I'm almost over choking fear but...

[Thatdude]

Hi, I posted a while back about my swallowing fear and that my throat muscles just tense up and expel everything out (this was after a combination of choking events and a final food poisoning event which made me vomit many times).

I still get that sensation as if something gets stuck in my throat while I eat but I no longer fear this. I can chug liquids just fine also.

I can swallow with a sip of some kind of drink, but a small amount at a time. With this scheme I can finish eating a full sized meal, but the endurance I need is high. And, with that I am still a very slow eater.

However, I no longer feel sweaty, my heart racing, or difficulty breathing. I also used to do something while swallowing, like try picking up something from the floor or start tapping my foot---- I don't do this any more, I just swallow. Due to this I figured that my fear with food swallowing is pretty much done.

However, I still am not able to swallow large food boluses which would make me eat fast enough to not be ashamed of eating in public or with friends. How can I do this? I am almost 100% certain that I will not choke on my food but still I can't get to swallow something larger!!

If anyone has any advice please tell me I'd be eternally grateful.

BTW, I do relaxation techniques when needed (not so much now though).

Thanks in advance.

[sial72]

This might not be much help but it is my opinion.
Eating slowly and small bites is the healthiest way to eat so I would just carry on eating like this and not worry about bigger mouthfuls. And then once you completely forget about it you will probably end up eating bigger mouthfuls without even realizing.
That is how it happened to me.
And now I can even swallow those rugby ball size vitamins with no probs lol xx

[Pepperpot]

I agree. You've managed to conquer eating small mouthfuls so carry on as you are; you don't now want to add the stress of "needing to be able to keep up with friends" into the mix. You've done brilliant so just grab a burger and if it takes you an hour to eat it then so what!! X

[Reggie]

I wouldn't worry about how much and how fast you eat when you are out for a meal. Go with someone you can trust and who knows your worries. Nobody will be paying any attention to how you are eating, I certainly don't watch the next table when I'm out for a meal.

[petals]

I agree with the other post about eating small amounts at a time. I had a similar issue. Started on holiday when I ate some pizza, I nearly choked on the cheese coz it was so stringy. Well that was it, anything which wasnt practically puréed I would have anxiety about swallowing. The thing that helped me was eating smaller bites of food until they were so puréed in my mouth that I wouldn't choke. It took a while for me to conquer the fear, and I still get it sometimes (can't really eat steak as it's normally too chewy and tough for me), but over time it got easier. X