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H
honeycomb Asked June 2015

Does swallowing ever return after a stroke?

My mom has had a series of right brain stroke. The last one was two weeks ago and she's having difficulties swallowing. Does that swallowing reflex ever return? My mom rejected the peg tube. .then was referred to hospice, this is tough because I'm not so sure she cannot be rehabbed

vstefans Jun 2015
Short answer is yes, it can recover - some, a lot, or not ,much at all; hard to predict. Some meds can make it better or worse too. Refusing a PEG tube should not automatically = hospice. Has she had a swallowing study to see what consistencies are safe for her to swallow, and has anyone considered a Frazier protocol to let her safely get enough fluid?

That said, PEG tube is not necessarily a terrible thing and may be very appropriate, for example if someone has had a brainstem stroke and does not have dementia. Some people have misconceptions about them that make them not want them when it is really a good thing to consider. There are no restrictions on swimming, bathing, mobility, etc. and if anything can be taken orally with a reasonable degree of safety, just for the pleasure of tasting some food, it can still be done.

MaggieMarshall Jun 2015
You don't give us mom's age. I'm going to assume she's 75 or older having had, as you say, a series of right brain strokes. If she is aware and of sound mind, I think you should let her make her own decision without interfering. If she isn't of sound mind, I would defer to her living will that PROBABLY say no artificial feeding. If she's not of sound mind and has no living will, then you must ask yourself if you want to FORCE your mom to endure tube feeding.

I'm betting the doctor(s) think your mom is thinking clearly. Otherwise, the doctors would be talking to you about options.

It's painful, so painful, to lose a loving parent. It would be more painful (to me) to put mom thru something that offered her no quality of life to assuage my own conscience. We simply must remember that death is the only way out.

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BarbBrooklyn Jun 2015
Is she in the hospital? Are they recommending that she go to rehab? Has her swallowing been evaluated by a speech language pathologist?

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