Mysterious Malady getting worse...

[seawasp]

For several months -- 8 months to a year -- I've had occasional problems swallowing. I swallow something, it seems to stop -- with a sort of painful spasm -- and causes symptoms like a panic attack or the stage of the flu JUST before I start vomiting. Along with this, a feeling of doom, that if whatever is ABOUT to happen happens, I will find that it will lock off my breathing, I will black out, and that's it. I also have had symptoms of reflux disease off and on.

It was very infrequent, and when I did -- a couple months ago -- have someone look into it, they had me do the barium swallow test, which showed nothing very remarkable. They told me not to eat after 8PM, in general, to sleep with my head and upper body elevated when possible, etc.

This morning I had another incident, leaving my shaky, lightheaded, and with a constant pressure feeling in my chest that did NOT abate. I couldn't finish eating, and after making a call to my doctors, was sent to the ER where I spent a large portion of the day. Obviously cardiac is another possible source of trouble, and they tried to rule that out. This hasn't happened, though they did use nitro tablets to see if it eased my symptoms. I will likely be having an endoscopy soon. I just wish I knew what the hell was causing this.

Comments

[shana.livejournal.com]

Arrgh!

Hope they can figure out what the problem is and do something to help it.

{{{hugs}}}

[murstein.livejournal.com]

It sounds like you may be entering a maze of medical tests. May the maze be short, and the doctors find the right answer on the first diagnosis.

[burger-eater.livejournal.com]

Best wishes. I hope it turns out to be nothing.

[zonereyrie.livejournal.com]

Huh, I had the same thing - occasional problems swallowing where the food just stopped in my throat and I could feel it stuck. It was painful and all I could do was stop eating and wait and it would eventually clear itself.

I also had severe heartburn almost constantly and sometimes bad acid reflux at night.

Turns out I have a small hiatal hernia and that triggered GERD. The constant irritation created scar tissue in my throat and inflamed it. Once I went on treatment for the GERD (Protonix) everything cleared up.

Good luck.

[meril.livejournal.com]

::points to previous comment:: I didn't have the hernia, but I definitely have GERD, and your symptoms sound a bit similar to mine, at least with the 'choking on food' bit.

Good luck with the endoscopy! (And if that's what it is, that's how they find it....)

[dsgood.livejournal.com]

Hope they find the cause, and things get better.

[brownkitty.livejournal.com]

That sounds like what I've been dealing with for the past few years. I produce too much stomach acid, which backwashes into my esophagus and causes rings of scar tissue.

If you've got what I have, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schatzki_rings will give you some useful information. In my case at least, it's incorrect on one point: the proton pump inhibitor therapy they've got me on is a lifetime scrip, with periodic balloon dilitation because the scar tissue recurs.

It's a minor annoyance most of the time, if you're good and take your pills. And I'm supposed to have a really bad case of it, so am not a typical example. The most annoying part (aside from checkups every two years or so) is explaining that I had ulcers that were NOT h. pylori related and therefore antibiotics will NOT help, they were caused by a problem that is under control but not currently cureable. I don't have any food restrictions, I was advised to do a few things that most docs prefer their patients to do anyway (quit smoking, rarely drink, etc) but I don't HAVE to change anything.

And, of course, if irrelevant please disregard.

[von-krag.livejournal.com]

Also have you eaten any very spicy foods? Capsicum and other spices can cause 2nd degree burns causing the throat lining to swell.

[ravynstoneabbey]

Ow. *hugs* Will be wishing you well. :)

[nycshelly.livejournal.com]

Yuck. I hope the docs figure it out soon.

[msboku.livejournal.com]

Well I know I've had a swelling but it almost seems to be some kind of allergic reaction with some foods. My throat swells temporarily. I can't pin point it though.
good luck.

Source of allergy ...

[rasmusb.livejournal.com]

How closely are you examining the foods that may/may not be triggering you? If you eat processed foods it could be one of the oils used in the process. My Uncle is allergic to cottonseed oil (which I had never heard as a food product) but I started to glance through ingrediant lists and it in places you wouldn't expect it (Peanut butter, juice boxes, etc).

Why do people put oil in juice again? Ick! (Sunny D is the devil. ;p)

[groblek.livejournal.com]

yipe! Hope you manage to find out what's up & get it treated.

[sub-musashi.livejournal.com]

Wow, sounds just like GERD to me, but I would have thought that the barium test would have shown that. I hope the next test is clear.

[nwhyte]

Good luck.

[i-ate-my-crusts.livejournal.com]

That sounds scary -- I hope the tests quickly narrow it down and alleviate the symptoms. Best of luck.

Nitro tablets

[howardbrazee.livejournal.com]

I carry nitro tablets - but the couple of times I have tried them did *not* make me feel better, on the contrary, they made me feel worse. But I have had atypical symtoms with my first heart attack and with all my heart troubles later.

So if you don't fit a profile - that doesn't mean you can eliminate that profile's problem.

[johan-larson.livejournal.com]

Do you find yourself looking out to sea, and thinking of the lovely cool and dark beneath the waves?

[guy-jin.livejournal.com]

Whatever it is, get well soon!

(perhaps the darwin icon is not appropriate right now... ;) )