Mommy got a call from Jan Pryor at UC Davis. She is the one who does VitalStim on adults. Here is some information on VitalStim:
FACT SHEET: VITALSTIM® THERAPY
Specialized form of neuro-muscular electrical stimulation (NMES) specifically designed to treat dysphagia. NMES has been used successfully in a wide variety of therapeutic and rehabilitative settings for many years.
Only neuro-muscular electrical stimulation device cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat dysphagia.
Non-invasive therapy that uses small electrical currents to stimulate the muscles responsible for swallowing while trained specialists help patients “re-educate” their throat muscles with special exercises.
HOW IT WORKS:
Small, carefully calibrated current is delivered by specially designed electrodes, which are placed on the neck.
Current stimulates motor nerves in the throat while patient practices swallowing exercises.
Muscles responsible for swallowing contract.
Quality of the swallowing function improves.
With repeated therapy, muscles are re-educated.
Patients frequently see dramatic improvement in six to 20 treatment sessions (60 minutes each) – some in as little as three sessions.
Administered by specially trained speech therapists in both inpatient and outpatient settings.
Must be prescribed by a physician.
Effective in patients with a wide range of primary diagnoses, including stroke, head or neck cancer, respiratory conditions and degenerative neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease and Multiple Sclerosis.
Effective in patients of all ages – from infants and toddlers to patients in their 80s.
(You can find out more about VitalStim therapy at vitalstim.com) Because mine is a "residue issue" (can't get all the residue off my tongue) I am a good candidate as long as my pediatrician says I am okay health wise. She is going to get in touch with Dr Emge and then get back with Mommy on scheduling. We would first schedule 10 sessions and then evaluate the results to determine if we should do more sessions. Mommy is a little nervous but excited that there may be a therapy that could help me!
Peyton Nicole Smith
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