Food for someone who can barely swallow

reallyrose

Hi guys,

My mother was in an accident on Monday, a cow pucked her in the side of the head, knocked her down and trampled on her. She hasn't broken any bones, she has been to the hospital and they have her all sorted in that respect.

Anyway, as you can imagine, she is very very bruised and sore.
Also, she can't chew or swallow much. Everytime she does, she gets a shooting pain in her jaw/teeth. The doctors have told her that it will pass. She has been getting by on water and supplements. (She was on a drip in the hospital)

So, my question is: What could she eat? Can anyone recommend any recipes for soups or something similar that will give her a few calories at least? Or something I haven't thought of? She can't go on forever on just water!

all_smilz

anything she likes can be liquidised, you can also buy calorie supplements in pharmacy but they dont taste good.... why not blend a portion of carrots, portion of spuds, portion of boiled chicken (blend with a little water or gravy or stock).... it will still taste ok but be soft....
also it might be advisable to monitor her weight so if she's losing it she can go back to gp for advice.

metamorphosis

Jesus sorry to hear that - hopefully she will pick up soon.

+1 on th above. If you don't have a blender they can be got fairly cheap.

Blending chicken and mayo is also nice and easy to swallow.
Make veggies blended
things like fruits and milk and oats etc can all be blended

Things like smooth peanut butter requires no chewing really and is full of calories and good fats and protein which she will need if she has trouble swallowing
Greek yogurt/all yogurts

There are drinks you can get from GPs that provide a couple hundred calories and essential minerals and vitamins so that would be my 1st port of call should the current situation prolong itself.

All the best OP.


EDIT: also maybe porridge thats cooked or microwaved in too much milk/water - really easy to swallow without chewing.

reallyrose

Thank for that ULstudent. She had a go with the porridge and it was ok.

Anything more solid than water is causing her pain.
The nutrient shakes are a bit of an issue because a lot of them contain dairy products, (She is allergic to them), but I am going to look about for some soy based ones.

metamorphosis

reallyrose wrote: »

Thank for that ULstudent. She had a go with the porridge and it was ok.

Anything more solid than water is causing her pain.
The nutrient shakes are a bit of an issue because a lot of them contain dairy products, (She is allergic to them), but I am going to look about for some soy based ones.

Holland and barretts do soy, hemp and egg based protein powders - might be worth a check out and maybe some rice milk/almond milk/soy

Khannie

Baby food.

Darkginger

What about smoothies? Bung a banana or two in a liquidiser, add soy or rice milk and perhaps some cinnamon, blend until smooth. You could add other fruit like strawberries or mangoes.

A really nice soup is carrot and coriander - just boil some sliced carrots in water and a veggie stock cube until they're soft, add a handful of chopped fresh coriander leaves, and liquidise. Also red lentils are great for adding to veggie soups - try sweating some chopped onion in oil until it's soft, add 2 tablespoons of red lentils and a stock cube, with about half a small panful of water, cook for around 20 mins until the lentils are soft (watch for the amount of water, add more if necessary, then liquidise. Leek and potato soup is good too.

Very softly scrambled eggs could work too Hope she feels better soon!

dxhound2005

reallyrose wrote: »

Hi guys,

My mother was in an accident on Monday, a cow pucked her in the side of the head, knocked her down and trampled on her. She hasn't broken any bones, she has been to the hospital and they have her all sorted in that respect.

Anyway, as you can imagine, she is very very bruised and sore.
Also, she can't chew or swallow much. Everytime she does, she gets a shooting pain in her jaw/teeth. The doctors have told her that it will pass. She has been getting by on water and supplements. (She was on a drip in the hospital)

So, my question is: What could she eat? Can anyone recommend any recipes for soups or something similar that will give her a few calories at least? Or something I haven't thought of? She can't go on forever on just water!

I think it's a poor show for a hospital to discharge a person in that conditon and leave it to her relatives to ask on the internet what can she eat. Did they not give any guidance at all on how she was meant to cope? Did they supply the supplements and if so did they say how long she would have to exist on them? I would get back on to them and ask for proper advice.

reallyrose

dxhound2005 wrote: »

I think it's a poor show for a hospital to discharge a person in that conditon and leave it to her relatives to ask on the internet what can she eat. Did they not give any guidance at all on how she was meant to cope? Did they supply the supplements and if so did they say how long she would have to exist on them? I would get back on to them and ask for proper advice.

I'm just trying to help her out a little. We are not using the internet ias a substitute for medical advice or help, we are not that irresponsible. She's going back on Monday for further checkups.

I would just like her to have something else to take other than liquid vitamin goo!

She is going to experiment with mushed up carrot next, see how she gets on.

dxhound2005

OK, I was afraid she had been abandoned by the doctors. Hope she is well soon.

Sapsorrow

dxhound2005 wrote: »

I think it's a poor show for a hospital to discharge a person in that conditon and leave it to her relatives to ask on the internet what can she eat. Did they not give any guidance at all on how she was meant to cope? Did they supply the supplements and if so did they say how long she would have to exist on them? I would get back on to them and ask for proper advice.

The OP has been given proper advice, what people have suggested is exactly what a dietician would tell her, I covered this problem as part of dietetics for cancer and HIV patients and these were the same things we were to told are appropriate.

I hope your mum ok soon OP, that's a rough accident to be in. My sister had a similar experience a few years back, she was kicked in the ribs by a horse, it's very upsetting for you I'm sure. If you think of it maybe let us know how she's getting on later.

CathyMoran

I was really ill a few years ago and could not keep anything down - I lived on vanilla latte as it at least did not taste bad - maybe your mum could try the dairy free versions of them? Some other good things are fish pate/paste (I had mine with mayo) - it may sound boring but it is high in calories. Smooth nut butters are also good but they may be too thick for your mum. Please note this is only from personal experience.

reallyrose

Thank you all for the advice.
She is getting on well with stewed rubarb and peanut butter blended with soya milk.
She saw the doctor today, turns out she has an infection in her jaw which explains all the pain. So with any luck, a few days of antibiotics will sort her out!

Me poor mammy