Newbie with Difficulty Swallowing

[badger]

I have the feeling my throat is constricted making it uncomfortable to swallow solids and impossible to swallow large vitamin pills which get lodged causing a build up of spit until it is regurgitated.

This has happened occassionally for the last 15-20 years although is far worse this time stopping me wanting to eat. i am hoping this is due to being off meds for the first time in ages , feeling very anxious and possibly a bit hormonal as just found out i am pregnant (again, no 3).

I had an endoscope 5 years ago revealed some reflux but nothing else. i am having another endoscope shortly as a barium swallow obviously isn't baby friendly... am i being neurotic? i am a bit of a hypo especially when feeling down but keep thinking there is something in my throat or i have ms or some hideous degenerative disease. HELP!!

[frogger]

badger - i feel for you. i have to say that before August of this year, i had never encountered the horrible 'globus' sensation. it landed me in the ER demanding to be scoped, and coming out with valium and nothing else.

the first thing i'd say is go to a good ENT specialist to rule out your physical concerns. i think it's a good idea to get scoped again - like you're doing. some might say neurotic, but i say good thinking. An ENT specialist would likely pursue a few avenues. for me, it was 1) an in-office laryngoscopy 2) CT scan with contrast and 3) finally an upper endoscopy (i never got the 3rd because i was already less freaked out).

I spent months thinking I have ALS. there are a constellation of symptoms that go with these very rare neurodegenerative disorders. we are just focusing and amplifying one particular aspect - swallowing. i guess anxiety kind of can be looked at as an amplification of stuff...

once you rule out a physical cause, you will feel great about that fact. i know i was relieved. i spent 2 months in a weird kind of agony - barely able to drink. i'm so happy it's gone - and you will be happy when it subsides too. pregnancy is not to be overlooked as a factor, of course!!

[RabidBadger]

Hi

Please take a step back and look at the obvious...

This Globus Hystericus is a common effect of anxiety. The reduced flow of blood to the intestine at times of anxiety can cause reduced salivation and weakening of the gastro-oesophagael sphincter, leading to acid reflux.

Couple this with the increased muscular tone caused by adrenalin in the blood and this can cause the globus phenomena.

The more you think about it, the worse it will seem. You don't have a real problem swallowing because if you did, you'd starve. You don't have a real problem breathing because if you did, the last thing you'd be doing is typing a post on this forum.

Accept that you have a strange feeling of constriction in your throat but that it is completely harmless.

Best wishes

Chris x

[badger]

wow, that sounded reasurringly scientific! it certainly has receded somewhat since i accpeted it as an irritating but hopefully harmless feeling. i'm going to give the chunky pills a wide birth for the moment but can at least eat relatively normally. will give it a week or so before dashing off to specialists methinks, this does sound very common. i will think of it as a useful gauge to general anxiety and to how effective relaxation techniques etc. are, it could actually be useful in a weird warped way. anyways, enough self-indulgent waffling, thank you again for feedback.

[RabidBadger]

Hi Badger

There are parts of your body - heart, lungs, skeletal muscles - that contain more beta adreno-receptors than alpha adreno-receptors and adrenalin has a vaso-dilatory effect on these parts. In other words, the blood vessels widen allowing more blood to these parts at times of anxiety, helping you to flee or fight.

Other parts - brain, kidneys, skin, intestine - contain more alpha receptors and adrenalin causes the blood vessels supplying these parts to contract and so they receive less blood.

At times of anxiety, it is much more important for survival to have your muscles well supplied with oxygen than it is to keep digesting the food in your stomach. This is why many people complain of indigestion, butterflies, belching, dry mouth, tight throat, loss of appetite, etc when their anxiety is high.

Don't take my word for it. Many of the sayings that are now commonplace - "worried sick", "pale with fear", butterflies in the stomach", "scared stiff" - they all hint at psychosomatic changes in blood-flow caused by anxiety. Show this message to your doctor; I'm sure he'll back up everything I say.

I think the most valuable bit of advice I can give you is to keep yourself active. Physical exertion helps to dissipate adrenalin and cortisol and will lessen its effects on your body in much the same way that beta-blockers do. It also releases endorphines that naturally make you feel good.

I know it's not easy to motivate yourself to do exercise, especially if you feel like there is something physically wrong with you but, trust me, the lump in your throat is just anxiety, not a physical condition.

Chris

[badger]

Thanks Chris, you certainly seem to know your stuff. you are totally right about the exercise: endorphins are the way forward, along with sleep and a decent diet. the physical side of it makes sense actually, as a child i was very anxious and was always feeling sick and my tummy felt as if i was constantly going over a roller coaster so it makes sense.

my question is this, although food does seem easier, vitamin pills which i had previously been able to swallow (quite long fish oil capsules) still get lodged and will not go down without be regurgitating them. this part is not in my head. so in this respect the constriction is not just a 'feeling' but something physical. i wonder if the tension can physically make the throat constrict?

[RabidBadger]

Hi Badger

I've no doubt at all that there is an element of muscular tension that affects your ability to swallow but this is again probably psychosomatic.

The process of swallowing relies on more than gravity and it involves a series of contractions of muscles in a row, and if there is very little bulk to what you are attempting to swallow, then these muscles have little to work against. If you imagined lying a sock on the floor and trying to push a ping-pong ball through it by pushing down on the material of the sock. This is much easier than trying to push a pea through it because you have more to push against - it's the same principle.

The same principle works in the intestine. Humans can't digest fibre and the only reason we need it in our diet is to add bulk to the food that is being forced along the digestive tract.

Chris

[dan6220]

Can anyone share a technique that they may have to getting through panic attacks and the negative thoughts that cause them?
Thank you

[badger]

hi there
i think it really helps to recognise them for what they are/ extremely unpleasant but non-dangerous. i find relaxation cd's great, like guided visualisation and breathing exercises. i find it much easier to lie in the bath listening to one of these and having someone tell me what to do, which muscles to relax etc. also, great for relaxation is something called emwave, its a bio feedback system you can use with your pc if you are into that sort of thing. its really helped me but is about £100 i think. just google it if you are interested.

learning to relax is key, otherwise the built up stress makes you even more susceptible to the panic attacks. oh one other thing, i take this homeopathic stuff called New Era no 6. no side effects but slightly yoghurt weaverish!! oh yes and acupuncture is a great help. wow this sounds like a full time job!! let us know how you get on x

[ultirian]

Hello Badger,

The thing that you have sounds exactly what I was having while I was going through anxiety while I was in london. Chris is very right as when I spoke to my dotor about it (Dr norton) he explained what was going on.

I started taking vitamin pills becase I was not eating properly and I thought that vitamins would help, I was having the same problem. Pills stuck in throught feeling was horrible.

the way I baiscly kept taking the pills was lifting my head up slighty taking a few deep breaths slowly taking in as much oxigen as possible, closing my eyes putting the pill on my tounge, breathing out slightly drinking a large dose of water and swollowing while imagining that my throught was expanding.

Strange but personal way of doing it I guess :)

give it a try, cant hurt :)

Dan as for negative thoughts, I would say that you should mabye try and turn the negative into a posative my common one was on the bus when people were looking at me my negative was:

"They must think I look sick and weird"

how I turned it into a posative:

"Nah they just jelous of how good looking I am"

And also if your feeling anxious like chris said again (he definetly knows his stuff) is do some exercise, when I was in london I was a member of a gym, Doing weights, running, swimming then relaxing in a jaccuzi and steam room = I went home and slept like a baby :)

Also, as weird as this sounds anxiety helped me win a race! I was so anxious that day I run so fast and hard I didnt realise I had won till I stopped and still felt like running another 6 miles!

chin up buddy :)

[Dani123]

I have had anxiety with swallowing nearly my whole life.

When i was four-years-old, I saw someone choke on a T.V. show. I remember this creating a lot of fear in me. Soon after, i was unable to swallow solid foods. I probably wen't a month without eating solid foods. I remember surviving on soup and yougert. I also became very depressed. After some time, i convinced myself that i was able to swallow solids. And although i had anxiety regarding swallowing growing up, i was able to overcome it.

I have read quite afew posts from people who also complain of not being able to swallow, and this really has helped me!! I wen't 30 years thinking I was the only person on this planet to have this anxiety.

The key is to not think about the function too much. Just let the body do its thing, and it will.