enough to drink wine or beer . Does anybody have any advice ( anything considered at this point) that we could use. We have moved onto thickeners, he is still not enjoying that . So am about to move into pureed cocktails. This does not seem like a good time to stop drinking We moved onto a recommended company called SloDrink? but they have not fulfilled our order and owe us £8.

Any ideas would be great. Thanks

[Ellie]

Welcome to the Forum, Jomo.

Does wine catch your partner's breath, causes him to cough, or is it that his swallow is too poor, even if he sips through a straw?

Sometimes very cold drinks go down easier, so use lots of crushed ice in your cocktail smoothies. Citrus juices can catch one's breath, so you might need to do a lot of experimenting!! IDK if using something like coconut milk or ice cream would make it easier to swallow?

Sounds like you'll have fun try but, and I don't want to spoil the party, often our balance is poor with MND, so he should stay upright and not fall.

Of course it begs the question - does he have a feeding tube?

Take care.

Love Ellie.

[denise]

If he trys all those suggestions through his feeding tube im sure he will have trouble staying upright. Interesting information though i need to keep a note of these ideas for future reference.

[matthew55]

The problem with PEGing alcohol is the larger quantities of pure alcohol and it works a lot quicker too. 😊x

[Lizzie]

Hi Jomo . I really empathise with your partner’s problem. I too enjoy a glass of wine and don’t think this is the time to stop. I tried thickener but 😖 it wasn’t great. Still trying to drink it very slowly but know it won’t be long until I need to give up or get creative 🤔

[Barry52]

Hi Jomo,

It may be worth investing in a smoothie maker as there are lots of recipes online. I too enjoy a drink and crushed ice with lime and g&t go down easier than water.

Barry

[denise]

stephen loves his glass of wine with his dinner. he certainly wont want to give that up.

[MNDConnect]

Sorry to intrude on a non-MND Connect thread but I thought it might be worth mentioning that alcoholic jellies can be easier to manage than drinking alcohol. Our Eating and Drinking guide has a recipe for vodka jelly on page 65 https://www.mndassociation.org/app/u...-2018-V3-1.pdf I'm not sure how well other types of alcohol work as a jelly but it's worth considering as an option.

We always suggest speaking to your speech and language therapist before trying, to ensure jelly is a safe consistency but I thought it might be helpful to mention.

Best Wishes

Rachel
MND Connect Adviser

[Ellie]

All around to Rachel's for a Party!! (of course that doesn't work in Covid times 😌)

[denise]

Vodka jelly wow.

[jomo]

Thanks so much for all your help! Going to go with the suggestions and see what we can get down. Bob likes port and lemonade , can't use a straw but will try the other things. Will report back when sober

[matthew55]

I have a beaker, it's just like going back in time. 😉x

[slp]

Hi everyone

I love red wine but find now that I am not eating the wine catches in my throat and although it pains me to spoil good wine I find if I add some lemonade it helps. Gin and tonic must be really cold and then it is much easier to swallow. I haven't tried jelly but I may.

keep well and safe x Sarah xx