How do we cope with secretions that is keeping the stroke victim awake all noght? It really is affecting his quality of life as he is very tired through the day and can't do his rehab,

Thank you , this is an ongoing problem that is still happening , he has basically been told to try to manage it .

Hi Kimnott,

I'm sorry to hear that the problem is ongoing.  Who have you seen about it so far?

Have you been given any strategies to help manage the problem or just told to 'try'?

I feel that a review by a Speech Pathologist would be beneficial to the gentleman you care for as they are the experts in secretion management and will also refer you on to an ENT or GP if other assessment or input is required. You can find a Speech Pathologist in your area on the Speech Pathology Australia website. Click here to search for one.

If you would like to talk about your situation further with a Stroke Foundation Speech Pathologist please call on 1800 787 653 and we would be happy to chat.

Kind regards,

Melita (StrokeLine)

Hi Melita ,

we are currently seeing speech pathologist, ENT specialist and gp, no one can come up with a solution for his excessive coughing whilst eating (which he says is because of the food getting caught in his saliva), he is awake most of the night every night from coughing , he has a electric bed which he has propped up at night, he has ended 10 mg at night , he has grape juice and losec half an hour before his morning and evening meal, the coughing keeps him awake and he is so tired the next day, I can't believe that this day and age NOONE can help him, he also has trismus which he uses a therabite for and a paralysed vocal chord which he had injected with fat. 

We really feel that the extra secretions are ruining his quality of life and don't know what to do.

Hi Kinmott,

It must be very frustrating to see his quality of life being reduced by the extra secretions and feel that nothing is helping. It sounds like a complex situation and I'm really pleased to hear that he has a team of specialists working with him. Would you like to call StrokeLine on 1800 787 653 and talk to a Speech Pathologist and discuss the specifics of the situation further? We would be very happy to speak with you.

Kind regards,

Melita (StrokeLine)

Hi ,I have tried to call strokeline several times and have left my name and number but got no call back,can anyone tell me if it would be a good idea to get the stroke victims saliva glands injected with Botox? He has swallowing difficulties so we're not sure that this will help.

Hi Kim,

What you're experiencing must be very frustrating for you both. The use of Botox for the saliva glands needs to be assessed by the neurologist, the ENT specialist and Speech Pathologist as each case is unique and complex.They would be able to inform you if this could be an option worth exploring. Keeping in mind that it would unlikely be a cure if it was appropriate, more for temporary management of the symptoms. Have you discussed it with the team?

Sorry to hear you're having trouble getting through to StrokeLine. We only have one health professional covering all of Australia each day Mon-Fri so the phone line can get very busy. We have a Kim on our call list and have returned calls and left messages - I'm not sure if this is you. Please do try again to call us back on 1800 787 653 and leave a good time to call you if you're unable to get through and we are on another call.

Hopefully this response also helps.

Best wishes,

Simone (StrokeLine)