Has anyone had any experience with a fairly new swallowing disorder treatment called VitalStim. I have been in speech/swallowing therapy and making slow progress. This procedure uses electrical stimulation to work the nech and esophagus mechanisms used in swallowing. I mentioned in to my ENT but he thinks it's "hokus-pokus". It was just approved by the FDA in Dec 2002. I've read some good reports about it from a couple of oral cancer patients who, like myself, were only having limited success until they had some VitalStim treatments.
Been on the PEG for 16 months and this sounds like something that would speed up swallowing progress. I'd appreciate any input.

Jim Haucke
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T4 cancer of tongue anterior and base, floor of mouth and pharynx - Feb 04 subtotal glossectomy, pharyngoplasty, radial forearm free flap reconstruction, mandibular osteomoty, and supraohyoid left neck dissection; 36 read treatments

Jim,

My husband had to learn to swallow again, twice. Once after cancer treatment, and then again after stroke.
After the stroke he couldnt swallow at all. He had speech/swallowing therapy again but very little progress. His mouth was also drooping on one side. The therapist wanted to try the Vital Stim machine on my husband. She said she had some good results with it. She used it on his mouth for the drooping mouth and on his neck for swallowing. It did work on the drooping mouth. His drop of his lip is very slight now. My husband thought it helped with his swallowing. While using this treatment he began to swallow. Who knows for sure if it worked with the swallowing or not, but my husband swears he could swallow better once he stared treatment.
He went 3x a week for I think 4 or 5 weeks, sorry cant really remember.
Maybe worth looking into. Cant hurt...
Hope this helps,
Cheryl

I cant help you much with your question, But i am curious as to where u r being treated? The reason i ask is i live near Dayton. I have been through all this being my moms caregiver, I have recently lost her but i was just curious on your treatment. Thanks.

Thanks for the replies. My speech/swallowing therapist works out of the Mercy Hospital in Springfield, Ohio. She has been very helpful. I started therapy in Dec 04, nearly 7 months after 36 rad treatments which ended in early May 04. Her personal opinion is that I should have started therapy sooner. I guess my ENT out of Columbus wanted to make sure the cellulitis infections I had from rad in Jun and Oct 04 were gone. I've made up for lost time ever since, spending 4 hours a day on stretching exercises for mouth and neck + massage.
My therapist gave me a syringe I use to push liquid to back of mouth for swallowing since I had a subtotal glossectomy. This device helped me to pass a modified Barium swallow test in late Feb 05. I am not eating anything directly by mouth but am gradually trying to increase the frequency, quantity, and thickness of syringe feeding liquids. OK so far except for spicy soup.

My problem is I don't think my ENT in Columbus would prescribe it given his conservative nature. Perhaps an ENT at one of the Dayton hospitals that offer it would OK it. It's worth checking out. I also ordered a swallowing book by Jeri Logemann at Northwestern U. whom my therapist said is the "guru" of swallowing.

Karen,

I am so sorry you recently lost your mother. It was insensitive of me to launch into my situation without acknowledging your recent loss. I apologize.

Jim

Thank You, I wish i could be of more help. My mom was being seen for therepy at http://www.bbivar.com/home.htm. I looked around at their website but did not see it mentioned there. Something I have found out is that u need to be your own advocate for you health. I did research for my mom trying to figure this all out, The doctors were always amazed at how much i knew. And i was amazed at some of there lack of knowledge. If your ent is not willing to give it a shot, Find one that will. It couldnt hurt anything. My mom was diagnosed back in 1993 with oral cancer. At that time she only had surgery. She was continued to be seen by her ent with a couple reaccurances through the years. (Both times ent did not see these, she pointed them out to him) ANd i dont think radiation or chemo was even mentioned. Approx two years ago she was hospitalized and diagnosed with rheaumatoid arthritis. She had swollen glands wich was a symptom of RA. She was continued to be seen by her same ent and he missed it. Last January she was diagnosed with stage IV SCC. In her throat. When I look back I think we shouldve switched doctors. He tried to tell us this was something new and not connected to previos cancer, I find that hard to believe Noing what i know now. Thanks to the OCF. My mom had many complications from treatment. She had radiation with chemo weekly followed by RND. At first she was hospitalized with electrolyte disorder where her sodium got dangerously low. and was hospitalized for 3 weeks. We got that straightened out And then she had radiation necrosis where her inscision came open ,she was thenm hospitalized at Kettering and had some sort of pec flap and had hbo treatments to help her heal. We were on the road to recovery and then she noticed she thought her sodium was going down again so we went to er, She died About 6 hrs later.We did not have an autopsy so i do not know the exact cause, I have to believe it was Gods way of sparing us from the road ahead. She was sceduled to have a pet scan the next week and we had already been told by ent that there was one node that he did not remove during surgery because it would involve removing her voicebox and it was out of the prevoius radiation field and she could have more radiation. She did not want more treatment. So all things happen for a reason , but it doesnt make it any easier. I am sorry I am ramblin. I just want to make sure u do what u believe is best for u. Thanks for listening. Sorry about my bad typing.