Manage your physical and mental setbacks.
Physical Setbacks
Physical setbacks like dysphagia , or swallowing problems, can create difficulties for getting the appropriate nutrients your body needs. First of all, you have to know how to recognize dysphagia, so you know if you need to ask for medical help in your recovery. About half of all stroke victims have difficulty with swallowing—just as other parts of the body may become significantly weakened or paralyzed, the oral muscles responsible for chewing and swallowing can be as well.
If you have noticed coughing, sputtering, hoarseness, excessive throat clearing, or spit and food going back out of your mouth during eating, you might want to talk to your recovery doctor or a speech language pathologist. In the meantime, there are a few options for making food easier to eat with dysphagia:
- Cut your food into very small bites.
- Puree vegetables and fruit in the blender.
- Choose soft foods that are easier to chew.
- Avoid runny foods (like soup) that pose a choking hazard.
You may also notice problems with your vision following a stroke. If you find it difficult to view everything on your plate, periodically spin it around or move it from side to side to open up the remainder of the plate to your line of vision. Ask for extra help when preparing or purchasing food for meals, for your own benefit as well as for safety reasons.
Mental Setbacks
Cognition and memory may be another weakness in the time following a stroke. A poor appetite in combination with a bad memory can be a recipe for nutritional disaster. If you’re cooking for yourself, having a hard time remembering to eat, or forgetting when you do eat, form a meal plan that works for you. This might mean making a weekly menu to assure you get a variety of foods each day, or it might mean labeling pre-made meals for each day of the week. Keep a checklist or chart that allows you to mark off when you’ve eaten meals and snacks.
It may also help to keep track of what you have eaten in a food journal. This lets you review what you’ve eaten over the course of a day or week so you know what’s still missing from your diet. It also helps you see what foods agree with you, give you more energy, or fail to do much for your body. If you’re struggling to eat balanced meals, bring your food journal in to doctor or nutritionist visits and seek advice about how to do better or how to alter your diet to fit your personal needs more fully.
Did you know...
- A hearty laugh is good for the heart. Laughing can increase blood flow by 20%. Additionally, looking on the bright side can help you live longer. Studies have shown that a more optimistic outlook is linked to a healthier heart, lower blood pressure, and a lower risk for coronary artery disease.
- Do you know what the strongest muscle in your body is? No, it’s not your biceps or your thighs. It’s actually in your head. The masseter is a muscle in the jaw that is used when chewing. When all of the muscles of the jaw work together, they can exert a force as strong as 200 pounds on the molars. That’s some serious pressure.
- Need a quick cool down? Try drinking some hot liquid. It's true! As counterintuitive as it may seem, the heat from hot liquids will raise your body temperature. This will heat you up and cause you to sweat. The increased perspiration will wind up helping you feel cooler as it evaporates. Try it out!
- Have you ever told your husband something and he promptly forgets it? It's not his fault, actually. It really is because he's a man. The hippocampus (the part of the brain that deals with memory) begins to shrink with age faster in men than it does in women. That's why you can remember everything, and he can't!
- Are you currently or often tired? As contradictory as it may sound, one of the best things you can do is exercise! It gives you more energy by improving your blood flow and increasing your oxygen throughout your body. You don't need to do much; a brisk walk is all it takes!