A Oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy story

My husband is 74 and was diagnosed with OPMD about 10 years ago. He had a work related injury at the time and when they did some nerve testing they discovered it. At that time he was experiencing some problems eating. His mother had experienced problems and his brother but they had not been diagnosed. Our children are in their 40's and are not showing signs yet. His main problem is swallowing and mobility issues. Because he has had other work related injuries to his back especially it has not always been clear what affect the OPMD has had on his physical abilities. At present he is still eating without a feeding tube. I try to cook food that he can eat easily, tender meats cutup fine and well cooked vegetables. I serve a sauce or gravy much of the time. Weight loss at the present is not a problem, quite the opposite. We go to the twice a week for swimming and exercise. He also uses a walker in the house for short distances.

We do see a specialist in London Ontario Canada at University Hospital approximately every 2 years. Other than that we just go to a regular clinic.