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has anyone experienced this symptom?

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Posted 8/31/2011 3:22 PM (GMT 0)
so i just had my third ER visit lastnight. ive had trouble swallowing- the sensation of a lump in my throat and a tingling sensation in my throat and found out that i have an absent gag reflex!! the ER doctor stuck a tongue depresser in my throat and i normally would have gagged a lot but lastnight it just kept on going into my throat and i didnt gag! he said this was abnormal but didnt give me many explanations for what the cause could be. i looked this up on my computer and got "motor neuron diseases" and cranial nerve issues which is scaring me! does anyone also have an absent gag reflex that used to have a very prominent one? can lyme disease cause this? thank you for you help! im waiting for a call back from my neurologist now, as instructed by the ER doc.
Posted 8/31/2011 4:39 PM (GMT 0)
Hey Teeners,
I haven't had any experience with that, but I do know that Lyme can cause a lack of gag reflex.
The lump in your throat could be from a number of different things, depending on exactly where it is located. Could you tell us where this lump is felt? Also, so you feel it on the inside of your throat or is this something that can be felt from the outside?

Real quick - if the lump is felt on the inside of your throat and is located at the very top of your throat - it could be glands swelling trying to fight off the infection. If it is a lump that is felt on the inside of your throat and it located just over 1/2 way down your throat, it could be your thyroid swollen a tad. If this is it, you may also see some swelling around your thyroid - around where your 'adams apple' would be.

I do hope this helps some!
Posted 8/31/2011 5:02 PM (GMT 0)
I have Teeners. And sometimes I have not been able to swallow at all. I try and absolutely nothing happens. People with MS sometimes experience this as well since that part of the brain is being affected. I have neurological Lyme primarily, so I have things like vertigo, double-vision, chronic headache, etc. Are you working with an LLMD now?
Posted 8/31/2011 6:03 PM (GMT 0)
the lump is felt inside of my throat, fairly high up. at the ER they looked at the back of the throat and said it looked normal. i have had my thyroid looked at by an endocrinologist because my TSH was borderline high, at 4.14. however, further testing was done and T3 and T4 were both normal. the lump feeling is definitely in my throat and my throat is tingling inside/a different sensation, especially when swallowing food and liquids. ive had instances when i slightly panic because i cant initiate a swallow and it takes me a few times.
walkingafineline- i have primarily neuro symptoms and see an LLMD for the first time this coming month. everything started with tingling in the right side of face by my temple- cranial nerve? ive had internal burning sensations, stiff neck, heachache, tingling in other parts of my body, pain when i move my right eye, slight numbness in my leg and diminished tendon reflexes. the lack of gag reflex and swallowing is fairly new. i also have many more symptoms- cracky left shoulder, oral ulcers, bloating.... the list could go on!! but neuro stuff is the primary concern. is there anything you have been able to do to manage that symptom? and is this something that with treatment can be fixed?
Posted 9/1/2011 7:07 AM (GMT 0)
Very possibly Lyme - see http://thehumansideoflyme.net/viewarticle.php?aid=62 for more info.

I too have had the lack of ability to swallow, the numbness/tingling in the throat, and numerous other issues, all believed to be due to Lyme. These things should improve with treatment of the Lyme infection itself.

Also, Vitamin B12 and Magnesium are important for repair of the nerves and muscles that are affected by Lyme -- Lyme depletes these essential nutrients, so it is good to take a supplement.
Posted 9/1/2011 8:23 PM (GMT 0)
thanks for the info, razzle! did your swallowing issues also cause pain, and burning in your chest and throat? im confused if this could be bad GERD? but im unsure of whether that could cause a sudden absent gag reflex. it seems more nerve related to me. and do your symptoms worsen during the day? ive noticed that my swallowing issues are constant, though worsen as the day goes on.
Posted 9/2/2011 4:41 AM (GMT 0)
Yes, I got pain shooting down my whole esophagus, heartburn-like pain, throat pain when this whole swallowing issue first started (2008). Yes, it is nerve-related, because the Lyme bacteria like to eat the myelin sheath (protective covering around the nerves) and also destroy connective tissue.

Mine doesn't get worse as the day goes on. But that may be because once I figured out I couldn't swallow, I quit trying for a while (was fed through a vein in my arm for a while). Antibiotics brought back some ability to swallow and took the esophagus pain away, but I still struggle with swallowing even now.
Posted 9/2/2011 2:05 PM (GMT 0)
razzle- did your inability to swallow start after you began treatment or before for you? and did you have a positive lyme test? i am seeing an LLMD for the first time this week and have yet to have a positive lymes test or begin treatment. this is all so scary for me! i am still able to swallow foods and liquids, but the pain/sensations is very bothersome to me and im concerned about it progressing.
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