u/Emmathephantrash

27F, 5'2", 284 lbs

I don't smoke, rarely drink, and only occasionally use edibles.

For the past 2 weeks I've had a constant feeling in my throat that feels like it's tightening or closing. It gets noticeably worse every time I eat. Along with that, I've been burping a lot and often feel like I'm right on the edge of a burp that won't come out or like I might throw up.

The sensation makes it hard to swallow and sometimes makes me feel like I can't breathe properly. One day it became so severe that I genuinely felt like my throat had closed and I couldn't breathe at all, which is why I went to the ER. They checked me out, gave me Ativan, and told me it was likely just a severe panic attack that lasted around 3 hours. They did a chest X-ray and blood lab both came back normal. They said everything looked normal and recommended that I follow up with an ENT. They also told me to increase my hydroxyzine from twice a day to four times a day.

The problem is that the ENT won't accept an ER referral and requires a referral from my primary care doctor. My PCP appointment isn't until next week, and I expect it may be several more weeks before I can actually see an ENT.

I originally thought this was acid reflux, but I've tried Tums, gas medication, and PPIs without any improvement. Eating has become really difficult. I can barely eat before the sensation starts getting worse. Over the last 2 weeks I've lost about 6 pounds because of how little I've been able to eat. While the weight loss itself isn't necessarily a bad thing, I'm miserable and just want to be able to eat normally again.

I do occasionally get chest pain, but it comes and goes and doesn't last very long.

Current medications:

- Bupropion

- Hydroxyzine

Other medications:

- Took medroxyprogesterone (Provera) once in March to induce a period due to PCOS I take that when I need to

Medical conditions:

- ADHD

- Autism

- Panic disorder

- PCOS

- IBS

- TMJ

My question is: Could this still be something like reflux, globus sensation, an esophageal issue, or something ENT-related even though reflux medications haven't helped? Is there anything I can safely do in the meantime to make eating easier while I wait to see my PCP and eventually an ENT?

One thing that makes me question whether this is only anxiety is that the throat sensation usually starts first, and then I become anxious because it feels like I can't swallow or breathe correctly. Has anyone seen symptoms like this before?