Posted 6/2/2020 11:03 PM (GMT 0)
Hi, Louise. I'm terribly sorry that you are going through this. I'm sure it's frightening!
Have you had an MRI? It seems like being unable to swallow would compel an ER to give you an MRI and perhaps IV hydration, maybe a feeding tube after a few days if it doesn't improve? I am the last person to go to an ER if I feel like I can avoid it, especially during a pandemic, but your description is alarming.
Cannabis can be extremely helpful for neurological issues, even including seizures and degenerative disorders. CBD might help, even just topically. Have you tried any prescriptions like muscle relaxers or benzodiazepines? Again, I know those are heavy-hitting drugs, and that's never my go-to, but it seems like quick relief might be important for your safety while you root out the cause.
I get that your chiro might worry about liability, but maybe find a different one? Craniosacral therapy (preferably by someone with a physical therapy background) can work wonders for that area. (Kerstin Templeton in Dedham is an ANGEL.)
If you are close enough to Boston, then I would recommend my LLMD, AB in Waltham. He does not shy away from complex cases. The Rothfeld Center also has some good LL folks, including nurse practitioners with a lot of Lyme experience who take insurance. They're all functional and/or integrative medicine. The best option for a more mainstream approach is KL in Brookline. She's functional medicine but uses mostly pharmaceuticals. I have not seen her, myself, just had her recommended enthusiastically by people who went that route. (Send me a private email for their full names.)
There is something called the MS hug, which is a ludicrous name and doesn't have to involve MS. It's a type of neurological misfiring that causes muscle spams that can squeeze, usually anywhere along the abdomen like a corset, but can affect the neck. I have it, though not in my neck. It kept me from eating because it constricted my small intestine so badly, for months. Obviously i can't know whether this is what's going on for you, but with the shenanigans that tick-borne diseases enact on our nervous systems, it's a relatively unknown possibility that you might not stumble upon anywhere else. (I had to figure mine out for myself.)
Sending you a big virtual hug. Please let us know what happens!