Trouble swallowing

[Meathome]

Hello all. Am new to this. So plse be patient with me. Have trouble swallowing for 3 or 4 years now .dr keeps stretching my oesophagus. But never advises me on any change of diet etc to stop it tightening up. Any advise from you guys plse put finger to key board. Thanks

[Titchy52]

Meathome welcome to the site I know other members have same problem as you I'm sure they'll be around later best wishes .

[AGood]

Hi meathome

I had this problem, I also felt like something was trapped in my throat like a boiled sweet or a grape or something. I was all kinds of terrified but it turned out to be my Oesophagus constricting due to acid. I've been taking lansoprozol for many years now (which I'd love to come off and am reducing dosage). It did help with the problem. I was diagnosed with Barrett's Oesophagus after an endoscopy. I hope this helps you.

AGood

[chris_usa]

There are many causes for dysphagia, or trouble swallowing. If your doctor has stretched you, then there is likely a narrowing (ie. stricture or ring) of the esophagus. However, since it didn't help much, it may also be a functional cause (ie. spasm or neuromuscular). There is also a condition called globus esophagus which many times is due to stress or anxiety.

As mentioned earlier, acid is a likely culprit for a narrowing of the esophagus. Over time, acid damages the esophagus a little and causes scar tissue.

These are just a few things to think about, and by no means a suggestion of action. Based on the little information that you have given, I would say that you should continue to seek assistance from your doctor. As he likely did an endoscopy before the stretch, he would have been able to see any physical problem there. \wc

[Hidden]

It may be worth discussing with your specialist whether a barium swallow and/or manometry tests would be helpful, as it would certainly help to understand what the underlying causes are.

Repeated stretches can work, but if they are done too frequently, the lower oesophageal sphincter can become fibrous, and that may affect the effectiveness of a procedure such as a Heller's myotomy if you have something like achalasia. But investigation is the thing to do first as this may not be the case, and the diagnosis procedure has to be done systematically.

[Robotgirl]

I've had a lot of dilations due to scar tissue, but just recently I finally had another upper GI and found out I have motility issues- my food will get stuck until I drink enough liquids to move it... I'm being referred to a motility specialist now because it causes pain, I'm having severe malabsorption problems and there are weeks when my food will get stuck there and just sit, I'm having severe issues with medications just sitting in my intestines and a few weeks ago the doctors were worried I was getting another ulcer- I need to figure out how to manage this for the rest of my life because this is most likely how things will be... Before my surgery, I was told not to drink with my food because of malabsorption issues which causes another problem with everything not moving the way it's supposed to... I have problems taking a lot of medications due to low heart rate and BP and a lot of the gastro medicines, pain medicines, inflammatory medications, etc., don't like me very much because of this either...

[Dragonlady1971]

Hi I have problems swallowing and can choke on anything even thin air! I have to concentrate to be able to swallow at all. I have actually vomited and aspirated it into my lungs which was appalling. I do have GERD but also have a brain injury so it probably doesn't help. I do have to eat small amounts, chew them very carefully and always have water nearby when i swallow. x

[Jimmerjay]

Hi meathome , I had the same problem for around 3 years and after various doctors with various ideas I was diagnosed with achalasia .(the muscle in my chest that forces food down stopped working properly !) 6 months ago I got Botox injection which lasted a short while, then 10 days ago I got op . It's changed my life !please speak to your doc about achalasia as many gp s are unfamiliar with it .i wish you all the best , Jim.