HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

Esophagus Spasms??

Support Forums
>
Multiple Sclerosis
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 11/15/2006 6:19 AM (GMT 0)

Hey Everyone

I have a question. I've been having this prob swallowing for some time now and wonder if it's esophagus spasms. From the research i've done it appears that it may be. It happens when i eat...period. Not all the time, but most of the time. I've tried to notice what i eat and how i eat when it happens...fast, slow. No matter what i eat or what care i take in doing so, i experience this very often. It feels like the food gets stuck in my chest. No amount of liquid will move it, but adding liquid to the mix only makes it worse. I've actually felt like i was gonna drown myself before! It's very scary, especially out in public where no one knows what's going on. It lasts on average about 2-3 mins, but seems like much longer! It's very very painful and there's nothing i can do when it happens to make it hurry up or go away. I simply must stop all i'm doing...hold my chest and wait for it to pass. In my research i read that it may be neurologically related. Can this be something related to ms? Has anyone ever heard of this with ms? Thanks everyone.

rhonda

Posted 11/15/2006 1:39 PM (GMT 0)
Hey Rhonda,

 

No I've never experienced this.  I have no idea what it could be.  Maybe Zantac or Prilosec or something like that would help.  If I don't take something sometimes I'll get acid reflux really bad and it will feel sort of like that.I don't know maybe you should mention it to your dr.

 

Sheila

Posted 11/15/2006 3:19 PM (GMT 0)

Yes, I deal with this regularly.  In my case, it is related to my MS.  Some foods trigger it, but otherwise I notice it most when I try to eat and talk at the same time, and don't pay attention to the eating. I have to take in small amounts of food, well chewed, swallow carefully, and be sure to have consumed fluids before and after taking in the food, for it to go down smoothly.  Dry foods (like crackers, cookies, bread) are the most troublesome.

In my case, if I can't get the food to pass down, it'll come back as projectile vomiting, not a pretty thing.  Fortunately it hasn't happened in public...yet...but I always worry about it when I'm eating out.

The esophagus is a muscle...seems reasonable that if I experience spasticity in other muscles, it could happen with that, too.  And it does.

Posted 11/15/2006 3:31 PM (GMT 0)
"It's very VERY painful and there's nothing i can do when it happens to make it hurry up or go away. I simply must stop all i'm doing...hold my chest and wait for it to pass."

I could not have send it better. This happens a couple of times a month for me. Since I have a Hiatial Hernia, and because of that, acid reflux, I thought
it might tie into it. All I got was it could be. I was afraid of esophagus cancer, but an Xray a few months back showed nothing and my regular doctor
told me that he didn't see any need for an MRI of my throat and chest. He said the Hernia could have gotten worse over the years, or my reflux meds
were not strong enough but he would keep track of it and I was to notify my Neruo.

Along with the stuck in my chest feeling,(but not at the same time) I have developed laryngitis off and on, maybe once aweek or so...usually when I am very exhausted or super stressed.

My Med Team, unfortuately, don't know what is causing this, and I usually get the pat answer now........MS can cause all sorts of unusual behavior in your body......some we know about others we don't , some get this and others get that.

So I don'd know what to tell you rhonda. Your description sure fit me to a tee and I know how bad it is. And you are so right, it may be an M&M, or
ribs, or a milkshake, or salad. It makes no difference at all.....and you can get patted on the back, drink a ton of water or whatever...and it does no
good. You have to just wait and endure the horrible pain until it stops.

I am in the dark too, and I am so sorry someone else goes through this.
Posted 11/15/2006 5:42 PM (GMT 0)
Hey Everyone

Wow! Thank u all for u'r input! Uppity, do u notice it's worse if u eat fast? That's the one distinction i've found. It really doesn't matter what i eat, but, yes, some things are worse than others. It's very hard to keep from happening because u just don't know when it'll happen or how to control it. I can see how u'd worry about it happening in public. Vomitting must add much to the pain! I"m glad to see i'm not alone, tho i'm sorry u guys also deal with it. I did a lot of research on it and tried to make sure i hadn't missed anything last night by re-reading everything and found some interesting stuff. Of course with something like this, once u find info on the primary topic, u see that there are many other related issues and possible probs to consider. The throat is a much more complicated system than i ever realized. Snowdog, have u ever done any research on u'r own? Try googling the topic here and see what u get. I got tons of hits and far too much info to process on my own since i don't understand or follow much of the technical jargon. Yes, VERY painful and no control over the situation when it happens. U just find urself in pain and waiting for it to pass. The first time it happened i was sure my husband was gonna have to help me, but we were in company of friends and his co workers and all i could think of was 'i DON"T want him to do that manuver on me HERE!' Funny, i was scared i was choking to death, yet was concerned with appearances! Geez!! Anyway, thanks to u all!

rhonda
Posted 11/15/2006 7:27 PM (GMT 0)
Yes, it will often happen when I eat fast. I think it's a combination of eating and talking at the same time and trying to swallow so I can add something to the conversation...and not having enough fluid in my mouth along with the food..and it will "get stuck". The path from mouth to stomach is very complicated indeed -- lots of muscles and "flaps" that have to open and close in sequence in order for the food to pass through. And if just one is malfunctioning, it can cause all sorts of problems. That's how folks get "aspiration pneumonia" -- the "flap" that is supposed to be closed to the lungs somehow can get "stuck open" and food can pass into the lungs instead of down the esophagus...and THAT can cause problems, too.

So eating slow, not talking while eating, chewing thoroughly, lots of fluids (not thick fluids, though, like shakes, but water, or coffee)...all help. But even then, it can happen.
Posted 11/19/2006 3:26 PM (GMT 0)
Being peanut gallery again.....
I suffer from these spasms, and was put on nitro to relive the worst episodes. It works, but on the down side, i get a migraine from the vasodialation. take care
Bonnie
Posted 11/19/2006 9:17 PM (GMT 0)
Rhondab: I had to have cervical spinal fusion the end of August and my surgeon Rx'd Robaxin for esophageal spasms. They had to go in through the neck, move the esophagus & trachea to the side and then do the fusion. I did not take this in the beginning because I didn't think I needed it until the first spasm hit. That feels like my angina! I took the med faithfully and never experienced another spasm during my recovery.

According to my 2007 Drug Bk: "Exerts skeletal muscle relaxant action by depressing multisynaptic pathways in spinal cord that control muscular spasm." It comes in 500 & 750 mg tablets (mine was 750). Maybe your MD can Rx this for you if the spasms continue to be a problem.

I am switching to the Cardiac chat room ... had another cath on Thursday & even though I eat healthy, exercise, etc, due to hereditary factors, I am now diagnosed w coronary heart disease. My other caths were alway clear w/exception of arrythmias. For all the good it did me, I could have been downing some chili dogs! Now on meds in hopes of avoiding bypass ... freaks me out! Use to working w/heart pts, not being one! Good luck to all w/MS and those waiting in the wings!
Posted 11/20/2006 7:31 PM (GMT 0)
Good luck to you Pegleg. Thanks for the advice.
Posted 11/20/2006 9:40 PM (GMT 0)
Hey Pegleg

Thanks for u'r help in this! I'll be asking my doc about this when i see him again. This is one of those things that's been going on for some time now and i finally realized that it may be part of this overall other stuff.

I'm sorry to see u'r leaving the MS board, but know it's prob a good choice for u. I'm also so sorry to hear of u'r recent news. I truely hope and pray u'll be able to avoid the bypass. Keep being the patient and letting the docs care for u...but with u'r trademark touch of pegleg's watchfullness, and take good care of u'rself! I hope we'll hear from u and u'll let us know how u'r doing. Take care!

rhonda
Posted Yesterday 10:26 PM (GMT 0)
hi all,

i suffer from a similar problems u do, I am 22 and have suffered from my problem since i was 9. I use to sit at the table or be at school eating and suddenly feel a weird sensation around the the chest area like the food was stuck and it just woudnt go down, i would drink and sometimes this would relieve it and my food would past or sometimes it would start building up it feel like the water was coming up to my throat. On a couple of occasions i got to the point i needed someone to help me bring up the food as i felt i was choking. Also when the food was stucked i try and drink and the water wouldnt digest it wouldnt go down at all it come out my nose   very nice. I have suffered for years i have been to so many hospitals its stupid and no one could tell me what was going on. I was at Great ormond street hospital for many years and still no joy on what exactly was the problem i have had barriums, tubes down my throat, camera's, cat scans, balloon procedure,everything and still no help o yea also been on tablets but they made me feel sick. The problems the doctors have is that only once did it show on the camera there was problems but as far as their concern i dont have a problem. But they are not living with what i have, going from day to day in fear of eating and specially eating in public in case of choking. Also the doctors feel if im puting on weight then its really they not to bothered to help me, so im left with a problem that no one can even tell me what it is, yea it be nice to fix it but to what it is would be good or help me cope with it better.They have suggested lots   acid reflux , achalasia but decided it wasnt this because i dont get large reflux but what i get is a kinda bubble like feeling in my throat on some occasions which is very uncomfortable and can last for hours and hours, i also get slight hurt burn on occasions. I am just wondering if anyone suffers with the same as me, i need some answers now its been going on for 13years.

Josh

✚ New Topic ✚ Reply