Dear Joyce,

I’m so happy that the rehabilitation hospital stay had ended. Aside from all the other things after my stroke, the one event I disliked the most was the speech therapist watching me eat several meals. The doctor was afraid that I couldn’t swallow my food. I got nervous and anxious when she stared at me. 

I couldn’t tell her to leave for two reasons: I couldn’t talk for 5 weeks after the stroke and she watched me per the doctor’s orders. I’m enjoying being home, without the “watcher.”

Sincerely,

Happy at Home

Dear Happy,

I can appreciate you don’t want to be observed as your eating every morsel of food. But there’s a very good reason fot it. 

The term “aspiration” is when something enters your airway or lungs by accident. Aspiration can happen when you have trouble swallowing normally, and this event can cause serious health problems, such as pneumonia or choking. So the SLT (Speech Language Therapist) is the best one to evaluate. 

I’m so happy for you, now that you’re home, to begin your life again. It can never be exactly like the old life before your stroke, but try and make it a good life. Like my own life, my place on earth is better than before. 

Brought to you by Strokefocus and one of its associations, Northwest Brain Network