Panic while chewing food

[Elizzy]

Hi there, I'm new here and so glad to discover this site. I suffer from panic disorder - I have at least 2-3 panic attacks every day, so I can relate to the frustration everyone must feel from time to time.

This is not something I'm experiencing at the moment, however throughout childhood and until the age of 20, I had periods lasting between a few weeks to 1 year, where every time I went to eat something, particularly solid foods, I would begin to chew slowly and then out of the blue, panic would overwhelm me and I would begin to chew faster; until exhausted and scared out of my mind that if I swallowed I would choke; spit the food out every time. I was a nervous wreck. I'm now 28 and I haven't experienced this in 8 years. I've never really understood why it happened, but I still avoid certain foods, like salads, most fruits and really anything that is part solid and liquid, because it's too slippery. I also have an overproduction of saliva that may play a part. When I eat soup for example, I have to have toast or a bun, even crackers with it to collect the excess liquid while I pick out the meat, pasta and vegetables.

Has anyone gone through something similar?

I'm so terrified this may happen again someday. Any advice and encouragement would be greatly appreciated. Thank you! :)

[flori]

Hi Elizzy and :welcome:

I suffer from anxiety and panic attacks, I don`t have the swallowing problem that you have and hope someone comes along and can give you some advice and encouragement that you need.

[Elizzy]

Thank you for the warm welcome! Yeah, I hope someone has experienced something similar - it would really help. Best of luck with your healing :)

[Edward_1980]

Hi Elizzy,

Welcome to the forum. I can relate a little to your chewing situation. I don't chew frantically, but god am I terrified of choking. It overwhelms me. I avoid things like spaghetti, rashers and beef because I am terrified it will go down my throat before I am finished chewing and choke me. I really wish I had some advice for you, but I am still suffering from this to be honest. I just wanted to let you know that you are not alone. :)

[Elizzy]

Thank you Edward! It's great to see I'm not so alone. I've also developed terrible, debilitating gas (trapped wind in my chest), that may have something to do with my past issues. It's all so overwhelming at times. I hope to get CBT very soon, so that's good news.

All the best with your healing :)

[Kenna5027]

I don't know if I have the same thing, but I do have panic attacks when I eat on occasion, particularly when I eat with other people. Sometimes I'll have trouble swallowing, where it feels like I will throw up as I'm swallowing the food (graphic, I know). When that happens, I have to drink as I swallow the food down to help it along. Some of this might stem from a dentist appointment I had a few months back - I always feel like I need to swallow reflexively when I'm at the dentist office, and while I was there I did, but there were a couple of times I felt like I couldn't swallow and that made me panic.

The sad thing is, I'm studying to be a speech pathologist and I KNOW how swallowing works, that it's reflexive and that you almost always need to have something at the back of your mouth (be it water, saliva, food, etc.) in order to trigger that reaction -- but I panicked still.

I also went out to eat with a friend almost a year ago, I hadn't seen her in awhile. My adrenaline was going, and as I ate my soup, my hand shook a bit. Now I tend to panic when I eat with other people, and try to stick to foods that I can eat with my hands as if I eat with utensils, my hand will shake. It does NOT happen at all when I am alone, or feel like I am not being watched, just in more formal situations. This is incredibly frustrating as well.

So yeah - panic is a bear. It often doesn't make an awful lot of sense, and I think for that reason people have trouble relating or even understanding unless they have been there themselves.

[Edward_1980]

Thank you Edward! It's great to see I'm not so alone. I've also developed terrible, debilitating gas (trapped wind in my chest), that may have something to do with my past issues. It's all so overwhelming at times. I hope to get CBT very soon, so that's good news.

All the best with your healing :)

You most certainly are not alone Elizzy:hugs:

[Elizzy]

Hi Kenna,

Thanks for sharing! I can relate to how you feel when eating around others. It's horrible. I'm okay, going for ice cream or to a Cafe' - but to sit down for a lunch or dinner at a bona fide restaurant - yikes! However, I don't think it's best to always avoid the situation, because we do want to get better. That being said, I definitely look for a table where I feel most comfortable - which means I try to sit down before everyone else :)

[Edward_1980]

Elizzy,

I choked one evening when the fat from a rasher went back my throat. It wasn't imagined that time. It really did choke me. I had to reach in and pull it back up. Ever since then I am terrified of choking. I won't even eat spaghetti pasta or noodles. Sometimes I find the more I think about choking whilst eating the more it tends to happen. Do you find that too or is it just me?

[Edward_1980]

It's a main symptom of panic. It happens to a lot of us when we are eating. We get terrified of choking.

[Elizzy]

@Edward - yes, definitely! If I'm already tense, it's so much worse. I don't think it's normal how much I think about the food. I study it, I play around with it - all before it even enters my mouth. Sometimes it better to wait until I'm more relaxed.

Your experience sounds very scary; glad to know you're okay. I would be a wreck after that.

[Edward_1980]

@Edward - yes, definitely! If I'm already tense, it's so much worse. I don't think it's normal how much I think about the food. I study it, I play around with it - all before it even enters my mouth. Sometimes it better to wait until I'm more relaxed.

Your experience sounds very scary; glad to know you're okay. I would be a wreck after that.

Elizzy,

I do the same with my food sometimes, especially in cafes separating dangerous food from the safe food on plates. You are not alone doing that so don't worry.

It was terrifying Elizzy. I literally pulled the fat out of the back of my throat. I will never forget that feeling of not being able to breath.

[Elizzy]

Thank you Edward, for sharing and being so kind. You've truly helped me feel much better :)