thanks misskate. I learned about VitalStim from the OCF board. It is the only FDA approved treatment for dysphagia (difficulty in swallowing). It uses NMES (neuromuscular electrical stimulation) via electrodes placed on the neck to make the muscles responsible for a normal swallow response contract. I teasingly tell people I am having "electro-shock" treatment to help me swallow although it is more of a tingling burning sensation rather than a shock. The device is just handheld and cell phone size with a plug for the electrode wires. I have been getting the maximum dose of 25 milivolts . It is somewhat weird in that you sit in a room and try to swallow over and over again while the speech language pathologist counts each "audible" swallow. I started out at 200 swallows a session (45 minutes) and am now up to 300. It has let me swallow some saliva but the real test will be on October 1 with another modified barium swallow test. I failed my first two before VitalStim and unfortunately there is no way to "Study" for this test.
charm