Really need some help...

about a year ago I started having issues swallowing food. It would always feel like it was getting stuck, and I needed to drink something to get it down.
I finally saw my Dr. about it about 4 months ago. He said it is likely acid reflux/Gerd. Put me on Prilosec. Swallowing was becoming a bit better and I seemed to be doing okay.

about one month ago I had my first of 4 panic/anxiety attacks. I'm currently on Pacsil 20mg/day and have xanax when needed. However, now my swallowing problem has greatly worsened. I'm back on prilosec, but it isn't helping. I've lost 30 pounds over the year (about 18 of those intentional) but have lost about 10 pounds over the last two weeks.

I have no appetite for even my favorite foods, when I eat something I have to do it very slowly or it feels like it is going to get stuck in there. And even drinking water can be a chore.

I am a fool and googled "Trouble Swallowing" and am now convinced that I have esophogeal cancer because I've been dealing with this issue for a year.

My friends say that the anxiety/panic is leading to my throat/chest to tense up and it's my anxiety that is causing me to not eat, and therefore losing weight. I started last February at 239, and currently weigh 210. Like I said, the last ten pounds over the past two weeks. I also burp non stop, and sucking air in to make a huge belch usually feels good.

My Doctor is away until next week, and I have an appointment on Wednesday. Until then, does this sound more anxiety or something physically wrong with me?

Post Edited (Yme?) : 5/21/2010 9:13:40 AM (GMT-6)

Apparently anxiety can cause acid reflux and acid reflux can cause anxiety as well.  I'd been having many different symptoms of acid reflux and an upper endoscopy which did show irritation in my esophagus.  When I finally began to accept that it was reflux causing my pain, I was convinced I was dying, a lot of my symptoms have subsided.  Zoloft may be helping that as well.  However, in moments where I am having a lot of anxiety I go start getting the chest discomfort and even my throat will feel tight.  That's also when I start either burping or hiccuping as well.  You should definitely go to a gastroenterologist and get things checked out.  Sometimes you can have severe symptoms without there being anything.  Apparently the severity of symptoms doesn't always indicate the degree of damage or lack thereof.  Like I said, with the symptoms I was having, I was sure something was seriously wrong which was not the case.  You'll feel much better after you find out and then have a plan to deal with it.  My advice, don't be googling your symptoms, just go to the doctor.  I too tried to research what was going on with me and came up with so many incurable illnesses that made me even more stressed.  If you do, don't mention what you find to your doctor.  Haha!  Mine didn't like me trying to self diagnose or it could've just been the ridiculousness of the condition I though I had.  Best of luck to you!  Hope you feel better soon!

Omg. I seriouly have this problem too. I tend to get food stuck in my throat or over my palette often. Today was my first day of eating solid food in a week. I know exactly how you feel and don't know exactly what causes this. In 2001 I went on a complete liquid diet for 3 months and almost died because I insisted that everything I tried to eat was getting stuck in my throat. They put one one of those scopes down my throat, put me on nexium, and took out my tonsils. None worked. Then just one day I tried to eat and it went down fine! So this phase comes and goes and I seriously think it is either caused by anxiety or causing my anxiety. I hope you get better.