Can't swallow its consuming my life

Hi Meg,

 

Welcome to Healing Well!

It's not very likely that you'll get a response here, since this forum is ancient.  I suggest you click on the > GERD - Heartburn >link and start a new thread on the main page.  (There is a button at the top) Entitle it "Swallowing Problems" and see what happens.  It will allow other members to find you more easily.  If you get a response here as well, all the better!

Good luck!

Denise

It looks like this post is from 12 yrs ago. I'm going through exactly the same thing as you described and becoming desperate for help!! Can you tell me how your story ended? What helped??
Thanks,

Vicky





I went to my primary doctor who sent me to a barium swallow, where it was found I had strictures at the top of the esophagus and the bottom. I was referred to a gastro interologist for an endoscopy, where he confirmed the strictures and the damage to the esophagus stating, "marked friability and oozing of blood." He dilated the strictures and put me on Prevacid solutab. I was grateful he prescribed solutabs because there was no way that I could possibly have swallowed a pill.

Now here is where it gets weird--I was told that I could resume eating solid food. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Whenever I swalling something with texture it almost sends me into a panic, as I feel the food "bunch" in the back of my throat. I can still breathe okay, but it feels like that could change at any time.

This feeling was so intense after the dilation that I broke into hyperventilation and went to the emergency room. They gave me lorazepam (antianxiety) drug and sent me on my way. I called my doctor and he told me that I must have an anxiety disorder because my "throat is totally open" and that food should pass without a problem. When I met with the doctor a week ago he again told me to see a psychiatrist for this anxiety.

I have not yet gone to the psychiatrist. Why should I? OF COURSE I HAVE ANXIETY if it feels like food is bunching in my throat.

My question to the forum regards my feeling "strange" in the back of my mouth/throat even when I'm not eating. My throat often feels dry. When I am distressed, I can often get relief by scraping the back of my tongue with a tongue scraper.

Do people with GERD only feel uncomfortable when eating, or is there a strange feeling in the throat pretty much all the time? Can I ignore the choking feeling and have confidence that I won't choke to death?

I can drink liquids and slurries okay, but if it has texture then the sensation can make me panic. Does this make any sense? The doctor treats me like I must be crazy.

Has anybody out there made it through this and resumed a normal life? Please post a reply if you have. I'm not getting the emotional support I need from my doctor.

ALEXAPLAN I'm having the same problem as well (and have been on a soup/smoothie diet for three months), so you're not an oddball. I need to sip a tiny bit of water with food to comfortably get it down. I think the reflux comes up, sort of paralyzes the throat muscles a bit, and makes the nerves a little sensitive (which causes anxiety)

I believe for me, once I get my GERD and anxiety under control it will subside and I'll live a normal life. It takes from what I've read three to seven months to heal unfortunately, but we will both get there! I think your throat feels off because you had strictures, and you had them removed, so it's just going to feel funny and sensitive for a bit. Week by week you'll improve. It may just be gas trapped in your throat too... or I would recommend the low acid diet by Jamie Kaufman... and just eat alkaline foods. Her theory is that people also have Pepsin coming up in their throats which eat away at throat muscles, and by eating alkaline foods you wash wash away the pepsins.

I've been on the low acid diet for a month now and I've seen a bit of improvement in that I can eat rice in soup without panicking and cereal. For six weeks I was terrified of chicken as it's dry, but now I'm eating it with sips of water. I'm drinking two cups of Chamomile tea a day which helps with anxiety as it makes me dopey.

Cannoka62, you might want to see a doctor about the food stuck in your sternum as that is a sign of reflux as well. It's nothing to worry about, but you can take actions to reverse the damage by changing your diet, raising the head of your bed, not eating 4 hours before bed time, etc. It's just good to see the doctor to get a few tests done like a barium swallow to see if something mechanical is causing the problem.

There is a test called a motality test they put a tube through your nose down your throat , you actually have to choke it down, then you squirt this vasciline like stuff in your mouth and it shows how your esophagus moves to make sure it contracting properly. I have a nutcracker esophagus it showed the spasm but it was moving the product normally.
It is a really miserable test but very informative

This post was started 17 years ago, but it describes what I am going through as if I wrote it myself. It all started this past Monday after work while eating dinner with my family. I started to choke on a baked potato chip and ended up in the ER. Ever since I have not been able to swallow solid foods. I have regurgitation, acid reflux, and tightness in my upper throat and lower chest. It has caused me to be very weak, stressed, and anxious. I cannot begin to even think about how this will get any better. I pray that when I go to my doctor on Monday she fast tracks me to see a specialist. I hope most of you’ll have resolved your issues as it is the only thing that gives me hope right now. Thank you for reading.