My husband hasn�t swallowed since his surgery nearly four years ago. I recommend an adjustable bed for your dad. Sleeping propped up is a great help in preventing pneumonia. Also, he needs to keep his mouth clean. Tim cleans his mouth twice a day, spending about 20 minutes brushing, scraping the tongue and rinsing with non-alcohol antibacterial mouth wash.

The not eating is very hard on me. I miss going out for special occasions and turning down invitations for events that include meals. So far he has not travelled by air, not wanting to have to deal with the TSA and lugging cans of Jevity. You are absolutely correct that it depends on the individual�s outlook. Tim�s odds were not good, so we are both grateful that he�s still around and functioning almost normally.

Susan, caregiver to husband.