Information for the public
Diet and nutrition, eating and swallowing
MND causes problems with being able to eat, drink and swallow.
In your appointments, you will be weighed and asked about your diet and what you eat and drink. Your team will ask if you have problems with eating, drinking or swallowing, or if you have any stomach problems such as feeling sick or constipation.
If you are having problems with eating or drinking and you're not getting the nutrients you need, you should get advice about diet and nutrition, and ways of making eating easier. This might include changing your position when you eat, changing what you eat, and using eating and drinking aids and special cutlery that may help make things easier.
Your team can help if you have worries that mean you are not eating, for example, if you feel depressed and have no appetite, if you are worried about eating when people are around or if you are worried about choking. They can also help if you sometimes feel sick or constipated, because this can also affect your appetite.
If you are having difficulty swallowing, you should have a swallowing assessment.
Gastrostomy
As MND progresses, problems with eating and drinking can get worse so a procedure called gastrostomy may help.
In a gastrostomy, a thin tube is inserted into your stomach from your abdomen, which means food and liquid can go directly into your stomach, rather than having to be swallowed.
Your team should discuss gastrostomy at an early stage after diagnosis and at regular intervals as MND progresses. They should explain about the best time to have a gastrostomy, take into account your MND symptoms, and find out about what you prefer. This is so you can decide together if a gastrostomy might be a good option for you.