This probably won't help a lot, but when my hubby chokes, I have him use his asthma emergency albuterol inhaler. The coughing is triggered because you have asperated something into your lungs. The more you cough, the more irritated things become. The albuterol inhalor seems to calm the symptom and helps him cough up the irritant. It really helps to shorten the incident. When we discussed this with his swallow therapist, she agreed that it is something that helps.

Sherma, choking is a scary thing and can be a real safety issue. About a year ago choking became a real problem for me as well. As with most other Parkinson's symptoms, the problem is that the throat and tongue muscles have become rigid and weak and struggle to correctly guide the food down the throat. To help this, you need to strengthen these muscles. A good voice therapist can help through voice exercises (Lee Silverman is a good one) or with newer treatments such as Vitastim (weekly treatments of electrically stimulating the throat muscles). After "jumpstarting" the therapy with Vitastem for 10 weeks and now regular voice exercises, the problem for me is now 90% gone. If you have not tried either, maybe something to look into. Good luck!

Thank you both will look into these. I was finally diagnosed Mon with PD. Relieved to know I wasn't self-diagnosing myself, but it is getting so obvious those around me could have done it! At the same time there is a finality by a doc. and all hope is gone that I was a nut case looking for a disease! haha
God be with you both in your journeys.

Im having trouble swallowing my big pills. They ge stuck in the top part of my throat. They dissolve there and they taste terrible.But, im going o try the bannana. I pray it helps.

Hi Sherma,I have simular problems with saliva with swallowing..sometimes it sets off a very dry cough,if it's bad I see what I would describe as small exploding stars at the perifery of my vision.
If it starts to happen more often, I will go see my Dr.
Yours Sincerely Dirky !!;o))x

I havent started with choking yet. Is theere any way i can prevent it? Thats a scarey side effect of Parkinsons.

Kat, if there is a way to prevent choking, I don't know it. I switched my big calcium pills to chewy chocolate calcium. I cut all my big pills that I can into several smaller pieces. I had one big one get stuck sidewise and it got scary. Hope the banana helps you. I know prayer does.

Dirk, it is the saliva choking that I don't understand. There is really nothing to cough up of do the Hm manuever. Eventually when there is too much to deal with in our future there is a patch that can dry it up. But I wonder what else it dries up. If my scalp, skin, and eyes get any dryer- a good wind will blow me away.
Sherma

I have always had trouble swallowing large pills even when I was a child. So now I use a pill crusher for the larger pills. This is only if the pill can be taken that way. Some medicines require that they be taken whole. DenF

I'm glad you posted this. My wife has just recently been diagnosed with Parkinson's Dementia. Her only problem is that she drools sometime. She is a little slow with swallowing her pills, but I don't think she ever gets choked. At the last meeting with her neurologist he said that we needed to be thinking about the installation of a gastric tubing because he thinks she will need it soon. I was taken aback by this and didn't think to ask why he would suggest this. Any of you have an idea. I'll ask the next visit.

i didnt star chocking untill recently. I cant seem to swallow some of my pills. When they get stuck they dissolve there and ick the rest goes down. Itried bannana but it didnt work. Any ideas for me. I need help!