Few of you know of the medical ordeal I went through, which started 3 years ago.  I sit here wondering if it isn't a blessing I had forgotten about the anniversary of what started it all (the surgery) and the first holiday meal I was not able to consume with my mouth.  In all, I went more than 13 months without being able to take any nutrition via mouth.  I survived only through a plastic tube inserted into my stomach, where I pushed all of my nutrients in with a large syringe.

So I sit here with mixed emotions, thankful I had forgotten my medical problems, yet disappointed in a way.  My goal of this blog posting is, if you are still reading, you will come to realize the importance of ridding the world of dysphasia, and help me draw attention to the emotional and life destroying disorder.  I was one of the lucky few, who miraculously was able to swallow approximately 2 years ago.

So what is Dysphasia?  In my own words, it's a neurological disorder keeping a person from consuming food orally.  The problem with dysphasia is it's destructive emotional toll on those affected (more on this later).  Statistically, it affects millions of people in America each year.  Except it gets no attention because typically, those affected are the elderly or the very young.  What makes things worse, is there are NO doctors dedicated to this specialty and thus hardly any research.  Would you believe, speech therapy, is the only field that deals with this debilitating disorder?

So why are the elderly and young typically affected?  Dysphasia is usually associated with those that have strokes, which typically affect the elderly.  Many babies have dysphasia problems because of early developmental problems.  Success is random amongst both groups.

So why is Dysphasia emotionally destructive?  Think about how many times you eat with someone for social or business reasons.  The typical person would say twice a day, for approximately 2-3 hours, which amounts to 14 times a week for 14-21 hours (almost half a work week).  No no, you are probably thinking, that is way to much.  Just remember that you eat with your spouse, your family, your co-worker, a friend, or even just getting coffee with someone.  When you go out with friends or your spouse, doesn't it almost always involve food?  Add in holidays and work parties, and you have a social destruction. 

For the many of us still in our prime, Dysphasia destroys your life.  Even hearing someone next to you go to the office snack machine becomes a painful experience for you.  I talked to one lady earlier in the year who said, dating is impossible and I can't even go for coffee.

So I would ask all of you to please blog about the disorder.  Help me bring attention to it, and hopefully some much needed research and funding to it.

I want to say thanks to Dara Coburn at HealthSouth in Fort Smith and the people of VitalStim for helping me heal.  A very important Thank You goes out to my wife.  Without her, I never would have made it through such a rough time.