Difficulty swallowing / Trouble swallowing food

Daniel Ortiz15 said:People just swallow all these toxins without a second thought, and honestly, now I’m actually terrified of eating anything... everyone keeps trying to reassure me by saying the chance of choking on food is like, what, 0.0000000001 percent?

First off, if I were you, I might look into some kind of antidepressant just to take the edge off those runaway thoughts that keep spiraling in this direction... once you've calmed the mental noise down, you can focus on actual lifestyle changes and cleaning up your diet, which should help settle that acid reflux. Based on everything you're describing, it really sounds like you're dealing with GERD.

Daniel Ortiz15 said:Lately, I've been having trouble swallowing food. When I eat bread, I have to drink water just to get it down, and meat is even harder to swallow. My respiratory tests came back clear, so I'm wondering what the issue is—is this actually happening or am I just imagining things?

It could be odynophagia, globus sensation, GERD, an esophageal obstruction, or even something more serious like a neoplasm.

You should get an EGD. Honestly, getting an endoscopy is the most important next step.

There's also a chance you're dealing with some significant issues regarding your lower esophageal sphincter.

That said, there's a good possibility this is rooted in anxiety or psychological factors.

Regardless, go see a gastroenterologist and a radiologist.

About two years ago, I started having this trouble swallowing; it’s just this constant sensation like there's something stuck in my throat, even though everyone around me insists it's all just in my head. I have my doubts about that, though, and I still haven't actually made it to a doctor for a formal checkup.
Even though people tell me it's almost impossible to actually choke on food—unless you're taking massive, unhinged bites—I've read that the mortality rate from choking incidents is actually quite high...
It's gotten to the point where I barely touch meat, and eating bread feels like a real struggle...
Is there any actual chance I could choke on food that's been completely chewed up and swallowed?

Why don't you just go see a doctor and find out why swallowing is giving you such a hard time?

It could be psychological, sure, but there’s also a chance it's purely physical. Take me, for example—I deal with this too, and for me, it's strictly physiological because of a condition that keeps my mouth from producing enough saliva.

So, what did it actually end up giving you?
Still, I honestly find it hard to believe someone could actually choke to death on food alone...

Daniel Ortiz15 said:About two years ago, I started having this trouble swallowing. It’s just this constant sensation like something is stuck in my throat. Everyone tells me it’s all in my head—just anxiety—but I’m not buying it, and I haven't even made it to a doctor's appointment yet.
Even though everyone claims it’s practically impossible to choke on food (unless you're taking massive, reckless bites), I read somewhere that the mortality rate from choking is actually quite high....
I've basically stopped eating meat, and bread is a nightmare to get down...
Is there any actual chance I could choke on food that’s been completely chewed up and swallowed?

Are you dealing with any stomach issues too?
You absolutely need to reach out to your doctor.

Daniel Ortiz15 said:So what did it actually do for you?
Still, I don't think you can really choke on food easily..

I don't know about that. A few times, food has gotten stuck in my throat so bad it was actually pretty scary.

I have to use artificial saliva (which is a total pain in the ass for me), but it helps if I always wash everything down with a drink while I eat.

Daniel Ortiz15 said:About two years ago, I started having this trouble swallowing—it’s just this constant sensation like something is stuck in my throat. Everyone keeps telling me it’s all in my head, purely psychological, but I’m not buying it... and honestly, I haven't even gone to see a doctor yet.
Even though people claim it’s almost impossible to actually choke on food (unless you're taking massive, reckless bites), I read somewhere that the mortality rate for choking is terrifyingly high....
I’ve basically stopped eating meat, and bread is becoming a huge struggle too...
Is there any actual chance I could choke on food that’s already been chewed up and crushed?

Don't mess around with this stuff; it could be something neurological. Just get yourself checked out by a doctor already.

Daniel Ortiz15 said:So, what was the actual diagnosis?
Though, honestly, I still find it hard to believe someone could actually choke to death on food...

Esophageal narrowing? 🤷
What was your lifestyle even like before all this started happening? Were you just dealing with insufficient saliva production or something?

Which is exactly why you really need to chew your food thoroughly and break it down properly before you try to swallow. 😁

I’d strongly suggest seeing a doctor about this. As others have pointed out, what looks like simple difficulty swallowing could actually be anything from a psychogenic issue to achalasia, or even esophageal cancer, where impaired swallowing is often the very first red flag. Seriously, go get checked out.

I'm not entirely sure where to post this, but this thread seems like the best fit.

Basically, my dad (who is 65) is having some serious trouble swallowing. It feels like food gets stuck in his throat—we call it "getting caught."

The sensation is like there’s a heavy meatball lodged in his throat, though it's actually lower than that. He swallows a bite, and it just stops halfway down to his stomach. He can feel this mass sitting right in his esophagus. It hurts incredibly badly until it finally "drops" into his stomach, which can sometimes take up to ten minutes. There is absolutely nothing he can do to speed it up.

It used to happen maybe once a month, but now it's happening almost every single day. It happens with any kind of food, but if he eats bread, it's a guarantee.

Does anyone have any idea what this could be? Of course, my dad is being stubborn about seeing a doctor. And even if he did, he'd be lucky to get an appointment by next Christmas—I haven't heard of any primary care physician in the US taking new patients without a massive waitlist, let alone his specific doctor, who is notoriously impossible to see unless you're literally dying. Not to mention all the tests they'd want to run.

I stumbled upon an article suggesting this might all be psychosomatic, implying he wouldn't need to bother with medical testing if that were actually the case.

I just wanted to drop in and let you all know that it actually fixed itself without me doing a single thing, so if any of you are currently dealing with this same headache, hang in there because it might just resolve on its own 🙂

Ethan Mitchell4 - My dad really needs to see a gastroenterologist and get a gastroscopy done. I went through something similar myself, and they ended up diagnosing me with achalasia. It started out with those exact same symptoms, but things just spiraled until it became completely unbearable. He shouldn't sit on this for too long; it's definitely better to find out what's actually going on sooner rather than later.

Carol Garcia said:I wasn't really sure where to post this, but this thread felt like the right spot.

So, basically, my dad (he’s 65) is having a rough time when he eats. It feels like food just gets stuck in his throat—we call it "food bolus" or something similar.

It’s like a massive dumpling gets lodged in his throat, or actually even lower than that. He’ll swallow a bite, and then it just stops halfway down to the stomach. He can feel this lump sitting right there in his esophagus. It hurts like hell until it finally "drops" into his stomach, which sometimes takes ten minutes or more. There’s nothing he can do to speed it up.

It used to happen maybe once a month, but now it’s happening almost every single day. It happens with pretty much anything, but if he’s eating bread, you can bet it’s going to happen.

Does anyone actually know what this could be? Of course, my dad is being stubborn about seeing a doctor, and honestly, even if he did, he’d probably be lucky to get an appointment by next Christmas (I haven't heard of a primary care doc in our area booking that far out, but his is one of those types who doesn't have an opening unless you're literally dying, let alone any specialist tests).

I stumbled upon an article suggesting this might all be psychosomatic, so I was thinking maybe he doesn't need to go through all the testing if that's actually the case.

You really have to start with a physical exam first to confirm—or rather, rule out—an organic cause for what he's experiencing.

If it turns out to be psychogenic in nature, then no big deal—it'll be uncomfortable, sure, but it isn't dangerous.

Thanks everyone
I'll let him know he should try placing an order then
From what I've been reading, isn't this condition pretty rare? Where would be the best place for him to go for testing so he can actually get a definitive diagnosis? I don't want him being dragged around from clinic to clinic without any real answers just because the doctors aren't familiar with the illness. Maybe somewhere like Mayo Clinic?

I've been reading up on Wikipedia

Diagnosis

A diagnosis of achalasia is typically reached through patient history, fluoroscopy, X-rays, endoscopy, and histological analysis.

And you're out here claiming a gastroscopy is enough, Elida?

I ended up having to deal with the pedestrian crossing.

There are several possibilities: stress, thyroid issues (which usually shows external symptoms, according to my doctor), allergies, acid reflux, or in the worst-case scenario, throat cancer (though that’s typically seen in older populations). I know plenty of people, myself included, who deal with this, and we all have one of those underlying causes.

It's most often acid reflux or allergies. Only one person I know had throat cancer—they're recovering well so far, but they aren't the type to obsess over it. They don't waste time overanalyzing medical studies; they just let their doctors handle it and move on with life. Reducing stress definitely helps.

The best first step is fixing your diet (using things like baking soda to neutralize acid), cutting down on stress as much as possible, monitoring the situation, and then seeing a specialist once you have some clarity.

Of course, it could be something else entirely, but this is based on what I've seen with people I know.

Yet, I find myself still struggling with the simple act of swallowing saliva, though strangely enough, everything seems perfectly fine when I'm actually eating or drinking... Is it possible this is somehow rooted in the nervous system?