Pain after swallowing

[ILoveApples]

Has anyone had problems with their esophagus? I only ask because for the past four days I've been getting an awful pain just behind my breast bone after I swallow anything, including my own saliva.

It started suddenly on Monday afternoon about three hours after eating. I've hardly eaten or drunk anything since it started as it's so painful. It doesn't feel like heartburn, just pain as if there is something there.
Been to see the GP and was prescribed Gaviscon Advance but this hasn't helped; I've been taking it for the past 4 months anyway for throat/reflux problems.
Getting a bit desperate now as I'm feeling increasingly weak due to lack of food and water. Hope you can help?

Hi, that sounds pretty awful. I'm sorry nothing firm to suggest other than if I was in your shoes as frustrating and difficult it is I would just keep at your GP. Sometimes they have a certain threshold to meet in order to send for secondary advice from a throat specialist (ENT or whatever they are called) - try and make another appointment asap and tell them its now getting any better, worse in fact if stopping you from eating normally and you want it looked into and keep going back if they try something else that doesn't work.

Really hope it gets sorted for you!

Thanks Pepper. Got a GP appt tomorrow so will ask for an ENT referral even though I'm already under an ENT consultant for my throat problems (his secretary said I need to go back to my GP).

My mum had similar and it was something called ecalasia.....I have no idea how to spell it. Her osephagus was narrowing and she got awful pain and it got so bad food got stuck at times. The hospital put a special balloon down and inflated it to stretch the osephagus and she's been fine since.