Feeling of burp stuck in back of throat and in diaphragm

I am going through this right now. I had an endoscopy with esophageal dilation and it only helped my esophagus problems (food going down slow). I also have a small hiatal hernia. It's also giving me major anxiety and actually was put on a very low dose of zoloft because the anxiety is now waking me up at night. Im on ranitidine (zantac) for acid and sometimes the pills go down slow and make me have an anxiety attack. it constantly feels like someone has their hand around my neck putting slight pressure on it. I noticed this post was from 6 months ago. I wanted to know if you got this issue resolved and if so, what helped?? Im thinking about making an appointment with an ear nose throat dr. But I really dont want to get a camera stuck up my nose and down my throat.. unless im asleep!

Hi Chandra, I have had this exact same problem since early 2018. It began just as you describe, lump in throat and diaphragm pressure, then became more of a sort of raw furball-in-throat feeling and tendency toward soreness around collarbone/neck. For me it is especially exacerbated by liquids, esp. cold water, and I also burp too much, which sometimes relieves it and sometimes not. I also have esophageal and throat spasms. In fact I sometimes think the whole thing began when I drank a ton of cold water one night after dinner to try to help with hot flashes and had esophageal spasms all night as a result. In any case, I have tried a million things. I have been on Prevacid since April and just started Dexilant but so far no PPI has helped. I am finally having an endoscopy at the end of Nov. Like you I am dying to know if this is acid reflux or more of a motility/gastric emptying issue. The latter might still cause a kind of reflux, though like you I have also had more classic burning sensations in the past and very rarely have them with this. My gastro dr. actually told me PPIs can make gastric emptying issues worse, so if the scope shows that and no acid damage I guess I will go off the PPI. My other doc said there are different treatments for motility issues, like calcium channel blockers.

Anyway I've tried a zillion holistic things and the only one that did make some difference was slippery elm, 4 capsules taken before meals; unfortunately for me it caused lower bowel issues so I stopped taking it. (This is I think an unusual reaction.) I eat much more slowly and less food than I used to, but sometimes it seems these symptoms can be caused by my stomach being too empty, so I am never sure what the right balance is. In many ways these are typical symptoms of LPR, laryngo-pharyngeal reflux, and so I have cut out acidy foods as well as the usual heartburn triggers. But now I am wondering (as I wait for this annoyingly delayed scope) whether I should try other diet things like low carb, etc. For me it seems it's less that carbs or even wheat per se are a problem and more that certain kind of thick foods like untoasted bread or bananas feel like they cause trouble, maybe because like pills they sort of get stuck in there? Anyway, I do recommend drinking warm (not cold or hot) water, eating slowly, and slippery elm if you can tolerate it.