We had unanimously decided to support the purchase of some IOPI medical equipment in our previous meeting. Our local NHS Trust is unable to fund the purchase of this equipment, which is used to measure, monitor and promote tongue and lip function, especially post-treatment. We tend to take the correct functioning of our tongues and lips for granted, but after surgery or radiotherapy the reduced functioning can impair speech, food retention in the mouth and swallowing.

But what is this equipment? Amy gave up her Wednesday evening to attend our May meeting and explain. To give Amy her full title:

Amy Bainbridge, Speech and Language Therapist – Clinical Lead for Head and Neck Cancer

1. Objective tongue strength measurements. The IOPI Pro base station is kept in clinic and is used to measure tongue strength and endurance before, during and after treatment. The patient places a bulb on the tongue, which is then pressed against the roof of the mouth. The pressure exerted is measured by the equipment via a tube, connecting the bulb to the unit.
2. Objective lip strength measurements. The same equipment can be used to measure the lip strength and endurance. The bulb is placed in the corner of the mouth and the lips ‘pursed’ to grip the bulb.
3. Feedback. The unit gives a visual feedback to the user and clinician, showing how well the patient is doing against a personalised target. The clinician can set up a personalised exercise regime to help improve function, and the LEDs on the unit give a simple feedback to the user.

The IOPI website explains better than I can, and it can be accessed by clicking the logo below..

Our intention is to purchase a Pro unit for use in clinic plus a Trainer unit to be loaned out to patients. The training regime for a given patient is expected to involve a relatively short time, so a single Trainer should be able to support a number of patients. Depending on the results achieved, we may purchase an additional Trainer unit in the future.

It remains to thank Amy for coming along and explaining the what, why and how. Amy’s enthusiasm and dedication are an inspiration! The wheels are now in motion and we should be handing over the equipment in the near future.

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Our thanks to Malcolm Barber, who attended our May meeting and delivered a very interesting presentation. Malcolm mixed slides, videos and his own personal story to increase our awareness of both types of Diabetes, and what we can do to avoid type 2, the most common variant, accounting for 90% of cases in the U.K. Click on the icon below to visit Diabetes UK North Staffs…

Malcolm is the Education Liaison Officer for the group, and is passionate about raising awareness in our area, especially as Stoke on Trent is a national hotspot for diabetes. Diabetes affects some 4 million people in the UK and is a massive problem for our overstretched NHS.

Top tips for avoiding Type 2:

• Try to maintain a healthy weight, using exercise to improve health and BMI
• Limit intake of carbohydrates, which convert easily into sugars
• Limit high sugar foods – look at the labels and avoid anything whose sugar content exceeds 5% [ or 5g in 100g of product ]

We had a lively discussion prompted by John, who pointed out that post – treatment, cancer patients are encouraged to eat all the ‘wrong’ things in order to gain weight, and promote a normal appetite! I have a feeling that the evening was a two way street, with Malcolm gaining an appreciation of the head cases outlook, and the group receiving some important knowledge about Diabetes.

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