Woman tucks into first meal in years

A Sutton Bridge grandmother who thought she would never eat again after a stroke has told how a course of innovative treatment made it possible for her to enjoy her favourite foods once more.

Diana Tavner (81) was diagnosed with dysphagia and left unable to swallow following a stroke in May, 2019. Her speech was also affected.

She had to be fed through a PEG feeding tube directly into her stomach and was only allowed small sips of thickened water due to the risk of choking. After a series of X-rays showed no improvement, she was told there was nothing else the NHS could do for her and she fell into depression at the thought of never being able to savour a meal again.

“I really felt as though the NHS had given up on me,” said Diana, a mother of four and grandmother of 11. “I had four X-rays and after the fourth they said there were no signs of improvement.”

Then Diana’s daughter spotted an article about VitalStim, a procedure which uses electrical stimulation to strengthen the muscles and had proved successful with other stroke survivors.

Diana booked a consultation and within weeks of completing the four-week course of treatment she was back on solid food.

She said: “After the last treatment, I was asked what I would like to eat and I just couldn’t think of anything, I was so overwhelmed and hadn’t eaten anything properly for so long.

“Then on the way home I kept thinking about Heinz Cream of Tomato Soup, so we stopped to buy a can and I ate a quarter of it when I got home. It was so delicious, I really enjoyed it. It was so nice and from there we just started to get back to normal.”

Diana said it was great to be able to eat with her husband Colin again – he had been eating alone for fear of upsetting her.

Then in November, for her birthday, the couple were able to enjoy a meal out. “We went to an Italian restaurant and I had risotto,” said Diana. “It was so wonderful to be able to order from the menu and enjoy the meal.”

Colin (83) added: “It was wonderful to see her doing so well. It has been such a joy to see her cooking again and enjoying food.”