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I can't swallow :(

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Posted Yesterday 6:15 PM (GMT 0)
cool   :-) tongue :-) turn smilewinkgrin wink Awesome news!!!

Great job on going and getting the help that you needed.  May it continue to go well, and the techniques that you are learning help more and more!

Keep up the good work!

S.C.

Posted 12/3/2013 6:37 PM (GMT 0)
Well done Evie!

I'm much better now, still a bit wary of eating much solid food, but I have upgraded to spaghetti and sausages!

Drinking as normal now, very little anxiety, not gone completely but very little.

Still getting that sticking feeling in my throat sometimes, especially when I try bread but all in all I'm quite happy now. I just keep eating and the stuck feeling just goes away with the next mouthful, it does make my heart pump a bit faster when it happens though, the fear of choking is still lingering just nowhere near as bad.

Progress!

Mood: happy
Posted 12/3/2013 6:44 PM (GMT 0)
Well done Nex!

This will be back to normal in no time. I am glad that you are being helped and that you are not letting anxiety rule your life. Keep posting even when you have no anxiety and help those that are in this place. This is always the best way toget people tthrough. God bless you hun. Eat eat eat!
Posted 12/5/2013 12:22 AM (GMT 0)
Beans and sausages? Don't mind if I do!

Beans were a bit "sticky" but fine with sausage. Getting there!

Finished everything!

Mood: defiant nono
Posted 12/5/2013 4:57 AM (GMT 0)
cool   tongue turn

I can see how beans would be sticky...they have a unique texture...dry and 'muffy' for lack of a better word...;p

Great job though on the can-do attitude...you're doing great!

Keep eating the things that are comfortable, and slowly adding in new ones as you feel able, like you are doing.

Good news!!

S.C.

Posted 12/7/2013 5:30 PM (GMT 0)
Hmm, can't easy mash potato, weird. Thought that would be one of the easier things to swaller.

Ah well, no great loss.

Eaten bread today, so all good! Pity about my hangover lol

Mood: Happy with a chance of queasy lol
Posted 12/8/2013 11:22 PM (GMT 0)
Had chicken nuggets for lunch and pizza today.

Eating pretty much anything (and everything now!) some 'stickiness' but nothing major. Only difference between now and before this started is my mouthfuls are much smaller; I still get a little anxious when I take too big a bite without realising.

Nearly there :)

Mood: confident
Posted 12/9/2013 3:08 AM (GMT 0)
Confident beats 'chance of queasy', Lol!;p

Actually the mashed potatoes aren't suprising to me...very dry, like the inside of the beans...

Keep up the trial and error and good work!!

S.C.
Posted 12/9/2013 10:23 PM (GMT 0)
Bit of a set back today, tried a full pizza (only had one of those micro ones yesterday) and got anxiety so couldn't eat it. Put me off eating anything. But...

I gave it 10 minutes and then ate all the topping leaving the bread base. Enjoyed that :)

Think I'll leave a full pizza off the menu for a while though...

Mood: Resilient
Posted 12/10/2013 3:34 AM (GMT 0)
...easy does it....

It is great that you were able to eat something even after your scare. That is great progress!! Keep on getting 'back in the game'.;)

S.C.
Posted 12/10/2013 10:32 AM (GMT 0)
Yeah, was a bit much. GF thought I'd be OK as I had a microwave pizza yesterday.

My remaining issue seems to be I can only take small bites of anything as if I take a big bite my anxiety kicks in and I keep thinking "this is big enough to choke me if it doesn't go down" so I can only bite off anything I'm confident I can swallow. I also can't seem to do the thing where you swallow only part of what's in your mouth and keep chewing the rest; if I think I can't swallow it in on go I panic. I assume this is due to thinking if it gets stuck I'll not be able to swallow the rest through fear of it sitting on top of what's there and creating a blockage.

Liquids are fine and dandy now tho.

I'll keep going small steps...
Posted 12/10/2013 12:24 PM (GMT 0)
I've been reading through this thread and just wanted to offer my support and encouragement. It sounds like things are really improving. That's wonderful! Hang in there. :-)

I've had the "lump in my throat" feeling for quite a while now. Some days are better than others. Lately I've had more heartburn than usual though, but that could be from my health anxiety. I have Prilosec for when I need it.

Anyway, I just wanted to wish you all the best. I know you'll beat this!
Posted 12/10/2013 8:24 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you :)
Posted 12/12/2013 6:40 PM (GMT 0)
Just had tea and wasn't my finest hour.

Had something I've been having for a while now, spaghetti. Trouble is the very first mouthful almost went down my throat uninvited so to speak; I bolted forward and managed to bring it back to the front but then the anxiety kicked in. Throat then felt tight and closed. Oh dear.

I gave it 5 minutes just breathing deep and started again, small bites this time! A few pieces got stuck but I soon got back into an almost normal rhythm. Wolfed it down (and the slice of bread!) after that.

My only problem now (only he says!) is that I have to take tiny bites as anything even remotely large makes me panic that it's going to choke me.

It'll come.

Still, I look at this way: If I don't get anxiety attacks (wasn't a panic attack, I took control very quickly) how am I supposed to learn to cope with them :)

Mood: Buoyant
Posted 12/13/2013 3:48 AM (GMT 0)
Good job on continuing even when you hit a rough spot!

...and I like your new quote.:)

S.C.
Posted 12/14/2013 6:45 PM (GMT 0)
Had a normal meal today...and I think I've got amnesia lol

I had sausage, mash, carrots, yorkshire pudding, potato shapes and vegatable nuggets.

Wolfed the whole lot down and just about totally forgot I had an issue! No drinks needed through any of it, just smaller bites than usual. Wow.

Mood: sensing victory!


PS Really sorry if this post offends anyone with amnesia, please speak up and I will remove it right away. Not my intention to cause any offence, I assure you.
Posted 12/14/2013 7:40 PM (GMT 0)
Wow! I think that when we can go through an experience that previously brought us great anxiety...and not even think about it, that we have reached a real milestone!

Congratulations! May you have continued success.

...a great way to go into the holiday season, yes? ;)

S.C.
Posted 12/14/2013 9:34 PM (GMT 0)
I didn't read all of the posts so please forgive me if this has been mentioned. I had this problem several years ago. I couldn't even swallow saliva. When it happened I did Lamaze breathing to help prevent a major anxiety attack and I would focus on something to take my mind off what was going on. I used to get anxiety attacks years ago but now have a good handle on them. But when this happened, I had visions of stomach tubes dancing in my head.

I went on the fibro forum, the forum I moderate, and asked if this had happened to anyone else since we do have muscle spasms. Yep! And what helped was someone said to cough when you can't swallow. It loosens the muscles that are tightening or in a spasm. I tried it and could swallow right after I did that. Just having that tool made it so I wasn't having that tightness happen as frequently. If I did, I knew what to do for it. I now rarely have this problem.

I did tell my doctor about it and he said it was most likely muscles in a spasm that was causing this. I do hope this helps someone because this can be quite frightening.

Sherrine
Posted 12/14/2013 9:39 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks Sherrine.

I've had the tests done and it's acid damage, so I've got PPIs for that. Going well with those, hardly any sticking at all now.

My remaining issue is when it did stick constantly I started to get anxiety and a fear of choking, this hasn't gone yet. The anxiety appears whenever food goes in my mouth, I can't bit off anything large so I think it's going to go down my throat and choke me. When I do swallow there's not much of an issue any more :)

Thank you for your support tho! (and everyone else, you guys have been great!)
Posted 12/15/2013 2:34 PM (GMT 0)
Nexususus, I'm so glad eating is getting easier for you. I wish you continued success! It sounds like you're definitely headed in the right direction. :-)
Posted 12/16/2013 5:05 AM (GMT 0)
Hi nexux iv had this condition my whole life. Im 28 now. I used to fear food cause literly everything i at would get stuck in my throat and boy did it hurt. Sometimes it would stick for 30 minutes. Then everytime it would stick i would stick my finger down my throat and make myself throwup because drinking water makes it worse and even more scary. They opened my esophagus up a little when i was younger and put me on ppis and that helped a little. Iv now been off ppis for 3 years about and if i eat bread, or meats it gets stuck a little everybite but then goes down. Some days are bad still, where it will stick for like 30 secons then go down. It isnt always reful that does this. Slow motility and esophagus reactions cause this also. Now with water, i know exactly what your talking about. Sometimes when i drink water it feels like im inhaling the water and its going down the wrong pipe or into my lungs. It feels like the water is also getting stuck and not going down very well, but thats the esophagus reaction and slow motility. This has tramatized me drastically. On bad swzllowing days im afraid to eat. Its scary. Best thing to do is keep a diary of what foods you eat and how your swallowing was that day. Good luck man.
Posted 12/19/2013 6:21 PM (GMT 0)
Very bad day today :(

I can't eat anything now, it's not so much getting stuck but I literally can't put it in my mouth. It's like I've forgotten how to eat. Once it's in my mouth I chew then forget how to swallow. Sounds stupid I know.

I keep thinking I'm going to get the swallow wrong and choke myself.

It's also brought back the fear of drinking water.

Massive step backwards :(
Posted 12/19/2013 9:23 PM (GMT 0)
OK panic over, so to speak.

Managed to east some spaghetti reasonably normally and drinking water better again.

Just got myself a bit flustered there!
Posted 12/20/2013 2:15 AM (GMT 0)
I am glad that you are feeling better...

...just goes to show what being in a panicked state can do to our minds...

I was watching a show yesterday about a woman who got in her car...which wouldn't start. She was panicked because it was hot in the car, and she couldn't get the windows down. She then dialled 911, thinking that she was locked in b/c all of the eletric features naturally weren't working. The 911 operator's response? 'M'am, just open your door handle!'

...so no, forgetting how to chew and swallow does not sound stupid. ;)

I hope that all your steps are forward ones from here on! :)

S.C.
Posted 12/20/2013 9:10 AM (GMT 0)
That is what's happening all the time now though.

Not much gets stuck now but I get anxiety every time I put food in my mouth. I'm overthinking the whole process...have a I got too much in my mouth...was I able to eat more before...did I used to chew with the back teeth or move it forward...did I push the food to the back of my throat before swallowing, or was it automatic. Those kind of questions are swimming in my mind whenever I eat. Nothing is natural any more.

Not entirely sure how to go about this one as choking is a real danger so I can't really "force" myself to eat and "get used to it" as it were.

Any advice please?

Thank you
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