I hate conversations like this. I hate that someone even needs to ask questions like this. The side effects of a diagnosis of type 1 SMA are potentially devastating no matter how you approach the use of equipment and g-tubes; there are no guarantees and that, truthfully, sucks. That being said, equipment and g-tubes are a valid option and one that should be examined on an individual family basis. I would never suggest that the equipment is right for everyone but I believe it is extremely dangerous to suggest that a family continue orally feeding if the child is obviously aspirating. Whether or not it is what you would choose for yourself matters very little when a life is at risk.
In case you're wondering what makes me qualified to be discussing this, I will give a brief history on my life experience because I do have some. I am 26 years old and have SMA. What type? Probably debatable on a number of levels but my neurologist at OSU says that I am a super strong type 1. Maybe he is right and maybe not but I am one thing for sure; me. I, some how, (I choose to say by the grace of God) survived to the age of 8 without breathing support and until 16 years old without a g-tube. I am living proof that you don't have to have those things to survive but I am also proof of how horribly things can go if you don't use them. I don't suggest that anyone, no matter the type, follow my path because it is a miracle that remains unexplained that I survived. It was difficult and I would not want anyone else to have to go through everything that I did to get to this point. I now have a g-tube, j-tube, and a trach. No one told me to make these decisions and the doctors even tried to talk me out of them. My options at the time of trach placement were 1) live in the hospital 2) get a trach or 3) die. Perhaps my life experience should have told me to give up and die since no one agreed with my decision. But I am stubborn and refused to live a life isolated in the hospital or die.
"Carl", it is admirable that you have been able to survive without any support, it really is. However, I think that you need to be careful when doling out advice to families with small children. My old physician regularly told other families not to worry about equipment because their child was similar in strength to me so they would not require assistance for many years either. More than 5 of these children ultimately passed away because they didn't have what they needed because they were predicted to be like me. That is a lot of guilt to live with day to day even though I was not directly involved. The likelihood that there is another person in the world who is exactly like you or I is very unlikely. This is why I am always happy to share my story with anyone but I am not going to say that they will have a much better chance at life if they follow me. My journey is not typical for a type one and I am well aware of how blessed this makes me. It is reckless and dangerous for individuals who are not typical of the disease process to run around selling snake oil to people who are sincerely desperate for any kind of hope. I am so honored to be able to share my story but I have a responsibility, as do you, if you remain a part of the community, to point newly diagnosed families to people who have experience with the average path of a type 1. We can be a source of hope to families only if we are realistic and the reality is we are not the norm. I don't believe in false hope but I do believe that people can easily be misled into believing that if they ignore their child's weaknesses they will improve and be like you. The reality is that everyday children are dying in spite of their parents doing everything they can to keep them alive. Life is tenuous for everyone but even more so for individuals with SMA. Share your story of hope but do it with respect for people who have lived differently. They have valid and important information to share as do you but no one is going to respect your opinions and experience if you blatantly disregard and disrespect everything that others do because it isn't your experience. You can be an example but not if you don't show a bit of compassion towards others. Respect in this community is earned not freely given away just because you're an adult with SMA. You need to show respect for parents by answering questions when they are posed. You can't be an example if you get offended by people asking for clarification. You may have a wealth of knowledge but it's of no use to anyone if you keep it for people you deem worthy. You're not a true type 1 and I am not either but I accept that I don't know everything. I don't claim to know what to do for the weak type 1s. I know my journey and that is all.
