Among the things that my "Parkinson's Disease for Dummies" book says I should tell my doctor is any change in my ability to swallow. Well, there have been a couple of times when I've had difficulty getting my large multi-vitamin pill down and one or two times when turning my head just right makes me feel like someone has their hands around my neck and could choke me. So I told my doctor and he ordered a "swallowing evaluation". He said that if nothing else it would at least provide a baseline.
So today I met with a licensed speech pathologist at Kaiser for my evaluation. I wasn't impressed although the woman was as nice and professional as you could ask for. I guess I just expected more. She observed tongue motion and movement in my throat when I sipped and swallowed water then the same thing with vanilla pudding. She suggested three exercises for my neck and throat and then set up a follow-up appointment for 2 weeks from today.
That was it. We now have a baseline. And apparently I don't have a swallowing problem. Yet.
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