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New symptom- esphogeal spasms

Posted , 6 users are following.

Nu2this
Nu2this

Hi All,

Hope everyone is fine and hanging in there. I have been having issues with food intake as well as swallowing. I was seen by a neurologist today who believes I may have esphogeal spasms and possibly another underlying condition due to my dryness. I thought it way Celiac disease as I lost sooo much weight, lost of appetite and my throat gets irrated with almost every meal I have and believe me the portions are ridiculously small. 70% of the time, im not even hungry...I eat because I want to get healthier but most times I can't get past a zucchini and a nutritional drink. I wanted to know if anyone else has epsophageal spasms. Its really difficult to control my throat especially after meals. I get a sense of bloating and pain in my chest and its hard to belch. I can see my throat spasing out. Its almost like my throat has hiccups. Also there are moments during the day were my throat is so dry it hurts and moments I'm producting an excess amount of saliva. It almost feels like im choking on my own drool. Please let me if anyone has similar experiences.

0 likes, 17 replies

17 Replies

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  • tj268
    tj268 Nu2this

    Posted

    Hello Nu2this...sorry for all you are going through! You were wondering if anyone else was going through this and I have to say I have similar symptoms. Basically everything except being not hungry. Sadly I am hungry all the time lol. I did have a swallow test which I failed but when I had the barium xray swallow test they could see nothing. As in swelling  etc. This makes a lot of sense ( the spasms). Someone also posted how it could be a neuro problem saying a certain nerve is being compromised. If I have time I will do a search for it. It is somewhere here on patient. Wishing you the best, and would love updates!
    • Nu2this
      Nu2this tj268

      Posted

      Hi TJ. Are you on any type of treatment? Does it work? How do you handle it? Are you on any special diet? Thanks by the way for responding.
    • tj268
      tj268 Nu2this

      Posted

      Hello againsmile I am not on anything special but I am very careful how I position my neck if that makes sense. It seems to make a difference but by no means stops it. Chocked so hard yesterday I got sick twice uhg!
  • Tumtum1963
    Tumtum1963 Nu2this

    Posted

    Hi - I have this problem sometimes. My GP thought it was spasms when I complained to her that I seemed to still have heartburn or gastritis most evenings but the max dose of Ranitidine I'm on or glug of Gaviscon weren't helping at all.

    I told my rheumatolgist about this and also issues further down which plague me more. He's referring me to gastro for investigations to see whether my issues are dryness in the GI tract or neurogenic. Most of my Sjögren's is very neurological - even the dryness is fairly mild compared to most with this disease it seems. 

    • Nu2this
      Nu2this Tumtum1963

      Posted

      Thanks Tumtum. This is so very difficult because I do have "some" saliva in my mouth but my throat is a totally different thing. Everytime I eat I start to cough and gag and that's why I thought I had food intolerance. My GI did a EGD weeks ago and said everything looked fine. My Rheumy can't believe how this test came back normal from the symptoms I'm experiencing. He has ordered a manometry. Currently on no meds and trooping it out but my food intake is not the best.

    • Tumtum1963
      Tumtum1963 Nu2this

      Posted

      My swallowing isn't as bad as yours most of the time - but the other end is awful. I'm on Mycophenolate max dose for my neuro symptoms and maybe this is stopping it progressing? 

      What I want to say is that my oral consultant says my mouth isn't dry - not enough to warrant the painful small fibre neuropathy in my lips and gums or total loss of smell and taste or rancid taste or my swallowing issues. My GERD is well managed. So like you I'm a mystery unless it's all neurological - which my oral consultant and rheum believe it is. My neurologist just shrugs and says that the damage has occurred now but hopes the Mycophenolate will prevent it progressing further. They tell me all this is usually self limiting with Sjögren's - but usually is not same as always of course! 

  • maggie98748
    maggie98748 Nu2this

    Posted

    Hello Nu2this. Have you tried liquidising your food? It really helps. I have a very small appetite, partly because I have lost my sense of taste almost completely, but also because I find digesting food so difficult and it takes so long. I have laryngospasm sometimes whereby I can neither swallow nor breathe because my larynx goes into spasm. It only lasts a few seconds but it is scarry. I also feel as if my oesophagus goes into spasm because my liquid seems to stop going anywhere for a few seconds and I have to wait before I can have any more. I haven't been tested for this, probably because I haven't told anyone! But it feels like that. I have found also that keeping my nose moist with a nose gel as well as using a mouth gel has helped my throat enormously. It just feels happier. Adding the nose gel from the squirty bottle was the final piece of the jigsaw that brought relief to my throat.

    • Nu2this
      Nu2this maggie98748

      Posted

      Hi maggie,

      Thank you. I will give it a try. It's hard to explain even to my doctors. Its almost like you're making these symptoms up. The only doctor that has helped me and been there is Jesus my Savior. Still feeling positive. )

    • estelle44124
      estelle44124 maggie98748

      Posted

      Not heard of nose gel. Are you in the UK? If so, please advise the name. I often get choking spasms as if a crumb has got caught. Usually the same side of my throat. I've never thought of using mouth gel for those; I keep it by my bedside, to use when awakening in the night with a dry throat. Will now add it to my meds pouch in my handbag!

  • maggie98748
    maggie98748 Nu2this

    Posted

    I can so relate to the feeling that you are made to feel as though you are making things up which I actually wrote in a letter to my rheumatologist. I said "you make me feel as if I am making it up as I go along and this is just not the case". I had a somewhat difficult meeting with her after that but I am now being tested properly and she actually looked at me when speaking rather than scribbling whilst asking questions. We need to be so tough! But we are😀

  • Nu2this
    Nu2this

    Posted

    Does anyone experience an excess of saliva production in mouth only yet other times complete dryness. My throat is always dry this is what I believe to be causing my spasms
  • katalin59838
    katalin59838 Nu2this

    Posted

    Your last 4-5 line I have it also.

    Same thing ! 😩😩

    • Nu2this
      Nu2this katalin59838

      Posted

      Hi katalin,

      I guess i'm not alone. Are you under any treatment?

  • katalin59838
    katalin59838 Nu2this

    Posted

    I only have the last for line of your original message . I am not taking anything yet . 
    • Nu2this
      Nu2this katalin59838

      Posted

      Hi Katalin,

      This just recently started. Its almost like im drooling. Has this happened to anyone else?

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