My cousin is 5 years old and is having difficulty swallowing her food.?!
Question:
My cousin is 5 years old and is having difficulty swallowing her food.?
She will chew and chew for 15-20 minutes before swallowing. it takes her an hour to eat 5 chicken nuggets. Is there a medical condition that could be causing this?
Answers:
yes!!! She needs to see an ear, nose, and throat doctor, or the feeding clinic. I've been to both for my children.
My one child had cysts growing in his airway, and was afraid to swallow food. The ENT doctor scoped him, and removed the cysts. Even after surgery, he was afraid to swallow, and would choke for no logical reason.
The feeding clinic helped my other child also, who had an under-developed esophogus, and needed his food and liquids modified. He had no fear of eating, but would choke because he didn't know how to swallow well. A speech pathologist works at the feeding clinic to observe the child eat, and help diagnose the condition.
This may be a fear-induced reaction, or a physical, medical problem. My children have feeding/swallowing disorders because they have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, which was diagnosed by Genetics Clinic.
I would have her mother contact the pediatrician, and make an appointment with the ear, nose and throat doctor, and go from there, if you feel there is a real medical need.