I think I have Pharengeal Dysphagia

[nh_user_1313279]

Since last Tuesday I have had a time swallowing. I can swallow drinks but food is a bit trickier. I need to tilt my head to the right just to be confident, sometimes even sticking my chin out or tucking it in. This has come out of the blue while I was eating salad. The tanginess of the vinegar kinda made my swallow just stop so i had to blow out my food. Then the next day it was when I was eating Ramen. I had this happen once a couple years ago when I ate salad with the balsamic dressing. And again I can’t remember, when eating a pickle. Earlier this week its gotten more frequent. I do have gastritis and had a flareup two weeks ago after eating a lot of fried pickles, then eating some tangy pasta, then having a beer another day. Since then it had gotten worse my gastritis but its starting to taper off a bit but taking longer. Earlier this week my throat has been feeling constricted and I had been getting a Globus earlier on Sunday of this week. My throat seems to be getting better but slowly since I put myself back on PPI Omeprazole. I ate some pasta with some carrots in it and it feels like a piece is still stuck in my throat. Esophagus still seems a bit irritated, almost dry and sandpapery.

What I feel is as if the middle back of my tongue just isn’t reacting in time or flexing when trying to swallow my food. So I’d have to move my food and try again and then I can swallow. But lately its very troublesome, scares me to see food before eating. My remedy to eat is either tucking my chin, or tilting my head to the right side cause it seems like its the left side of my tongue or back of my mouth that seems to have the problem. So far oatmeal, Ramen, salad, sometimes apple sauce, is hard to swallow normal like. I am scared to try and eat meat of any kind. Although its weird, I was able to no problem this past weekend on mothers day.

Does anyone else have a similar issue? I wish this was all anxiety related but hell I don’t know. I’ve read that sometimes nerve damage is the cause, I did have excruciatingly painful Shingles on the left side of my head about 2 years ago and went on gabapentin, which I hear is bad for you as well. I went to an ENT and all he said was I am suffering from Globus Hystericus, that he doesnt see anything to worry about just by looking into my throat. But he didnt scope my throat which I thought he would do. I am scheduling a appnt to get referred to get a second opinion, maybe to get an endoscopy and maybe a scope for my throat too from another reliable ENT.

[nh_user_1002473]

Hi Samson,

It could be your problems are simply diet related, fuelled by anxiety caused by that. There are plenty of people out there that wouldnt go within a mile of fried pickles for example.. Plane foods and proper exercise may preclude the need for medical intervention completely, combined with some breathing / relaxation therapy.. I would certainly try this for a few months and see if symptoms go away. You can do this whilst still investigating medically… Diet can really mess the body up for lots of people, and can even cause very serious issues… Maybe for you, avoid fried foods and acidy sauces and drinks… Actually, maybe talk to a dietician. They are surprisingly helpful…

Warmest, and best of luck..
N

[nh_user_40931]

Achalasia is a condition that affects the nerve endings of the muscles controlling the peristalsis, the process whereby your swallowed food reaches your stomach. Shingles and chicken pox can be associated with the condition, but one cannot diagnose anything over the internet and you would have to see your doctor and to be referred for a specialist examination. At the moment it is difficult to have an endoscopy because of the Coronavirus emergency, but a barium swallow test might be more accessible.

People with achalasia typically find some food more difficult to cope with, either because of the texture, the spiciness or skins (eg tomato), so you will need to be careful about what you eat. There is a booklet ‘A Patient’s Guide to Achalasia’ that you can download from the website of the Achalasia Action charity. It is rare, and a GP may not know much about it, so it is worth taking details along to the doctor and asking them whether they think it is a possibility and would they refer you for an examination.

[nh_user_1196884]

Dysphagia is difficulty swallowing and achalasia is a very rare condition which was found to be an autoimmune disease. It causes the nerves and muscles to work incorrectly and causes spasms. I have both. You need a test called manotmetry which I had as it will not show up on endoscopy. I had to have an operation for this which made my reflux worse and an operation for that was cancelled due to pandemic. I was told to put a few drops of mint in water to help spasms (like the type you get when you but vanilla bean for flavor). Look this up on line and that should help you a lot. Good luck to you…