What do you do when someone you know is afraid to swallow food?

Question

my 10 year old nephew stopped eating 2 weeks ago.....he is afraid to choke......what should we do for him when talking to the doctor doesn't work?

Answer 1

he hasn't eaten anything in two weeks? or do you mean he's eating just stuff like applesauce, etc.? if the former, i'd get him into a hospital for some iv nutrition and some counseling.  if the latter, i'd try getting him some books on the digestive system,, talking about how our bodies are designed to make sure the food generally goes a different way from the air, etc.  but if i wasn't getting anywhere with that or by offering his favorite foods or by gradually increasing the chunkiness of what he'd eat or by rewards, i'd definitely seek some professional counseling because you don't want that behavior to become entrenched.  

did he choke and is now traumatized by it? if he coughed it up on his own, remind him that that's what the body does to take care of itself.  if he needed medical intervention, can't say i blame him, but i'd definitely look into some professional counseling.

Answer 2

tell him just to be sure he chews it up good.  tell him to chew each bite 30 times before swallowing.

Answer 3

did he see someone choking?  I would talk to him about why he is afraid and if this doesn`t work than try having him talk to a doctor who specilizes in problems like this

Answer 4

I have actually heard of this before.  It usually comes from some trauma.  This is actually serious.  You should see his pediatrician asap and he will likely need some sort of counseling.  Not saying he's crazy or anything, just that this is a psychological issue and not physical.  The fear needs to be addressed.

I heard about this with people who have unwittingly swallowed something gross, like a roach  or rat in their food and then became traumatized and could not longer eat.  On these grounds these people were able to be successful in claims of intentional infliction of mental distress which is usually very hard to get.  These people, like your nephew couldn'teat for weeks and months.

Answer 5

make it fun.

give him rewards