Afraid of chocking since esophagus was damaged

Hi,

I am new to this section of healingwell. I became very sick last fall and my illness resulted in my esophagus becoming damaged. When I eat I would get the feeling of food being stuck in my throat. Also at times when I would try to swallow the food would be pushed right back up into my throat. These feelings have left me very anxious and very afraid to eat. I use to eat without thinking about it but I think now I am overly conscience about it now. I just can't stop thinking that I am going to choke.

Has anyone been through something like this? How did you overcome it if you have been able to?

Hi L and welcome,

I am sorry to hear about your GERD issues and subsequent damage in your GI tract.:(

I am assuming you are already treating the physical aspect.of this with your doctor/specialist...

...so working to reduce your anxiety regarding swallowing problems is the goal.

We have numerous self help ideas on our Resources. Meditation, positive mantras, progressive muscle relaxation, exposure therapy. ..all of these could prove helpful to you. Check them out and see if any seem beneficial.

If you are still struggling, a therapist may be a consideration worth seeking to help you find recovery and feel your best.:)

Keep posting with us as well for support!

Scaredy Cat

1039smooth said...
LAWCHICK,

Welcome. What kind of damage has been done to your esophagus?

I have severe GERD which resulted in my throat becoming raw from acid. I just had had my throat checked out again couple weeks ago ( the last time being roughly 5 months ago and it hasn't healed at all.

Have they given you any medication to help stop the GERD, and heal the damage done by the acid?

I choke when I eat, but it isn't from GERD. I have other health issues which cause this, but I try eating very small bites, and chewing well.

I hope your docs can help figure out what they can do to help you.

I don't have any damage to my throat but I am afraid of choking on pills when taking medication. I know it doesn't compare with what you're going through.

I'm currently taking my meds with water instead of yogurt and it's going well. I just take my time. Anxiety will cause the pill to get stuck in my throat so I make sure I'm in a calm environment because once I get startled or I'm not calm I can't swallow the pill.

I hope you get a grip on your condition soon.

Jake'sMom said...
Yes, I am nervous about eating. It has basically put my eating out to a complete halt.

I don't want to be embarrassed by choking, and have some beefy guy break my ribs thinking I need the Heimlich maneuver.

I do have trouble taking my pills every day as well.

Today when I took my pill it went down sideways. It was so painful. I wanted to try to eat solid food today but after that happened it was back to my cream soup and ensure.

What do you eat if you don't mind? I'm just getting do sick of soup.

1039smooth said...
LAW,

It sounds like esophagitis. I had Stage 4 at one point. If you're raw, you may be there, too. This can reverse, improve... call it what you will.

The fact you are doing everything you should to not avail perplexes me a bit. Can you tell me what type of physician(s) you are seeing? What testing have you had done?

Well back in fall when I first started suffering from stomach pains and chest pains I ended up in ER a few times however Dr's chalked it off as panic attacks or that I was too concerned about my health. Months later I went to an ENT because it got to the point I could barley eat because it felt like I had a huge lump in my throat 24/7. The ENT looked in my throat, offered no real advice and stupidly asked me why I could not eat. I think he thought I was imagining everything. Then a couple weeks later I saw a pulmonologist my primary sent me to because I began having breathing issues, sometimes I would wake up coughing in middle night gasping for air. He looked in my throat and immediately said I had GERD(why the ENT couldn't tell me this I have no idea), I was having an endo done the following week as I referred myself to a gastro and sure enough I was diagnosed via endoscope with GERD and esophagitis. My pulm dr believes all my breathing issues are gastro related and my gastro doctor seemed to shake that off and not think the two could be related even though studies have shown the GERD can and does cause breathing issues. I also had a barium swallow and it showed that my gag reflex when food or water goes down the wrong pipe did not work properly which scares me. The person doing test said that sometimes people with severe reflux will have this happen due to the constant aspiration of acid.

I have been on many different meds. All kinds of PPI's and I still get reflux. I have been on dexilant for 3 months now and just had to add zantac. I need to find a new Gastro mines doesn't seem to give a crap and has even went as far as to question why I don't eat acidic foods and told me to eat ketchup after I mentioned how it makes my GERD worse. I went to an ENT a couple weeks ago and was upset to find out that my throat is still raw even after months of meds, following a strict diet and doing everything someone with GERD is supposed to do.

I never smoked and I tried to be healthy. I never drank or experimented with drugs because my mom is an addict however now I don't see why I even abstained from it all because my mom is in better shape than I am.

Trust me I am perplexed too. Its like my body hates me for whatever reason. I also think the delay in treatment didn't help matters any. If only someone took me seriously before my throat was damaged

*Also forgot to mention on top of all this the ENT found a nodul on my larynx

Post Edited (LAWCHICK) : 7/14/2015 12:41:28 PM (GMT-6)

Scaredy Cat said...
LC,

Sending encouragement! I am sorry that you are going through all of this...very frustrating I am sure!

Keep posting with us, and we will cheer you on towards your recovery, both physically and mentally/emotionally.

Peace and progress,

S.C.

Thank you SC. I just tried to eat mashed potatoes for lunch and I couldn't even get that down without pain and feeling of choking. I actually think some went down wrong way as it felt very uncomfortable. I think I chew differently and swallow differently now because I am so aware its not natural anymore its me forcing myself. I think the best thing for me is to not try to eat anymore solids for abit.