I had to be admitted to the hospital because of bronchitis and increased heart rate. On the second night there my blood pressure went high and the chest pain worsen. I had a cardiac catheterization that second day which showed that I had pericarditis and a lot of fluid in the pericardial sac. I woke up the third morning I could not talk and could not swallow. I would get choked on everything. I had to use thick it to make my food or liquids tolerable. I was drooling constantly. I had a barium swallow which showed that I was aspirating nearly everything. I saw speech therapy and a specialist at two major hospitals that I was sent to. I was diagnosed with dysphasia and vocal cord paralysis. My vocal cords would not close completely so I coughed a lot. I finally ended up back in the hospital with aspiration pneumonia. This went on for about five years. To this day I get choked on foods and liquids
When I have a flare or really tired I become hoarse. That’s my cue to rest. I have been followed by every type of specialist that there is. When you go to the speech therapist and the doctor they will get you to say words and let you try eating different textures. The doctor put a camera on a tube that he passed through your nose. He sprayed the nasal passage to make it numb. I could see it on the screen. He explained everything that was wrong. He told me to chew my food completely and continue to use the thick it. As long as I need to. You will have to be consistent on eating soft foods. To this day I still get choked on anything like rice, hamburger and anything spicy. I cut my food up in very small pieces or put it in the food processor. I still eat yogurt, applesauce and some sugar free popsicles. Over time I have had several barium swallows and speech therapy. Eat slowly, chew your food into small pieces I still have trouble with taking pills. I have learned to turn my head to the right and I can swallow pills easier. The vagal nerve runs from your brain down to your bladder basically. If it gets inflamed it can cause inflammation in your whole body. My biggest problems now after 18 years are that I get hoarse when I’m tired or a flare is getting ready to start. It will also aggravate your bladder and can cause urgency and unable to control your bladder. I do know that meds like Benadryl irritates my bladder. Be sure that the doctor goes over your meds Drink plenty of fluids if you can. My mouth gets extremely dry I use sugar free candy and what they call smart mouth. It is a lozenge that almost immediately increases saliva You will not have a dry mouth. I found it on Amazon. If you don’t keep your mouth and teeth moist you will have dental problems. I also have sjorgens which causes dry eyes, nose, mouth. It is very aggravating. It’s hard to talk when your mouth feels like cotton. Good luck with your visit. Write down questions that you may have.