MG and Tootsie Rolls, An Adventure in Eating...

My house recently acquired a windfall of Tootsie Roll candies from the 4th of July parade.  As the floats and various groups pass by they throw candy and other goodies at the spectators.  My niece managed to collect almost a gallon freezer bag full of yummy goodness, including lots of original and flavored Tootsie Rolls and Tootsie Pops.  She is NOT a Tootsie Roll eater, and began sharing her bounty with the rest of the family.  I on the other hand LOVE Tootsie Rolls, so my share of the booty kept getting larger.

Since being diagnosed with MG I've learned through trial and error what I can and can't eat.  My neurologist warned me about hard dry things, chewy things, and even changing the way I eat or drink as the need arises.

I don't chew gum anymore, it makes my jaw so weak I can hardly keep my mouth closed.  I'm careful to make sure to chew well and take smaller bites.  I love caramel candy of all kinds, but avoid them as much as possible.  It's not very attractive looking when your totally enjoy that sinfully good chocolate covered caramel and drool is coming out the side of your mouth, so I save them for a special treat with others who don't mind if I drool!

I can't remember when I last ate a Tootsie Roll, so at my niece's urging we shared some candy together.  Well what a mistake that turned out to be! I chewed, and chewed, and chewed.  My jaw was becoming weaker and weaker with each chew.  It was worse than chewing bubblegum.  I never imagined I was going to have such trouble.  I was afraid I was going to choke on the darn thing!  It finally went down, I breathed a giant sigh of relief.  Then in a sweet gentle voice my niece said "here Rachel, I know you love Tootsie Rolls" as she passed me another.  I told her I had trouble chewing the first one and would save the others for another time.  And spoken with the wisdom of an 8 year old she said " I could call 911 and CPR you if you choke"  I couldn't help but smile and thank her, but saved the Tootsie Roll for another day when I felt like I needed some excitement.

So as a reminder,be careful what you eat.  But most importantly have someone around who can call 911 in case you are foolish enough to choke on a Tootsie Roll!