trouble swallowing

[nursefairy]

Hello All!!

I have been gone for a while but here I am again. I do think I may have been in denial somewhat.

In any case, I am having trouble swallowing. Not just food, but just plain swallowing. It feels like a lump pressing on my esophagus. I went to the doctor a while ago when I first noticed it and he didn't find anything wrong with my throat.

Lately I have been also suffering with severe back pain related to spasticity. The only comfortable position is lying on my side.

I am wondering if I could be having spacticity in my throat muscles?

Thank you for any input!

[CaroleL]

Hello Nursefairy!

Trouble swallowing can be a symptom of MS and should be monitored by your doctor.

If he is not worried, I would still call my neurologist and let him know of the changes.

Since you are having other symptoms, like back pain that are new and persistent, you may be in a flare. I'd be calling my neurologist if it were me.

[Debby]

Carole, so...sorry. I went through that briefly, and it was scary! Please call your neuro, or someone! You shouldn't have to go through this - there has to be a med of some kind that will help. I'm sure someone here on the board will have some answers/ideas. My thoughts are with you Carole.

[MSer102]

That's very scary! Does your neuro know? Trouble swallowing can be really dangerous because you might choke on something and get it in your lungs and get pneumonia.

Maybe its spasticity or maybe you have a new lesion that's affecting your swallowing muscles. I don't think you should be just asking on the Internet and try to figure it out yourself. No matter what your doctor should know so you can try to get help so you don't choke and get sick!

[CaroleL]

Debby, Just a note to say that it's not me having the problem, it's nursefairy.

Please don't tell me I have another dilemna! lol.

[nursefairy]

Thanks everyone, I will call him tomorrow. I am a horrible patient....probably because I am a nurse

[maitrimama]

Hi Nursefairy - Trouble swallowing is truly a pain in the neck (pun intended =)! It can be caused by many things, including several autoimmune disorders so it is probably a good idea to call the Dr.

I think because it can be so scarey me getting nervous about eating can make the swallowing trouble worse so it becomes a viscious cycle. So try to relax a little, take small bites, chew and pay attention to what you are doing. I have found that soft foods with some substance like oatmeal, yogurt with some granola mixed in, pasta, rice pudding work better than say soup.

I hope some of that helps. Good luck with the Dr. Let us know how it goes. - M

[Debby]

Okay Carole, I'll call you Nursefairy from now on! You really are a goofball! Still praying for you!

[CaroleL]

LOL Debby! Please let me keep my name... I'm already dealing with Cog Fog, capitalized! lol!

[Debby]

Oh my gosh...the "Cog-fog" took over my brain! My apologies Carole, I saw your response post to nursefairy and for some reason thought YOU were the one with the swallowing problems! I feel like a total idiot! So, if it's okay with you, I'll "continue" to call you Carole!

And Nursefairy....sorry about the strange posts from me, and the unintentional hijacking of your post, and I do hope you are doing better!

[CaroleL]

LOL Debby!

[michiganmsbiker]

hi,
my wife is going through the same problem with swallowing right now. please let me know what your doctor said/did/prescribed. we have a call into ours, but have not heard back yet from him. thanks.

[22cyclist]

Michiganmsbiker: If your wife is having trouble swallowing and has MS, please call her Neurologist. I speak from experience as I too have trouble swallowing both solids and liquids. I have to now puree all of my food and thicken all of my drinks. I have a pontomedullary lesion that causes weakness of the back of my throat and tongue. I had to go to a speech therapist to learn to swallow again and to get exercises to improve my swallow.

The problem is your wife, or I, or nurse from this post can all aspirate (get food in our airway and into our lungs) and could possibly get an infection-a really bad one, or worse aspirate and die from it. It is pretty serious.

Please have her call her neurologist.

Good luck
Lisa
Moderation Team

[nursefairy]

hi,
my wife is going through the same problem with swallowing right now. please let me know what your doctor said/did/prescribed. we have a call into ours, but have not heard back yet from him. thanks.

They think I am having a flare right now. It is important that your wife get seen and assessed by a physician.

As others have stated, there is a risk of aspiration which can cause pneumonia. I believe mine is just a tightening of the muscles in my neck.

Being a nurse, I know how to "tuck and swallow" so I am doing ok with that kind of stuff.

Good luck to you!

[hobbit]

I have esophageal dysphasia

I have been struggling with this since the beginning of Sept., liquids can go down...... okay. It has been frustrating, frightening and discouraging. I don't know how many times I've wanted to just quit. Who needs food anyway?

Here I am six months later, and I can get down half a sandwich as long as I have a cup of broth to dip it in, but then I'm stuck with the food sitting in my esophagus until my stomach opens and lets it in, could be 10 min. could be two hours. I have absolutely no appetite whatsoever and have to force myself to eat. Food has become a chore, meds have become a balancing act. My Neuro isn't worried (but insisting on seeing me every three months), because my weight is somewhat maintaining. What he hasn't taken into consideration is the 20lbs. of loose skin I now have.

I wish I could offer some encouragement but I've got nothing but empathy.

Luck,
Anna