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Thread: Problems with eating and Swallowing,

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
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    Problems with eating and Swallowing,


    HI There,

    I do not post very often though I do read all your Posts.

    I'm having lots of problems at the moment with eating.

    I do not have a lump in the throat, I know what that is,

    The thing is, every time that I eat something, it has to

    be mashed to a pulp, let me explain.

    If my mouth detects any lumps, however small, then,

    I think that I will choke and the throat then goes into

    muscle spasym and closes for a few seconeds.

    It is very frighting, makes me heave and the eyes water.

    I have to dunk biscuits and bread every time,

    This means that there is lots of food that I do not eat now.

    I have lost lots of weight through this.

    I suppose I need to hear if any one else has had this.

    As I said previously, it is not the lump in the throat feeling,

    I have had that. This is, the throat feel normal untill it

    detrcts lumps in the food, then thats it, the Muscle Spasyms.

    I bought two jars of Baby food in the Supermaket, WOW, what

    is happening now ????

    Look forward to hearing from some of you soon.

    Love,

    Penny,

    PENNY,

  2. #2
    Join Date
    May 2004
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    , , United Kingdom.
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    hi Penny,

    I have never had this before. It sounds to me like you have convinced yourself that you are going to choke and therefore your body reacts accordingly. Has something specific brought on this fear of choking?

    Sarah

    "Life is too important to take seriously" Corky Siegal

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Location
    , , United Kingdom.
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    Don't worry Penny, this is another form of some kind of 'panic state' you put urself in. Your throat under normal condition is perfectly fine. This happens to quite often in fact, and what you must do is don't take large mouthfuls. It's easy to retrain I believe. Just start from baby food, as you did. Its alright, nothing to be ashamed of. Then as you feel comfortable again with presence of food in your mouth, then go back to SMALL mouhtfuls of normal food. I dunno, bread, meat, chicken, salad etc etc. Keep a glass of water handy. Then take as small as you feel comfortable with. And munch well, and then watch TV or read something and swallow! Don't think about it. You will see it's going to be very easy.

    Then gradually increase the mouthful and each time, proceed like that. Be comfortable with what you can handle. No need to try and break any records . Eventually you will see you will have retrained yourself to not being scared of swallowing. It's another phobia, like any other really.

    HTH, Sam.

    One day, one day I will beat u and that day, I will be free again, as I was before...

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jun 2003
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    **I think that I will choke and the throat then goes into

    muscle spasym and closes for a few seconeds.**

    Penny, you're quite right that its your thinking that evokes this response. However it is physically impossible for your throat to close up as a result of this - although I know it does feel this way .

    Take it slowly but steadily - expose yourself to what you can manage telling yourself that it will be just fine. Have someone nearby if thats feels safer initially. Once you know you can eat xx safely, proceed to yy and stay with that for a bit and so forth .

    Always after a success tell yourself again and again how it is just the meaning you place with the thoughts that is kidding you and you have beautifully overcome this and can do it again . The thought is one thing but to consider it true and take evasive action is believing it .. and it is physiologically untrue .

    MORE HORRID SYMPTOMS!!!!
    Swallowing/ choking: Hi All (Swallowing / Choking Fear...)
    What has suddenly changed, feel awful!
    Really frightend of Swallowing,
    A strange one, anyone else experienced similar??
    throat !!!
    Strange Lump in Throat
    Throat, improvements, questions



    Meg
    www.anxietymanagementltd.com

    Watch your thoughts, they become your words...
    Watch your words, they become your actions... Watch your actions, they become your habits... Watch your habits, they become your character... Watch your character, it becomes your destiny...

  5. #5

    Re: Problems with eating and Swallowing,

    Hi, I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this, as I see the last post was 2003?
    Anyway, just wanted to say that I have never been able to swallow tablets and have always chew them . I remember my mum having the same problem when trying to take her meds., they would keep coming up again!
    For around 6 months now, I have problems swallowing even water, which has to swirl around and around before I can swallow it, and then sometimes it makes me splutter.
    Food is hit and miss at the moment, sometimes I can swallow ok, then another mouthful later and it gets stuck half way down my throat which makes me panic until it's gone down.
    I'm not scared of eating, it's just a nusience, so I'm not sure what to do really, except carry on and I don't care what folk think if I'm eating out .
    If anyone can give me any tips, other than to carry on I'd be grateful. Thanks.
    Love and Blessings Mag x
    __________________
    Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.
    Aristotle

  6. #6

    Re: Problems with eating and Swallowing,

    hi penny i know exactly how u feel, right now i am trying to force a burger down my throat without much success i have been at it now for about an hour, its cold and not as tasty as it was when i got it but i will eat it!!i am constantly coughing and making strange noises when i eat coz its like food is stuck. i have to chew things in to a pulp like u, its so annoying isnt it? especially when u r starving and u just cant get it down the hatch!
    keep pushing ure self hun and praise ure self when u have eaten.
    give ure self plenty of encouragement.
    take care
    vickixxxx
    Last edited by munchkin555; 12-05-09 at 21:27.
    __________________
    i won't ever give in!!!

  7. #7

    Re: Problems with eating and Swallowing,

    Hey just wanted to let everyone know I have the same problem. Most closely related to MagnettaCharlotte's post. If I eventually do get it down while sub-conciously thinking it, I have this weird feeling, like almost like I'm fainting - no more like I am being waken up abruptly when sleeping and having a bad dream. I guess that makes sense because OCD is a lot of times sub-concious and we are being waken out of our sub-concious thought, but its more like a sub-concious concentration. OCD can also be external. Like I was driving when I kept on conciously thinking about closing my eyes while driving. weird i know...anyways.
    Thanks,
    Kelly
    Last edited by eeyorelover; 09-04-10 at 23:38. Reason: Removed email address due to privacy issues

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Posts
    119

    Re: Problems with eating and Swallowing,

    Hi everyone! i'm suffering from the same problem right now, any advice would be great! x

  9. #9
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Posts
    100

    Re: Problems with eating and Swallowing,

    ive had this for over 30 years......many tests at hospital during that time. i am due to have 24 hour ambulantry manometry in a few months and if that draws a blank i think i am going to resign myself to putting my solid food swallowing problems down to some deeper mental state or eating phobia. i am particularly averse to meats like thick steaks, dry breads or even dryish mashed potato! i tend to go for the easy foods.
    i do notice that if i have just had some great news or a bit of luck with something I can eat much better and faster than normal. makes me wonder if its all in the mind afterall and whilst i think its a muscle problem, all along its my mental state having an effect on those muscles and making them tight rather than relaxed during meals.

    lets get my manometry out of the way first before i think its something that CBT might be able to manage.

    Is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy available on the NHS?

    i feel i could write a book on the subject! I remember as a happy child not even thinking about my swallowing or eating at all, I just did it and enjoyed eating with parents friends and relatives. eating was a social thing now its just a chore best avoided for fear of the embarassment at being so slow at eating and not eating much either compared to other adults in half the time.

    soft foods no big deal but with bread or meat or other problem foods i tend to chew the lot and pocket some of the chewed food to one side whilst swallowing a bit, then i will chew again, pocket a bit more and swallow a bit more of the same original mouthful. so take a piece of steak. most people would cut a piece, chew it then swallow. not me. that would take me 3, 4 maybe 5 swallows hence i can take ages to eat a meal.

  10. #10

    Re: Problems with eating and Swallowing,

    I don't have it to your degree but I have had the throat spasms and found them very frightening. I have to disagree with Meg, they aren't imagined they are real. Mine have occurred if I have swallowed inadvertently before my throat was "ready" or bit into a grape or similar and had the juice collide with the back of my throat and triggering a spasm. My throat closes, I can't breathe and it's awful. I am sure that it only last for 25-30 seconds at most but when you can't breath in or out, well, it's frightening. I have also had it happen in the shower when I presume I opened my mouth and was hit by spray.

    I was referred to ENT who could find nothing wrong and gave me some really sage advice: when it happens, try not to panic and try to hold your breath! Yep, that'll work for sure lol.

    I am just careful when eating and drinking and sometimes just swallowing saliva, I can't advise you on your food issues but I guess if you ate normally for most of your life you can do so again.

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