Sometimes after swallowing meat (usually soft) or fish I have a slight choking sensation, and an urge to cough or vomit. This started some months ago, but has gotten worse in the last few days. (Yesterday I left a restaurant quickly, wondering whether I could find a secluded spot to vomit politely … and ended up vomiting involuntarily on the walk to my car.)
I don’t feel nausea or any aversion to the food, just a stuck-in-the-throat sensation. I read (at SDMP!—thanks, Qadgop!) that if my esophagus really were blocked, I’d be producing much saliva. That happened one time, though with no problem: I just went to bathroom and threw up a little.
I’ve always tried to chew my food thoroughly, and will now make further effort to eat slowly and chew carefully. But should I be concerned? What causes this? (One possibility: some months ago I lost a bicuspid. With several molars already missing as well, perhaps I’m not chewing meat as well as I think I am.)
I feel silly! I’ve been eating successfully for almost 70 years now, and suddenly wonder if I never learned how to eat properly! :smack:
Almost 70 years is a possible clue to the problem. There are several swallowing issues that become more common as we age. They are called presbyphagia as a group. Swallowing changes caused by getting older.
It is important that you get this checked out. You can aspirate food, choke, or become malnourished. You could start with your PCP who may order a swallow study or refer you to a GI doctor.
Swallow studies are about the least unpleasant medical tests you can have.
Thank you steatopygia! Starting with “presbyphagia,” I found this video (“Swallowing Trouble 101”). I assume I have what he calls a “Catcher” problem — for which he recommends a surgical procedure (cricopharyngeal myotomy). :eek: (But there may be other problem/solutions.)
This started happening to me about ten years ago, slowly got worse, until I figured out what it was and worked around it.
For me it’s a symptom of acid reflux, or gastro-oesophageal reflux disease. The sphincter where the oesophagus meets the stomach has weakened, which in most people causes stomach acid to go up into the throat, but before I got that happening to me, it also prevented food from properly sliding into my stomach.
It usually happened with certain kinds of stodgy food, like dry chicken or thick bread. Now I am very careful to avoid the most common causes. Though now the acid reflux has begun too, so that sucks.
I don’t know if that’s actually what’s happening for you, but it sounds very similar.
If this has become a persistent and/or regular problem after 70 years of no problems you really should see a doctor about it. As noted, it could be “nothing” or it could be a sign of a serious illness.
Get thee to a physician who, hopefully, will have to do nothing more than tell you, “Get thee to a dentist!”
Gastric problems due to significant tooth loss are not uncommon by any means. The loss of chewing power and the gastric sensitivity naturally brought on by age need to be addressed.
There’s a shiny hospital with excellent doctors 80 minutes away and I do plan to go there next week. It was only after the recent event at the restaurant that the problem seemed serious, so I’ve not procrastinated too badly. I’ll make the trip do double-duty by visiting my cardiologist there also.
Good medical care is hard to find where I live. (That’s a big ‘con’ if you’re planning retirement to rural Thailand and making a list of pros and cons.) There’s only one doctor I trust who’s nearer than the 80-minutes-away hospital: he’s an ear-nose-throat specialist (which may make him appropriate for my swallowing problem), but the long queues at his part-time clinic make the hospital much closer in minutes, though not miles.
I think it’s good to ask at SDMB first; Dopers help me understand my own symptom. I mentioned my piriformis syndrome/sciatica in this forum several months ago and was directed to a YouTube exercise instruction which solved my problem nicely … in contrast to the (ineffective?) remedies proposed by nearby doctors.
Other possible causes for swallowing difficulty in addition to those previously mentioned include eosinophilic esophagitis and benign strictures (often secondary to prolonged reflux).
Did anyone mention seeing a physician?
I’d go that route before relying on Doper medical advice, which is generally worth what you pay for it.
My Uncle had problems like this and ended up having the autoimmune disease Myasthenia Gravis, now it’s getting progressively worse and he’s having trouble breathing, scary stuff.
Just to expound on this subject, I was going through the same symptoms. Down to eating baby food, mashed potatoes and such. I couldn’t even keep water down without vomiting. Finally had an EGD done and will probably have to have another soon. Stricture in my esophagus so I am told. I got to look at the pictures after swallowing the Barium solution. It was not pretty. There was a piece of chicken stuck in my entrance halfway to my stomach. Please see a doctor or just go to ER. If you are in USA they will accept you. Don’t worry about the bill, most non-profits have a fund set up just for this occasion. Go, trust me you will be better with care. Oh, and say “Hello” to the kind nurses for me. They are over-worked and under-paid but they WILL take care of you.
They are over-worked and under-paid but they WILL take care of you.