I just wanted to share something which may be helpful to others.
My poor mum had a massive stroke in February and had a horrible time of it - finally discharged last Monday.
One of her issues is swallowing and secretions in her throat. She was unsafely discharged from the stroke ward (it was utterly shambolic and put her life at risk - fear not, we’ve submitted a comprehensive complaint as we and many medical professionals we’ve spoken to are disgusted) - and had to be readmitted due to choking on secretions.
Once back in hospital - and thankfully in a much kinder ward - she was given hyoscine patches then in liquid form (motion sickness medication) which dries up mucus. She’s been using Hyoscine for a few weeks now and it’s been a game changer for her. She’s more able to swallow, which seems to be getting stronger (awaiting community SALT to assess), breathe clearly and get better quality rest.
This is a basic solution which her stroke ward didn’t seem to think about or want to use for her. It’s possible that other stroke wards are probably aren’t using it for one reason or another.
Not sure if this tip is helpful or not, but if you or anyone your know is also at risk of aspiration, perhaps look into it.
