Choking hazard: Food stuck in my throat

Don't they have some kind of camera on the pipe to actually see where the damn thing is stuck?

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They know exactly where the blockage is—I've actually posted about this before. They did an X-ray (I drank some white liquid beforehand so they could spot exactly where the food was stuck on the scan), and you can see it’s sitting right there just before hitting the stomach.

I just tried taking that "medication" again—this time I tried swallowing it with a chewed-up banana, then a peeled peach, and finally some water—but I ended up throwing everything back up, except for my beloved chicken...

Well, nothing's working, so I'm heading to the ER to have them pull it out. I'm seriously losing strength here since I haven't been able to eat or drink anything for a while, and I can't just keep going like this until I pass out.

It was a total nail-biter (at least according to my doctor) but he pulled it off—he actually managed to get that steak down! 🙂

👍 Come on, look at you. They practically have to force-feed you. 😉
The main thing is that it's handled. From here on out, just chop everything into tiny pieces and chew every single bite at least 100 times. 😁

Uzas, you seriously couldn't even manage to drink some water?
God.
Thank God everything worked out in the end.🎉

Gregory Ramirez2 said:Thanks so much for the advice and for looking out for me! 🙂
So, I spent yesterday hanging out in the ER (from about 6:30 PM until after midnight...).
They ran some scans and tests—though I haven't agreed to a gastroscopy yet, since I'm still weighing my options—and after I drank this white liquid for an X-ray, they found that the food is basically "stuck" right at the bottom of my esophagus, just before the stomach.

The doctor prescribed the exact same meds I already picked up from the pharmacy, so I'm supposed to keep taking them.

I actually took those "meds" twice yesterday (before heading to the ER) and both times the food moved down—toward the stomach.
Unfortunately, once I got back from the hospital and again around 11 AM today, I took those "meds" twice, but they didn't help move the food any further down into the stomach, since it’s stuck right at that esophageal exit point.

Yesterday at the ER, they gave me a referral for a gastroscopy (you know, the kind that can be risky because of potential damage to the esophageal wall), and I've decided that if that food doesn't drop into my stomach by 6 PM tonight, I'm going in for the procedure—whatever happens, happens! 🤷

Back when I had a similar situation about 8 years ago, the doctor told me that nothing should stay stuck in the esophagus for more than three days; otherwise, inflammation starts and the wall could get damaged, etc., etc. Basically, he advised that any leftover food would have to be cleared out via gastroscopy.

Luckily, we didn't need the scope back then, but today I'll see what happens and decide from there.

If everything turns out fine, I'll catch you guys here—but if I head up to meet God (assuming it isn't way too expensive up there 😬), I'll see you "above"! 🙂

Btw, these "meds" are liquid, which some of you might have noticed, because they're actually meant to be used for injections, so they come in liquid form.

I honestly have a feeling that this idea of puncturing the esophagus during a gastroscopy doesn't quite hold water. I've undergone the procedure myself, and people all over the country do this every single day; I've never heard of anyone puncturing their esophagus during a gastroscopy. Before you even undergo the procedure, you have to sign a waiver confirming you're aware of the risks and that you're consenting despite them, and I've read those detailed forms several times, and esophageal perforation is never mentioned. A gastroscopy is essentially sliding a rubber tube down your throat and through the esophagus into the stomach—how is a rubber tube supposed to puncture the esophagus? Unless, of course, they mean something else entirely when they talk about risks during a gastroscopy?

Since you eat so recklessly, I'm curious—do you deal with stomach issues, bloating, burping, and stuff like that? I ended up with gastritis (or something like that, I think) because I swallow unchewed chunks of food, though at least I didn't end up in the ER because of it.🍿

I really hope you'll at least try to eat a bit more moderately now...

It could be an intestinal narrowing. It might not even be gas.

Patrick King7 said:It could be an intestinal narrowing. It might not even be gas.

But he explicitly wrote that the dog was gluttonous, greedy, wasn't eating enough properly, and all that nonsense.

I just can't wrap my head around how a piece of food actually managed to reach the very bottom of the intestines. Usually, when things go wrong, the food gets stuck right at the beginning, which is what causes choking or immediate death. If the food had already cleared that most critical danger zone, how on earth did it get jammed up at the very end? Is the lower part of the intestine somehow narrower than the upper part?

povrACAJ

So, I’ve got this weird situation going on, maybe three days ago or so, and I was eating when I just knew right away that I’d swallowed something the wrong way. It’s funny because I’ve definitely choked down food poorly before or maybe didn't chew things small enough, but usually, it’s no big deal. This time, though? Every single day since then, I’ve had this nagging sensation like there’s some random foreign object stuck somewhere in my throat or esophagus, just hovering there. I mean, I can still eat other meals, I can drink fine, talk without any issues—there isn't any actual pain or tightness or anything like that, and swallowing works totally normally. But, man, that feeling that a little chunk of food just wandered off and got lost is definitely there. I haven't tried sticking my fingers down my throat to force myself to throw up or anything. I get a bit of heartburn here and there, but honestly, it might be getting worse because I keep trying to force myself to burp to clear it out—which doesn't even help, it's not better or worse after I do it. I haven't bothered seeing a doctor or hitting up an ER because it's not like a massive emergency—I mean, yeah, it’s super uncomfortable and feels really unnatural, but there's zero pain.

Any thoughts on what I should do? Like, is this just gonna go away on its own eventually?

Thanks so much for looking out for me and for all the advice! 👍
I feel like I owe you guys an update, so here’s the deal:

So, the same gastroenterologist who "pushed" that bit of food down on me told me—after checking things out on the camera—that the lower part of my esophagus (where everything gets stuck) is actually calcified. Instead of being soft, flexible tissue like it should be, it’s rigid. Because of that, the esophagus just doesn't expand automatically to let food pass through. To make matters worse, that calcified section right before the stomach opening is way narrower than the upper part where the tissue is still normal and stretchy.

It’s kind of like trying to force something through a tube that starts off wide and made of soft silicone, but then suddenly narrows down into a tight, hard rubber pipe.