Trouble Swallowing.. Please Help!

Hello Moh, I’m not surprised you are at your witts end and, no doubt feeling very confused with the uncertainty that could be causing these symptoms. When you choked on the chicken had you chewed and, swallowed it as normal or, was the choking an unexpected event that had you in a state of panic, that would be very distressing? It is clearly stressful for you which will hinder your eating if you believe that you are going to choke again every time you eat. I have had Achalasia for 28 years now and, my food be it soft, liquids get backed up and, it causes me to regurgitate and, it gets stuck. I can choke on my own saliva at the moment which often wakes me during the night but, I have to say I have never been afraid to eat and, it became the norm for a very long time before I worked out little ways of reducing those events by eating little and, often, not rushing my food, funny little neck stretches and, avoiding stress is key.  Obviously people with this awful desease deal with it in many different ways and, swallowing always presents problems especially in group environments and, you feel embarrassed or, anxious about choking or, regurgitating in front of others.  I would personally speak to your GP and, ask to be referred to a gastroenterologist for further tests such as a barium swallow and, a manamatory test which are both the best investigative procedures to see how your oesophagus is behaving. It sounds as though you are in a viscous circle whilst dealing with your swallowing and, anxiety which is probably making both issues worse. Definitely ask for a manamatory investigation and, referal. I know it must be very difficult to fight that fear of eating but, the more relaxed you are the easier it will be. I know it’s easier said than done and, I’m sure you have heard this all before but, don’t go down the phsycosomatic route before ruling anything else out. I often feel like the back of my throat has closed up, a sensation and, if you suffer from the awful acid reflux it will seem worse than it really is, although a bad attack can make your throat red raw. Some days I sound like a 40/day smoker due to the acid, often lose my voice so you can feel as though your gullet is restricted. I feel so sorry for you and, I hope your GP can help you with arranging further tests for you. Wishing you the best and, hopefully you will know what is going on soon. Take care 

Hi There Im Kerry and belong to Achalasia support groups on Faceboo" Achalasia Questions and Answers support group" 

that may help you with treatment options, some support as doctors don't help much and only us A know how bad we feel and what we go through. Everyone is very nice .  I have achalasia type 3 and was diagnosed after seeing 3 different gastros.  I had a barium swallow which showed dysmotility then had a endoscopy showed nothing but inflamation.  Then had manometry test done which isn't very pleasant but this is when I got a diagnosis.  I recently had POEM surgery done .  There are other treatment options for the Type 1 and 2 and 4.  You don't sound well and you should ak for the manometry test a lot of doctors just don't no enough about the disease.  good luck I hope you get some help soon .  

 

Hi Moh, 

I can sense the anxiety in your message - being a veteran of that myself. Firstly, you have started the ball rolling now re investigation for dysphagia, so you have to show due diligence to that and see it through. It is a healthy thing to do.

Over the years I have learned that Stress and Anxiety can cause virtually any symptoms, some of which are psychosomatic, some of which are physical representations of that stress. These include swallowing and other gastro issues. As an example we all know that sudden bad news etc can cause involuntary nausea and vomiting, and many people suffer from IBS an the like, that are considered to be emotionally linked. I read that panic attacks are linked to the fight and flight response, and that normally involuntary functions like swallowing, bladder, bowel control are naturally effected if this response kicks in. There are plenty of forums etc talking about these kind of links.

Achalasia only occurs in about 1/100,000 people, so the chances that you have this condition are very slim. You are at an age where anxiety can be at its worst. I know it was for me. I think it comes with trying to define ones life; which is a philosophical nightmare lol and full of paradoxes. One thing I did start to understand is, that most people with bad anxiety actually love and value life more than most, which is why they fear losing it. There are plenty of people out there that suffer from deep depression and a loss of appetite for life; I know which of these I would prefer. My heart goes out to them. 

If you think your symtpoms could be acid related, then exercise (cardio) and diet are the first port of call. I know people that turned their gastro issues around this way.

Good luck with your continued investigation into your swallowing, taking an objective view will help you feel positive.. You are in the right place for swallowing advice if you need it ....

Healthy karma, and enjoy your day  

N     

I think it is jumping quite a bit to think of achalasia at this stage.   It sounds like the food is sticking around the back of your throat, rather than in your chest immediately above your diaphragm?   There are lots of causes of swallowing difficulties, an achalasia is one of the rare causes.

So I think I would concentrate on undertaking some form of relaxation therapy, if you can.   I know it is easier said than done, but tension and anxiety can make swallowing more difficult.   In due course the endoscopy should reveal whether there is anything physical causing the blockage.   It is possible that they may give you a barium swallow test as well.   So the tests will be helpful in working out a diagnosis.

I do not think it is 'all in your head', but it would also be true that relaxation to avoid tension and anxiety would help, regardless of whether there is another cause of your troubles.

I hope it gets better soon.

Hi All,

Thank you for your input. Much appreciated.

So on Friday night my breathing started playing up and I was taking shallow breathes and it also felt like my back of throat had something stuck in there.

Went to ER, they performed an x-ray of my neck and found nothing. Then proceeded to do a lanronscopy ( camera up the nose and into the throat area) and found nothing but thrush. So tell me is this all now really in my head? Since that day i still feel good stuck in my throat but the scope went as far down as checking the areas were I feel like somethings stuck and they found nothing. I am baffled.