Table 5 Coping strategies reported by study participants
Sub-categories | Symptom | Coping | Quote |
|---|---|---|---|
Positive coping strategies | Food getting stuck | Humor, Identification, compensate | “I always get stuck in my throat when I eat. So when I get up and move, I’ll feel much better.” (P13) “Eating food with less oil, such as green vegetable leaves, rice and biscuits, is easy to get stuck in the throat. I need to drink water slowly to wash it down.” (P18) “For example, if I eat eggs, I will eat steamed egg soup. Compared with boiled eggs, it will not get stuck in my throat.” (P20) |
Difficulty with solids | “I choose soft food, chew it slowly, and take smaller bites.” (P8) | ||
Throat burning sensation | “With a plum in my mouth, I will feel much better, or the “throat lozenge” can make me feel comfortable…And yogurt, which makes me feel good” (P17) “I learned Chinese medicine. I made some “black wheat and orange drinks”, and the burning feeling disappeared.” (P17) | ||
The feeling of suffocation | “When I feel difficult to breathe, I will sit up for a while or turn over and feel much better.” (P6) | ||
Swallowing pain | “If it is too hot or too cold, it will irritate my throat. I will hold it in my mouth for a while. It will be more comfortable to swallow the water when the temperature is close to my body temperature.” (P5) | ||
Negative coping strategies | Vent one’s emotions, shrink back | “I wonder if the operation failed, which completely failed to meet my expectations. I think I may have been worried recently.” (P20) “I can’t eat the nutritious food recommended by experts. Because it’s too much trouble, I don’t want to eat.” (P15) “I want to stay in the hospital for a few more days, and then leave the hospital after this symptom is completely cured.” (P9) | |
Compromised coping strategies | Rationalization, Depression | “I think it’s normal that I can’t swallow anything after neck surgery. If you don’t ask me, I don’t want to reflect this problem. En… I don’t think it’s a problem.” (P11) | |
Wrong coping knowledge | Stereotype | “I think I have a cold. Once I catch a cold, I will have a lot of phlegm and sore throat, so I take a lot of antibiotics.” (P8) “I think I have difficulty breathing because the air in the ward is bad. Last night I went to the corridor to sleep.” (P14) “I should not eat too oily, too cold food, or hot and dry food like chili and mutton. I dare not eat many things I like, so I don’t want to eat any more.” (P9) |