Food stuck in throat

[iloveweetos]

Advice for DH. This happens very sporadically. It won't happen for months but then will happen daily for a while then back to not happening. He will begin eating and the food will get stuck somewhere behind his breastbone area. He can't continue eating as it just sits on top and a build up of phlegm occurs.
Has anyone come across this? What can be done to ease the discomfort? Is this something he should be going to the doctor about? Googling has come up with all sorts so just wanted to find out anyone's experience of this.

Thank you in advance x

[NorksAreMessy]

Yes, I have experienced this for a few years and have just solved it in the last few weeks.

It feels like the food just gets stuck and you can't even swallow water to move it along. I had to stay very very calm and remind myself that it would eventually go down. Standing up helped, but being very calm was the best thing.
It seems to happen more with high carb. foods.

The solution has two parts. Ask the pharmacist for ranitidine and take every day.
Part two might hurt...give up the alcohol. I am pretty sure that it s part two that works better than part one. :(

I have had not a single incident since I stopped drinking alcohol two weeks ago.

Good luck and hope it works

[KurriKurri]

My XH had something similar to this, - and particular foods were worse (bread in his case) for setting it off.

He was referred for a barium meal thing at the hospital but they couldn;t find anything wrong (I think they were looking for some kind of hernia IIRC) so he's just sort of put up with it since then.
he did have some tablets from the doctor once which seemed to help for a bit (it might have been buscopan, but my memory is a bit hazy) so I think it would definitely be worth your DH seeing the GP - there might be something they can do to help.

Sorry - its all a bit vague, but they never really did get to the bottom of why it was happening in my X's case, but it may be different for your DH

[iloveweetos]

I did read that but DH drinks about 4 times a year. And hasn't had a drink since Xmas!!
I will tell him about staying calm, cos he is a big worrier at the best of times.
How often did this happen to you?

[iloveweetos]

That's what I'm thinking. He said it's happened since he was in his teens I think.
Maybe it was the pizza he was eating? Lol but it's odd it's different food each time.
Just need to get him to the Gp now...

[NorksAreMessy]

weetos I would get this a couple of times a day sometimes.
Aha, so not alcohol then!
Ranitidine worth a go.

Another coping strategy was to REALLY chew my food until it was almost liquid. When I am / was starving and guzzling a sandwich is the most common time. As kurri says, bread and apples (sadly) were the most likely culprits.

Really truly NO incidences for a fortnight, from having one or two per day.
And I sleep better. I used to have dreadful indigestion as soon as I lay down at night, and would guzzle Rennies at night.
No longer happens at all.

I suspect that this is a reflux-type thingy ( disclaimer: NO medical knowledge here!) and the ranitidine/teetotal combo has calmed the overproduction of acid and so calmed the oesophagus.
Poor babies, if it is what they suffer, no wonder they howl!

[sydlexic]

I had similar and later had my gallbladder removed. Never had it since the gallbladder removal 3 years ago.

[babyjane67]

I get this too&am on omeprazole tabs
Have been fir long time now!
Gp thinks its acid reflux/gerd but havent really had proper diagnosis as i chickened out of the endoscopy gp suggested!
it is lots better since taking the tabs though it still happens occasionally

[PonceyPeas]

One of my colleagues had similar, she was diagnosed with Achalasia. Google it - do the symptoms sound similar?

[iloveweetos]

Hi! So DH went to go today and has been told to have all sorts of tests over the next few weeks so hopefully we find out. They wanna so a barium swallow, a breath test to check for ulcers and from these see where to go from there.
She's given omeprazole to have up until 2 weeks before the breath test as it can affect it.
Poncey I did read about achalasia and it sounds similar but doc thinks it could be something else due to other symptoms.
Babyjane get it done!!! For your own piece of mind let alone anything else
Just a matter of waiting now!!!
I will update here and hopefully we get to the bottom of it

[itshotintexas]

Also look up eosinophilic oesophagitis - my ds has this. Very similar symptoms good luck. Can find it on endoscopy plus bloods