Have you ever heard of this choking problem?!
Question: When my girlfriend eats food, occassionally, she ends up choking quite a bit. It isn't really "choking", per se, but she feels like something is stuck in her throat and she has to go to the bathroom and spit/occassionally throw up. I'm not really looking for a diagnosis... a doctor is probably the best bet for something like that. I am simply wondering if anyone has heard of this before.
Thank you!
Answers: When my girlfriend eats food, occassionally, she ends up choking quite a bit. It isn't really "choking", per se, but she feels like something is stuck in her throat and she has to go to the bathroom and spit/occassionally throw up. I'm not really looking for a diagnosis... a doctor is probably the best bet for something like that. I am simply wondering if anyone has heard of this before.
Thank you!
My husband actually had this. In his situation, he had a stricture in his esophagus. This was caused by acid reflux (heartburn)....the acid makes it's way up the esophagus from the stomach and "burns" the lining of the esophagus. After time, scar tissue starts to build up narrowing the inside of the esophagus causing the stricture. When food gets stuck there, you feel kind of like you are choking...just like you described your girlfriend does.
Treatment for this is called "esophageal dilitation". Basically, they go down the throat with camera and balloon. When the balloon is in the stricture, they inflate it and it opens up the stricture. (there is risk of tearing the esophagus or bleeding when doing this) After the procedure, it will be necessary to take prescription acid reflux (GERD) medication for the rest of your life to prevent this from happening again. These meds such as Aciphex, Protonix, Nexium, and many others are VERY expensive. (for aciphex, with my discount plan, we pay $48 per MONTH!) But, they are needed to prevent a stricture from forming again and to reduce the risks of developing cancer. The other risk of chronic acid reflux other than strictures is developing esophageal cancer.
I would definitely have your girlfriend go to a Gastroenterologist to get scoped and find out what is wrong.
Hiatal hernia is also a possibility, but this sounds like a stricture.
maybe the muscles in her throat are weak
Sounds very much like anxiety disorder. She goes into a panic out of nowhere and hence what you see. Check out this website for further info. and talk to her. She's probably embarrased..www.panicsurvivor.com
Is she a skinny person.She may be a anorexia patient.
She needs to see a Dr.as soon as possible, preferably a gastroenterologist. She could have a problem with her esophagus. The Dr. can order some tests before she chokes badly enough to have her food go into her lung causing a much more serious condition. G.L.