11 year old problems swallowing

[Namechangeroony1]

Recently she has been complaining that she feels like sometimes food “sits on a ledge” in her throat before it goes down properly. When we’re eating, she’ll occasionally pause and put her hand to her chest as though she feels she’s going to choke but then the food goes down and it passes. It doesn’t happen all the time but enough for her to comment to me that she thinks she has a problem.

I’ve noticed quite a few times in recent months that she’ll sometimes cough and splutter when drinking, like you do when it “goes down the wrong hole.”

I’m terrified of her choking - I’ve always had a fear of that and a relative recently tragically died in that way (she doesn’t know about this) so I’m extra paranoid.

I’m going to call the GP this week but I wondered if anyone had any similar experience? I’ve read about dysphasia but that sounds a bit more severe and frequent than what she experiences.

Yes, I know what you mean! Thank you and I’ll update.

@wandawaves
Great to hear your daughter is in remission!
can I please ask how long she was on the medication for please?
my son was on exclusion diet which didn’t work and has now been on the meds since beginning of May. He should have another endoscopy beginning of august.

She was on it for a few years, but on and off as she hated it and would refuse. She also refused to do an elimination diet, which could potentially have cut down the treatment time, if it had shown any intolerances. Difficult child!

She needs to have a camera down into her stomach (gastroscopy?). She’s really scared. The Dr said she would be “asleep” for it but when were chatting to a nurse in the hospital, she talked about her being sedated. I’d rather she was anaesthetised - I know a lot of adults who’ve had it under sedation and a lot of them said it was pretty awful. Do they tend to put children completely out for this procedure or will I have to request it?

I'm not in the UK so not sure if there's differences, but they usually put children under a general anaesthetic here. I think once they're about 16 the doctor can choose a sedation if they want. DD's have always been under GA.

It's not as bad as it sounds and one of the medical staff should sit right with her keeping her relaxed and calm (a lovely nurse held my hand all the way through). It wasn't painful it's more that the idea of it freaks you out and can make people panic.

Thanks @wandawaves - thank you. yes I’m really hoping for a GA.

@2022workdilemma - were you an adult when you had it done? I know that some V people are fine with sedation but I know of 3 people who say they really felt the sedation wasn’t enough for them - they could feel it and were aware of what was happening. I really don’t want her to experience that.

I was at university, so older than a teen and so don't know what they offer to younger kids. For medical reasons (long story) I had it without any sedation at all. Wouldn't recommend that but it's because the sedation helps calm your gag reflex which I'd imagine helps a lot. I'd otherwise describe it as uncomfortable but not painful and a psychological challenge most of all. Good luck getting answers for your DD.

Thanks @2022workdilemma - I want to avoid any discomfort - psychological or physical so I’ll push for a GA if they don’t automatically offer it.

My son is awaiting investigation for exactly this and we have been told by his old gastro who has moved hospitals whom I rang in desperation (he had other gastro issues for 10 years) that investigations would be under GA, so push for this. Good luck.

My daughter is 13 and has a swallowing issue. Please feel free to pm me anytime.

Thank you @User237845 , I will. X

That’s so kind of you @Stormchaser1502 - I have PMd you - thank you.

One of my children has eosinophilic oesophagitis which presented as swallowing difficulties, though at a much younger age - and it was when the condition was only just starting to be recognised in this country so it took a long time to be diagnosed. He had a lot of gastroscopies over the years and they were all done under GA in a children's hospital. I would think GA is standard for children based on talking to other parents who were in hospital at the same time as us. I hope you get the answers you need and that your DD feels better soon.

Thanks @MrsAvocet - it's reassuring that GA seems to be the norm for kids but I will be sure to check.

I just wanted to update - DD’s swallowing problem seemed to resolve itself but the Dr wanted to go ahead with the gastroscopy. She had a GA and it was nowhere near as bad as she thought it would be. All tests came back clear and the Dr has concluded that she was possibly experiencing some kind of stress/worries (although neither she nor I can think what!) that caused reflux which in turned irritated her throat but has now resolved. Thank you all for your support. X

That's great, I'm so glad all went well and that everything was clear! Thanks for the update.

So pleased everything went smoothly and that the problem as resolved. DS had his appt with the gastro this week. They want him to have a scope with GA. It seems overkill in a way for 2 swallowing incidents (although food did get stuck - the worst one for about 36 hours ), but the gastro was adamant he needed it. Hope it will go smoothly for him too.

Yes., they seem very keen to do the scope on kids!
It was very quick and although she had a bit of a sore throat afterwards, there were no other after effects. Hope it all goes well for your DS.

Hi @Namechangeroony1 , DS's scope is coming up fairly soon. Can I ask how long your DD stayed off school afterwards? I know they'll tell me in the hospital and different kids may be different but it would be useful to hear from another mum! Many thanks.

The Dr said if she felt ok the next day, she was ok to go to school. The nurses however didn’t agree as they thought she needed longer to get over the anaesthetic. It was the last day of term and she was desperate to go in so I let her but to be honest, she said she felt very tired at school and I think she was still feeling the effects. So if I were you, I would plan to keep your DS off for at least the next day.

Hope it all goes ok. Feel free to DM me if you have any more questions.

I would see how he is. My daughter has GA’s every few months and scopes. She’s often back to normal in a few hours tbh.
it’s more the effects of the GA and the tiredness. But If he has an understanding teacher or ta and is desperate to get back to school, then maybe go with how he is.

good luck. Let us know how he goes. Hope he’s continued to stay well

Pretty much sounds like you’ve passed your ‘terror offer choking’ onto her. Get it sorted quickly as this can ruin lives

My daughter developed difficulty swallowing around age 8. I think it was rooted in a fear of choking which progressed into a general fear of swallowing - look up phagaphobia. She was very bad initially and lost quite a bit of weight. At one stage she could only manage smoothies and soup . Interestingly she found it easier to eat sweet things and goodies which she found more 'tempting' and proved that the issue wasn't medical. I noticed her look panicky when a relative had a mild coughing fit at the table over lunch and believe that this was the moment that set off her fear. We didn't panic for the relative as he often coughed when eating, so I don't think she caught any anxiety from us. She's much better now, although quite a slow eater at times and it can flare-up if she's stressed at college. She also clutches her chest a little and drinks a lot to help food go down, especially savoury or chewy foods. She demolishes a piece of cake or chocolate quickly and without any issues though. It's frustrating, but quite common from research I've done online.

I realise I didn’t include this in my earlier posts but before she had the Gastroscopy she saw an ENT specialist who could see irritation in her throat caused by reflux. She had to have the GA to see if there was a cause for the reflux - they couldn’t find one so concluded stress was the cause of the reflux. So the swallowing issue was a really physical problem albeit it might have been caused by stress. So I’ve not ‘passed on my fear to her’.

With respect, your message is rather harsh and unnecessary.