Despite this reduced intake of food, poor gut motility and the patient's relative immobility frequently result in constipation. The more bloated the patient becomes, the less they want to eat. These problems should be addressed with your nephew's physicians, and plans should be made to study his feeding patterns in detail. This will include a dietary log, which will permit calculation of how many calories your nephew is taking in. This log should be reviewed with a nutritionist, who can calculate any dietary shortfalls, in addition to making recommendations regarding intake of fiber and specific nutrients.
Aspiration can result in serious progressive lung problems if undetected.
The OPMS will permit determination of what foods or food textures your nephew can swallow most efficiently and safely. If swallowing is too inefficient to address your nephew's caloric needs, or too unsafe based on chronic aspiration, recommendations are made regarding the use of tube feedings. Supplemental tube feedings may be accomplished over the short run via nasogastric tube, a temporary tube that runs through the nose and into the stomach. Although effective, these tubes can slip and result in choking, can irritate the nose and throat, and can result in sinus problems by blocking drainage pathways in the nose. This is a feeding tube, which enters the stomach through the abdominal wall.