Yes, I will talk to a medical professional - I've tried before but never got anywhere as I was only describing mild symptoms; today has persuaded me I need to.
Once or twice a month, I sit down for my evening meal and as I take my first few bites, I feel a pressure rise up the back of my chest, like trapped air. It's a really weird feeling; it hurts, but I can still (sort of) breathe. It's like I have to burp to get it out. Sometimes it just passes, sometimes I end up thumping my chest a bit, or have some fizzy water. It's been a few moments of discomfort, that's all.
Today it happened again and I got the hiccups - or rather hiccupy-burps. I walked around for a bit and it wasn't shifting. It hurt a lot and I began to worry that I wasn't actually breathing properly (I could breathe in and out but it didn't feel right), and felt like I might even have to call an ambulance. Eventually I coughed/was a bit like being sick and loads of thick clear mucus came up. I had to do this three times before my chest felt normal again.
What the hell could this be? It's not mucus 'after eating' which comes up when I try to google - it's a weird pressure in my chest as soon as I start eating. Has it been mucus all along? Some kind of weird reflux?
I don't have a cough (a lot of pages come up about COPD too) and don't get breathless while exercising (not that I do loads, but I went on a two hour walk today and was fine). I'm 40, a bit overweight, don't smoke, have a couple of glasses of wine a night.
I don't think I've ever noticed it happening at breakfast/lunch/myriad snacks during the course of the day and evening. It does seem to happen a bit more often when I'm really hungry, but today I had a biscuit shortly before dinner.
I do have allergies - hayfever, animals. I think I'm dairy intolerant as well, and maybe have some issues with some other food groups. There was no dairy in tonight's meal but I did have some at lunch.
I think I've had it the last few years, ever since either I had my daughter (or went dairy free maybe). Can't be concrete.
Today was the worst ever time. I'm a bit scared now. It felt awful. Any ideas?