So frightened and stuck
Posted , 5 users are following.
hi my names Allison
I'm having lots of trouble at the moment with eating it all started 3 years ago when I nearly chocked on some food ever since that happened I have been paranoid about eating .
ever since that chocking episode food did start sticking at the top of my throat and I would need water to push it down my throat.
one week ago while I was eating food started to come back up my esophagus/throat and ever since every thing I eat comes back up .
the food comes back up while I'm still eating so naturally I panic and doubt eat any more , I also get a tight feeling in my throat when this is happening.
The strangest thing about all this is one week before this started my fear of chocking on food became super crazy bad I was so scared to eat that every bit of food I chewed was getting stuck at the top of my throat or I'd try to swallow the food and my throat wouldmt let me .
Then this new feeling started with feeling as if foods coming stright back up while I'm still eating ...
I'm booked in for a special xray to check my swallowing but I'm going crazy
is this all possible that my minds done this ?
or have I actually developed the very thing I was so frightened of the last 3 years ?
I've seen 4 doctors and gotten told its Gord or Gasitits , A ulcer so 3 different diagnoses?All this started one week ago
Any help would be appropriate I'm very stuck here I suffer from terrible anxiety and I'm in a panic
0 likes, 8 replies
virginia18274 allison1984
Posted
hi ALLISON, im sorry your struggling and i read the panic . try to calm yourself by not thinking the worst . i just had surgery 3 months ago for swallowing issues too. i remember my panic and drinking warm tea helped me swallow . hang in there and have them do the tests needed to test for esophagus issues , i know esophageal manometry is what found my issue so i hope they do that. it doesnt hurt and its what measures the strength of your swallowing movement . hang in there and reach out anytime . i will pray for the best for you ...
allison1984 virginia18274
Posted
hi thanks so much for replying
The waiting for answers is what's hard
did your surgery go good ?
what did they find from that yest ?
I'm having a test were I drink a milk like drink I forgot what's it is called
virginia18274 allison1984
Posted
hi again ALLISON, you must be getting a barium swallow test . i had many kinds if tests before they decided to do surgery and i fought it for two years not to but when i couldnt get food down and started choking on food i gave in , i had a heller Myotomy with a dor Fundoplycation and gull bladder removal . i am 3 months post op and still have painful days , but i can get food down to my stomach which is a relief , dryer foods are still harder to get down so i always have something to drink , now if your gull bladder is fine you wont have food issues like me except maybe dry foods . keep me posted and the wait is awful . be your own advocate and research what you are told you have and you and find a good surgeon ...again best of luck
donna74411 allison1984
Posted
Hi Allison,
Virginia gave you some good advice. It took about 3 years until I began to panic. The barium swallow test is the best place to start. I could not pass the "pill." This proved I had an issue.
The Esophageal manometer is the gold standard. Not all hospitals offer this service. My test indicated I had a serious esophageal motility disorder and a swallowing disorder. I have two upper GI scopes to stretch both upper and lower sphincters, but neither worked. Then came the Botox treatment. That didn't work either. I've been on lots of meds.
Recently, my GI prescribed a new pill which has a very long name. It is something like nitroglycerin. It has stopped the esophageal spasms, but I feel like all my food intake is being stored in my esophagus.
I decided to stop taking and the regurgitation came back in full force. GI doctor said if this doesn't work she is considering the POEM surgery.
As far as swallowing - stay away from cold. No ice-cream, iced drinks, etc... Eat small bites at a time. Don't eat leafy lettuce. It always gets stuck in my throat. Bread soaks up saliva, so I don't eat any. I eat like a baby. It isn't very satisfying, but the alternative is worse. I've been known to choke on my on saliva.
This is not an easy thing to deal with. Hope things work out. It doesn't hurt to add a pulmonologists to your list of specialists. It is easy to suck food and water into your lungs; especially at night.
virginia18274 donna74411
Posted
hi donna , nitroglycerin is heart medicine that also relaxes g. i issues . i have it but dont take it due to our bodies get used to it than need more , i will say try donnatal ( spelling may be wrong) but it has helped before surgery and after . i am not good at taking meds so surgery was needed because i was inhaling the food sticking in my esophagus . i am swallowing now but need fluids if it dryer ... but the painful spasms etc is better . healing is slower than i thought but am glad i dud the surgery . good luck to you
neil32387 allison1984
Posted
Hi Alison,
I think given these symptoms relate back through a thread of anxiety, then they could be as a result of just that -anxiety. Anxiety can lead to virtually any symptom, particularly those that we may obsess/meditate on. We all do it.
If you google swallowing and anxiety you will be overwhelmed with information/cases. Swallowing is part of the fight or flight response so is impacted by nerves and adrenalin.
This group is primarily for Achalasia. I think it highly unlikely that you have this, but there are a multitude of problems, most of which are transitory, that you may have. Probably stress related…
The only positive I myself glean from Anxiety is that it reminds me how much I value my life. Otherwise I wouldn't care.:)
All of this said, you are doing the right thing in having the tests. It just pays to be proactive and diligent about these things. Please do keep the group informed of your results, as there is a lot of experience here, and folk that want to help you feel you are making the right choices… Also, I find that High Strength Magnesium and Vitamin B really help to prevent nervous/muscular spasms.. Maybe consider those… Also, maybe check out some anxiety reducing vids etc on youtube…
Warmest,
Neil
ashley99970 allison1984
Posted
Hi.. I have that same issue. They gave me a manometry and saw that my esophagus was not working properly. On the Barium swallow, everything appeared normal. They then gave me a Botox shot in the esophagus to prove that I had a motility disease since the shot completely stopped the issues (temporarily). I got the POEM surgery, but it didn't really help me. Now, I take Bentyl, and that helps sooooo much.
I also recommend removing gluten and dairy, although hard to do. That is what an expert on this disease told me from Baylor University.
Best of luck to you!!
virginia18274 allison1984
Posted
hi , i know the fear and make sure the dr does a swallow test . they found nut cracker/jack hammer esophagus was my issue. also the sphyncter can close shut and not open which i ended up getting a heller myotomy to fix that . dont panic but do push drs to take all tests . good luck