HOSPITAL FOOD SO HARD TO SWALLOW!

Feeding myself whilst in a hospital bed no matter how many pillows prop me up is just impossible. Sitting in an armchair next to an adjustable table is fine except that the table is often too low, or too high. Usually, nobody knows how to adjust the height, nor has the inclination or the time to find out! The only solution is to be fed or starve to death! If I am to be fed, the once hot meal will be shoved down my throat in five minutes flat. Inevitable on a busy ward.
It’s pointless to say "slow down, you’re feeding me too fast!" because as soon as I open my mouth to speak, more food is shoved in. The combination of vile tasting hospital food and the speed it’s shoved into my mouth gets too much and out it comes again. One of my friends with cp had the same experience in hospital. We were both put on liquidized foods. Because according to medical opinion, ‘People with cerebral palsy have problems swallowing’. I strongly object to this generalisation.
I was last in hospital 3 years ago. My friend has just been in hospital this year. We were in different hospitals but our experience was exactly the same. We were seen by a speech therapist that tried to persuade us that we were both at risk of choking on solid food. Our respective response was very similar. I said to the speech therapist. "Don’t be ridiculous. Of course I’m not going to choke". Unfortunately, I didn’t think of pointing out the feeding problem. I continued, " I am aware that some people do have problems swallowing food but, choking to death is rare." The physical affects of cerebral palsy are very individual of course. I wish that there was more help available in hospital to enable patients to feed themselves, if they normally do so at home. There should also be specialist training for hospital staff in feeding people who are unable to feed themselves.
I would like some clarification from Scope on how or why the medical profession are imposing liquid food on people with cp without proper discussion with the patient, family or carers?
Shortly after my conversation with the speech therapist the Ward Manager came to see me. "You really should listen to the speech therapist’s advice. After all she is an expert. She said. "Yes you’re right, she is an expert." I said. After a significant pause I said smiling, "And so am I".