Difficulty swallowing/globus/reflux

Hi all

I've had the odd problem where when I've been eating I've gone to swallow and hesitated at the crucial moment! I've had a momentary panic thinking I'm going to choke and then after a few seconds could make myself swallow. It would happen now and then.

Two weeks a go it started happening every meal time, which I was finding very stressful and it was making me feel like I'd forgotten how to swallow naturally. When I did swallow it would feel like there was a tiny bit of food stuck, which would make me panic more and I'd be pacing up and down and clearing my throat.

I was also getting a lot of tightness, pressure and a choking sensation in my throat. Then I was burping a lot and getting a burning feeling in the back of my throat. Every time I ate I was having to take tiny bites and chew lots and then force the swallow, and then it just felt like it was stuck there.

I went to the doctors on Thursday and he thought it might be a combination of anxiety, globus and reflux and so prescribed me with 30 lansoprazole to take for 2 weeks. If it helps he'll assume its globus and if it doesn't I'll need an endoscopy.

The thing I'm most scared of is the difficulty swallowing. I'm desperate to eat and keep feeling so hungry, but the food feels like it's not going down and it takes me so long to eat end up losing my appetite 🙉 ive already lost 5lbs since the end of January.

Has anyone else experienced similar and do you have any good news stories. Did lansoprazole help?

Swallowing problems are rife in anxiety disorders… but I dont know anything about you- do you have one of those? It sounds like your doctor is not especially worried so i guess you are not waving any red flags! I have certainly had huge problems with swallowing in the past- such that i have lost weight and had endoscopies. It was psychological- but it was terrifying. How are you doing now?

Hi there, thanks for coming back to me. I do have anxiety and panic disorder. I just feel at the moment I can't swallow solids food at all, even a small piece, I'm just chewing it round and round but it won't go. Liquids I'm fine with. I feel like ive forgotten how to do it and I'm losing weight and it's scaring me. Think I'll have to go back to the doctors this week.

Oh I’m Sorry you’re going through this too, it’s so horrible. The medicine could take a week to start working, but it should help. Gaviscon advance after meals is good too.

For me, because I could still swallow liquids they doubled my omeprazole, and because I’m doing so much better after a month they are keeping me on it for another 2 weeks & then I have to come off it and see how I do…

Have you looked into the acid watcher diet? And also your anxiety! I recommend both really.
I am still on a quite liquid diet but I’m adding in a lot more solids now. Dry food is still not great for me, but I’m trying now whereas I was too scared before.

I also recommend a wedge pillow, not eating for 3-4 hours before bed, and not laying down after eating. Also to cut out the danger foods, citrus, acidic foods, chocolate, alcohol, caffeine, mint, spice…. All the good stuff!

Let me know how you get on?

Thank you so much. Tbh I do think this is my anxiety and globus causing me to hyperfocus on what are normal sensations
! And then a bit of reflux in to the mix because I was eating less. But googling and coming on here (which I haven't done for AGES) I started spiralling and thinking my esophagus might have irritation or scar tissue and there's a very good reason why food isn't going down. I'm on a soft food diet at the moment, lots of yoghurts, bananas, soups etc. If I do have bread or crisps I'm chewing and chewing until it's mush. My chewing and swallow just doesn't feel automatic at the moment, I think because I'm focusing on it. I used to wolf my food down lol. If I have the tiniest bit of texture at the moment (even a little piece of chicken in soup) I fear its not going to go down. I'm so sick of what I'm eating at the moment I miss my food, but making myself too anxious to eat. I hope I get the tests ASAP and get all the clear so I know there's nothing wrong with my swallow. I've just started private therapy for anxiety so hopefully that will help too, ive also got an emdr session booked for Thursday. I really don't want this to be something that lasts too long, it's the worst symptom of anxiety I've ever had because if I don't eat properly I feel like I'm shutting down. I think I'll do the same as you and keep trying to encorporate something solid. Just gets me down because I've cancelled 5 meals out in the last 2 weeks because I know I can't eat!! Hope you're back to normal soon x