Any young people with trouble swallowing?

Question

I am only 34 and I have trouble swallowing. I have really bad reflux, yet the endoscopy showed that my esophagus is "normal." I think my esophagus is starting to get damaged though. Sometimes I choke and this is not an anxiety thing. When I swallow I feel something going up and then returning to its place (like part of the esophagus or something). Does anyone else who is young (under 50) have a similar problem?

Answer 1

Sometimes, when I eat very dry foods eg rice, it literally gets stuck in my chest, so I have to drink and make sure I take tiny bits and eat slow. Acid reflux actually causes that feeling you mention...food or acid actually pushes up, opens the flap of your esophogus and food rises up.

Try to eat less salty foods, foods with less preservatives, cut out pop and coffee and eat smaller meals and lots more plain cooked veggies and fresh fruit. Avoid foods that cause you acid reflux. For me GRAVY is the worst. I don't get heartburn often but when I do it stays for hours.

I actually take a spoonful of vinegar, chase it down with water and it cures my heartburn better than any medication can. Try and see if that helps. Avoid lying down after eating. If you can go for a walk and allow your food to digest.

I dont' know what to suggest as I know a lot of people that have acid reflux and nothing seems to help. They do however eat a lot of the wrong types of foods which I think is a major cause. Cut the spices and rich sauces out and have yogurts and soya milk and more healthier food choices and see if it makes a difference. I know my body FEELS and thanks me when I give it good nutritious food! LOL

Answer 2

I've had periods where I had trouble swallowing and needed to get my esophagus dilated about three different times. The reason for the trouble was scar tissue that occurred from damage to the esophagus from reflux. I'm 63 y/o now but my first dilation was in my early 40's.

When you say "choke" do you mean something gets stuck in your esophagus? Choking happens when something gets stuck in your airway. Whenever anything got stuck in my esophagus, it was very painful but I could breathe OK.

I'm sure your problem is not anxiety and would trust your symptoms and talk to your doctor again. If you are being treated for reflux and are still having symptoms of heartburn, something is wrong.

Are you complying with your diet? No coffee, tea, soda pop, citrus fruit or juice. You should be on a low fat diet, never fill your stomach more than 1/2 full, nothing tight around your waist, and never lie down within 1/2 hour of eating. If you get heartburn in bed, then you need to put 6 inch blocks under the legs at the head of your bed. Using an extra pillow under your upper body is not enough.

I realise that what I've just said may be difficult, but I have to do it too, otherwise I get terrible heartburn. Oh, I forgot, no alcohol either. What medication are you on?

It should be either Prilosec or Nexium capsuls. The generic Prilosec don't work for me and neither does Prilosec OTC. If the doctor or pharmacist tells you there's no difference, they are wrong. I used to work as a R.N. for many years and know there's a difference from personal experience.

I would try to get a prescription for Nexium capsules because there is no generic or over the counter substitute for this and I get no hassle from my insurance company like I did with the Prilosec. The other thing is that both the Prilosec and the Nexium capsules need to be taken on an empty stomach and no food eaten for at least 1/2 hour after you take the capsule.

You stomach acid reduces the effectiveness of the medication and the capsule is designed to get into your small intestine before it disolves. If you have food in your stomach or eat soon after you take the capsule, it takes loger to get out of your stomach and into your small intestine before it disolves.

My gastroenterologist told me that there is no known cause for the loss of muscle tone in the muscular valve at the end of your esophagus that is supposed to keep stomach acid out of your esophagus. That it happens to a certain percentage of us.

Ther are things that you can do to avoid or reduce trouble swallowing. You need to chew all your food really well before you swallow it. For me, this is especially true of tuna and chicken. In fact, I can't chew those foods well enough to keep them from getting stuck and need to drink liquid with every swallow.

One thing that has helped me a lot to get food unstuck is that when something gets stuck, to drink extra water on top of it and to do this until the food goes down. It causes extra pain at the time when I do that but the food gets unstuck quickly and saves me pain in the long run. To have food stuck for 5 min. is quite painful as you prabably know.

I hate to say this, because you are already unhappy to have this condition, (I'm not thrilled myself!) but the better you are able to do everything I've said, the less risk you have of getting esophageal cancer. Knowing this helps with my motivation.

In the beginning, it was hard for me to do all the things we need to do to take care of this condition but as time went by things became a habbit and a way of life and are much easier now.

God bless you with this and everything in your life.

Answer 3

I don't think any animal is too young to see a vet. If your 2 day old kitten is in trouble take him to see a vet ASAP - Is the kitten still with his mother ? Because if not that could be a big big problem

Answer 4

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Answer 5

Have your doctor give you a "barium swallow". I had it done at the hospital, and it will show things the endoscopy may not.

Answer 6

does the uvela ( the hangy ball thingy ) in the back of your throat feel oversized or heavy? It can get infected and cause problems with swallowing as well.

Answer 7

ask your doc to do a swallow study

Answer 8

Sorry, I'll pray for you though.