Air Bubble in Throat For A Week? also scared of barium swallow

Hey, it's been a long time, hasn't it?


So I'm here because this forum has given more more comforting suggestions than google (which is freaking me out again) so


About a week ago I had trouble passing stool. Ate too much cheese the day before, I think. While struggling on the toilet, I felt a lump come to my throat. This was not unusual for me, as years before straining with bowel movements made me feel I had something stuck in my throat.
All day I felt like something was in there, or trying to come out, and kept swallowing it down. It subsided for a moment or two, and came back. Rinse and repeat.


The next day I finally passed, but for roughly a week the lump-in-throat feeling has remained. Except here's the thing. It feels like air or stuck food, has slowly gotten better each day, and it NEVER causes pain.
I'm not in pain, I can swallow, breathe, and talk fine. It's just annoying. It feels like a stuck burp - making myself burp or pass gas makes the feeling go away, and depending on how active I am I can go without it for hours. I don't feel it when I wake up in the morning, it only shows up after I have my morning coffee.


My doctor said it didn't SOUND serious and suggested I do a barium swallow (I was supposed to do it tomorrow morning (November 18) but I canceled it because I read a lot of testimonies reporting the test went fine but they suffered horrible stomach cramps and diarrhea afterwards, and I can't even take omeprazole, I bet barium would be WORSE for me!)
She then added "If the test picks up nothing, it'll probably pass."


My friends are saying it sounds like GERD anyway but I have no other symptoms.


tl;dr


Feels like air is getting stuck in back of throat when I'm inactive. After a few minutes or a drink of Sprite, a small burp comes out and I'm fine. Much less noticeable when I'm being active.
Eating, talking, breathing are all fine. Diet is normal.
No pain whatsoever, no nausea or bathroom problems, no difficulties. It's just annoying and has been a week.
After Day One, which felt like something was IN THERE AND TRYING TO COME OUT, feeling lessened. It also comes and goes, rather than being persistent.
Not there when I wake up, only after I have my breakfast coffee.
Swallowing it back also helps for a few minutes.
Burps are nevre big or long anymore. I can only release little ones.




Does this sound familiar to anyone? And if you've had the barium swallow, what happened in your case? They only told me I'd feel "mild nausea" but a lot of other people are telling different stories.

Yes, I've had this and I think it's due to oesophageal spasms, which are completely benign. I've had this periodically for about 30 years. Drinking soda water often helps. :)

All anxiety related.x