Swallowing Phobia - Help!

Hello All,

I'm new to the forum, and while I'm sure its full of great people, I wish I could be spending my time doing other things, other than fretting about anxiety/phobias. 

I recently took prednisone (cortisone) for an ear infection and it triggered major anxiety/panic.  when I stopped taking the drug, my anxiety subsided - for the most part - but i was left with an awful phobia.  I am scared as heck to swallow!  I'm force feeding myself, and managing to get 2500 calories per day, but every meal is a challenge.  I suffer from acid reflux as well, but all tests show that there is no damage or narrowing of my esophagus, so it must be in my head.  The doctor has told me over and over that I will not choke on my food, but every few bites my throat locks up on me, and the food doesn't go down until I relax.  I can't seem to accept the doctor's verdict.  I fear that I won't be able to swallow my next bite, and if I can't swallow, then I'll lose weight, and slowly wither away.  While I have lost a few pounds, my girlfriend says that I needed too.    What concerns me, is that I didn't have any intention of losing weight, i.e. it was out of my control.  anybody else suffer through this and find the light at the end of the tunnel?  this is a real bummer.

It could be also that your throat seems to be closing up because of an actual condition related to the acid reflux, and the anxiety is just stemming from that, not the other way around. I have GERD and constantly have a problem with dysphagia where I can't swallow or it feels like the food gets stuck in my throat or it gets regurgitated and I absolutely can't eat without having something to drink. It's not necessary for there to be damage to the esophagus for this to happen- at one point I did have a throat full of ulcers, but now it looks perfectly normal and I still have this problem. The only thing they've ever done for me for it was dilate my esophagus during an endoscopy. Though I would try, if you don't already, just taking a sip of water/your beverage of choice after every bite or so to help it down.

Well, that's true, too. I had a bad case of GERD until I was treated for anxiety disorder. I suppose my problems could've been related to the GERD and not anxiety/panic, but it's a symptom of both. Hard to tell. It's just one of those things. Prednisone also causes tissue swelling, doesn't it? Maybe you still have a little of that happening. I don't know anything about how long it stays in the system, though.

Anyway, I was diagnosed with GERD and A/P. Never had much trouble swallowing. Both diseases affect people very differently. I would guess (and this is nothing more than a guess), that it'll go away in time if you've never had a problem with it before. Just keep on top of it with your docs.

There's an MD who's been posting in the H/W GERD forum recently. If you haven't asked over there, then maybe he could tell you if prednisone is known to cause such a thing.

And these two conditions can definitely be interrelated...so your vicious cycle analogy is a good one. Like I said, I was NEVER able to get my GERD under control until I was able to deal with anxiety. It's still there, but Prevacid keeps it under control whereas before it could not.

Debaser,

Thanks for the advice.  I read your blog, btw, good stuff.  One of my primary concerns about researching on the internet, besides the fact that there is a myriad of bad information, is that you all too often encounter other people who are suffering from similar problems.  While this sounds like a good thing, "misery loves company", you soon realize that they aren't any closer to solving the problems as you are.  The more horrifying stories you read, the lower your spirit becomes, yet the obsession to continue reading, persists.  As I have mentioned before, most people who have licked the anxiety or have learned to manage it, no longer post on forums....they have moved on.  It is refreshing to meet those people who have learned to cope, yet still dedicate a bit of their time to working with others who haven't figured it out.

Thanks for the welcome.  You mentioned that you have trouble swallowing due to GERD.  Have the doctors confirmed that it is related to strictures?  I had a complete examination done of my esophagus and there are no strictures, hence my swallowing difficulties (supposedly) cannot be related to GERD.

HI Clill
food swallowing phobias are fairly common for anxiety sufferers, the main fear is that the food may go down the wrong way, causing a coughing fit and bringing embarrasment, so eating in private is sometimes possible only
your phobia may be due to fears of some GERD reaction or perhaps something else?? if its a fear of choking maybe eat in the hospital waiting room
some manage by putting all food in the blender or eating soups only the problem can last a long time
so I guess the big question is what might go wrong if you do swallow?
I did an earlier post about the need to want to recover which agrees with your other points

did your psychologist give any helpful advice?

keep in mind that the swallowing reflex is automatic, if you keep chewing and someone distracts you,then  you will swallow automatically

Am also wondering if your Pdoc gave you any useful advice to work with and thru this ??
LYN

Hi, totally understand you! Had the same thing and lost from my healthy 130 to 115 pounds.. When I started to see my self transparant already I found "insure plus" from Duane Reade chain store. It is a drink, with all vitamins. Besides that I was drinking chicken bullion and eating yogurts without fruit But it went away eventually. Try this trick - look on something when you are swallowing and think about that object - this technique I'm using even tilll now for drinking pills (otherwise I chew them ). Put something in your mouth and look at something in the window or TV or something. It totally works! When you think you can't swallow - you can't swallow!, but think at this moment "oh, nice bag I see on TV", or "my chair is brown... or black brown?" or something specific to take your attention away - and it will really work.
I choked once on food and was alone in the house, I thought I will die... I was eating while laying on the bed - big mistake!, after that couldn't eat for an year With all my panic attacks and anxiety this was an additional item for my bouquet, but I learned how to take concentration away, and I started to eat normally. It took months to understand, but I found this magic button. After sometime, I didn't use my technique and it went away unnoticebly.
Hope it helps!
Lana

G...I think there are a number of issues here...

1.  Your anxiety about your girlfriends opinion  of you

2.  Your anxiety about your own self perceptions

3.  Your anxiety about not being in a decision making role.

I think that you should address all of these issues in an honest, unbiased way. The simplest way is to make yourself lists of wants, needs and desires under those headings....  When you achieve this, you will conquer your anxiety.  How you achieve this....is up to you!!!!..Best of luck and wishes for your success.......I look forward to seeing your posts relating to your success!!