u/23_cm_nails

So I had been having issues with swallowing for 3 months, which all started when I suddenly became aware of the feeling of food stuck in my throat. This was followed by a period of lots of stomach acids travelling up my throat (I assume) and a heightened awareness of food near my epiglottis, sometimes on just one side. And this feeling would NOT go away even as I swallowed saliva or drank water. This would in turn send me into a spiral. What helped me was that I was checked out by a ENT doctor with a nasal endoscopy. When I ate a cookie during that appointment, I told them that I could feel like some pieces of it were stuck, doctor said it was entirely clear. So, basically I have been hyperfocusing on my throat, with some parts of this feeling being attributed to anxiety and perhaps some to stomach acid which makes food feel like it's still there, like a phantom feeling. Having a CBT psychologist who challenged me helped a lot as well.

So, these past few days I have had my first pizza, burger, hot dog, candy for the first time since spring. I still feel pieces stuck sometimes but I just remind myself it's not real, and breathe deep which actually helps. Asking my friends if they also had that feeling was also great for my journey. All my friends said the same thing, that "I can feel it if I think about it and focus on my swallowing but it just generally doesn't cross my mind".

The next step now is to get to a point where swallowing doesn't become the focus point of me eating, which seems to be pretty soon seeing as these great changes just happened the last couple of days.

I wish you all luck on your way forward. Dysphagia SUCKKKKSSS but I figured it might be nice to hear that there is recovery.

24F and have been having weird sensations when swallowing. I'm on a waiting list to see a doctor that can check my throat, but so far other doctors say that there is nothing wrong with my upper throat. No signs of irritation or anything. I have been feeling stomach acid get inti my mouth at times, like an acid reflux.

When I eat solid foods, some small bits stay near my epiglottis-area and it freaks me out. Even with water it can take many many big sips of water to get it down and get rid of that sensation. Thought it was just anxiety but I can actually feel pieces of food there. I was really drunk maybe 2 months ago and ate lots and lots of chips and I actually had no incident, but I'm too scared to try anymore. Have also managed to eat some cinnamon buns with no sugar on them without issue, but I'm still extremely avoidant.

Since May, I have been trying solid food every now and then but it's almost always that feeling coming right back. Currently living on fluids and chocolate. TSH-levels were great, heart is doing great as well. Vitamins are also very good.

I feel lost. Don't know what to do. My mom had this when she was very stressed. I was stressed for like 5 months prior to the incident in May, at the very least.

I even quit my job to reduce stress. I don't feel that much stress anymore just a lot of health anxiety because of heart palpitations that I am in the process of checking out. Nothing dangerous, though.

Any tips/ideas? Thanks

Hello again, I've found what the main issue is (that's why I'm posting here again). I'm 24F, 167 cm, 63 kg. I've had an issue with swallowing food for about 4 weeks. While it emerged during a very stressful and anxious period of my life, I'm not sure if it's just psychological. Food seems to get stuck on the sides of esophagus when I swallow. I suppose I swallow a bit weirdly because of eating being stressful, but even now in my FIRST bite it gets stuck immediately on my right side, and it takes lots of water and soft foods for it to go down.

This is heavily impacting my ability to function as a normal person. I'm always dreading eating because of this sensation, and it freaks me out that it might be lethal. Doctors are going to check down my esophagus, but at least the upper parts of the mouth cavity looks good.

Any ideas? :/

Hello anxiety people. I need your guys' perspective...
I've been ridiculously stressed for the past 6 months ever since I started a tough course and was forces to move from my apartment to an incredibly small one. I failed the course and will have to study pretty hard this summer to pass it. The last course of the semester just finished, but the 5 days before the final test, I was feeling like I was about to have a heart attack just about every day. Even if I passed it well, I'm still feeling very anxious. Somewhere along the line, me not eating so much (partly because of me not having the time or energy to cook food) seems to have turned into me being scared of eating. I'm like hyperfocusing on the feeling of swallowing food and it's come to the point where my doctor thought I was fasting (I'm not). I tried sertraline to see if it would help but it made my anxiety INSANELY worse but at first I was feeling amazing and anxiety-free. (So basically it was just a placebo).

Just now, I was eating some of my favorite bread and I coated it in more butter than usual. I facetimed my gf while eating to ease my anxiety but I still felt a small bit of bread near my esophagus. I'm just scared, then, that that food will get inhaled and that this is a "wrong" sensation. I'm seeing a psychologist about my anxiety and will ask about this next time I see him but...

To my question!! Is it normal to feel food at the back of your throat after chewing and swallowing some? It's freaking me out. I just need some sense talked into me I suppose.

Thx!