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Learning to Swallow
February 3, 2009 |
Gene Anderson enjoys the simple things in life like eating out with friends and
golfing. But after a battle with cancer of the throat, he had had to relearn some
necessary life skills.
“Radiation and chemo affects you so that you can’t eat. It just gradually got to
the point where I couldn’t get the mouth open very far, “ says Anderson.
To get Gene back into swallowing, chewing and even talking effectively, speech pathologist
Stacey Brill fitted him for a trismus unit. The device helps stretch the muscles
in and around his mouth. Stacey adds, “The goal is to wear it three times a day
for thirty minutes each session. It’s basically stretching the jaw back to proper
mandible opening.”
For Gene it will take several months before he’s even able to swallow normal foods
once again. Gene says, “You can lose a muscle real fast but it takes a long time to get it back.”
But with continued therapy and continued optimism, doctors feel Gene is well on
his way to recovery. |
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