Danielle, the question of whether your mother will be able to drink water is best left to the swallowing doctor to answer. If she has to be on thickened fluids, then even the water must be thickened. The rationale behind thickened fluids is, when you splash water on a table, the water goes everywhere, but with thickened fluids, they will stay in a blob. So, in terms of drinking, thickened fluids will have less of a chance of "splashing" into the trachea.

I used to give my husband thickened Gatorade, thickened tea and thickened coffee for the variety. Thickened water was something he did not want at all.

If your mother is drinking water by mouth, please have her drink it in small sips. Too much water at once may mean flooding the trachea which, to tell the truth, would be like drowning. (I am sorry I have to say this, but that's the danger.)

Do check with her swallowing doctor before your mother is discharged with regards to kinds of fluids, kinds of food that she can take in. I understand perfectly why she is having a lot of difficulty dealing with this. I wish I could hold her hand and tell her in so many words. Maybe you could do that on my behalf?