I left the bean paste and only ate the mochi

Recently, while looking at posts by other creators, I sometimes come across articles that make me feel warm and fuzzy.

Just reading them makes my heart feel light and warm, and puts me in a gentle mood.

My own notes tend to be filled with high-energy content, such as my thoughts on dysphagia care and the challenges I've felt in the field.

Today, I'd like to change things up a bit and write about a heartwarming story from my home nursing visits.

It happened when I visited an elderly male client's home for a swallowing evaluation.

He had just been discharged from an acute care hospital.

He was continuing treatment for diabetes and was living his life while being careful about his diet.

During his hospitalization, he had been eating a soft diet, which is quite easy to chew.

However, he had no history of stroke or similar conditions, and his responses were clear. His upper teeth were full dentures, but they fit well. On the other hand, most of his lower teeth remained.

He spoke clearly, and when I evaluated him, he was able to chew, and his bolus formation was generally good.

However, he had a history of aspiration pneumonia, his swallowing strength was slightly weak, and a mild wet hoarse voice was sometimes heard after swallowing. Therefore, I advised him to be careful about the size of each bite and his eating pace, and to cough lightly after swallowing.

My assessment was,
“It seems you could eat things with a bit more texture than your current soft diet.”

I was planning to give him a list of foods to be careful about during my next visit.

However, that's not what happened.

During my second visit, his wife told me happily,

“He ate a Kashiwa mochi the other day.”

I couldn't help but reply,

“Oh, a Kashiwa mochi!”

And then his wife continued.

“He left the bean paste and only ate the mochi.”

I was worried about my blood sugar, so I left the bean paste and only ate the mochi around it.

...Hmm?

What did you just say?

You left the bean paste and...?

You ate the mochi?

Huh?

Is that the part you were worried about?

From the perspective of eating and swallowing, the part you should actually be careful about is the mochi itself.

In my head, a little alarm was going off saying, 'You ate the mochi!?', but the person themselves said,

'Yes, that's right, I ate a kashiwa mochi.'

They replied as if it were nothing at all.

On the other hand, it seems what the family was worried about was not the mochi, but the blood sugar levels caused by the bean paste.

Since the person had diabetes, that was likely what the family was concerned about.

For now, I was relieved to hear that they had eaten it without any problems.

At the same time,

'I should have been a bit more specific about which foods to be careful with,'

I reflected, as this was an event that made me think so.

But above all, the person was able to enjoy the kashiwa mochi they love for the first time in a while.

The person seemed as if nothing had happened, but looking at their calm expression, I thought,

'I'm glad you were able to eat it.'

Such feelings welled up in me naturally.

In the field of eating and swallowing, there are times when things can get a bit scary.

This is because we are always side-by-side with the risks of aspiration and choking.

Even so, every time I encounter such events, I am reminded of just how great a joy "eating" is for that person.

And even now, every time I see a Kashiwa mochi,

"I left the red bean paste and only ate the mochi"

I remember that story from that day.

It was an incident that made me instinctively nervous, but now it is a memory that makes me chuckle.

What can I do starting today to support "eating"?

I would be happy if I could think about such things together with all of you.

For consultations regarding eating and swallowing care or training sessions, please feel free to contact us via our website.

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