A while back, ( roughly a month ) I had a choking incident.This left me rather shaken up because I almost choked to death,but I figured it was a freak occurence.Well,two weeks ago I had yet another incident,with a hot dog getting lodged in my throat.I became rather alarmed at this second incident in so many weeks,so i did some research.The more I read up on acid reflux and hernias,the more worried I became I might have one or the other.Here are my symptoms : A difficulty swallowing foods, ( especially meats,and it's almost impossible for me to eat spicy foods without feeling I am choking. )a horrendous indigestion I cant shake,and regurgitation to the point I barely eat anymore.I have tried changing my diet,and although it has helped,I still feel a times I might choke to death eating.Later I was advised to start taking zantac,and I have.It helps,but I still feel like the pill is lodged in my throat after I take it.EVERYTHING feels like this.This feeling is extremely unnerving to say the least.What I'd like to know is do I have acid reflux,could I have a Hernia ? How would I know exactly ? The reason I put this on the back burner is because I have such a problem with my back I really didnt think it was any more than the fact I must have hurt my throat ( during my first choking incident ) and, of course,it needed to heal.So what would your opinions be on this matter ? Did I simply not give my throat time to heal or could something else be wrong ? I really apreciate your input.Sleep,because of my severe back problem, is hard enough to come by without dealing with this too.... :blob_fire :(

Hi there - you need to see a GI doctor and have endoscopy done to actually look at the esophagus. An upper GI might also be in order to check for hernia, achalasia (narrowing of the esophagus), and possibly esophageal manometry to evaluate the synchronization of esophageal contractions and motility of the esophagus.

Katie G

Hi GHJR....I agree with KatieG, you definitely need to have this checked out. That said, my Dad has had a hiatal hernia for decades, while I have been dealing with GERD for about 10 years. With GERD (reflux), I do not have that choking feeling, but my Dad was diagnosed with hiatal hernia after almost choking to death a few times, literally. My Mom had to bend him over a dining room chair and pound on his back to get him breathing and swallowing again. I don't want to alarm you, because as scary as that is, it's controllabe and treatable once diagnosed. He never had surgery, just watches his diet and refrains from spicy foods or other foods which bother him, although it took him a while to figure out which foods did that to him. I think in both GERD and hiatal hernia, it's "hit or miss" for a while while figuring out what works and what doesn't (or what hurts and what doesn't), since every patient is different. Defnitely get it checked out. Good luck!

Hi GHJR. I deal with the same thing and have for 7 mos. I too am dealing with back problems that cause leg and foot trouble and tried to ignore this at first due to the back stuff. But I couldn't . I had incredible chest pain upon each and every swallow of food or water or meds. Also quite often meat especially hung in my throat and pills did even more often. I went to my PCP and he gave me Aciphex and said I probably had esophagitis due to Fosamax that I had taken for 18 mos. for osteoporosis , The Aciphex did not help. I had a Barrium Swallow that showed an ulceration or large mass on my esophagus so my Dr ordered me to a Gastroentologist for an endoscopy . It showed nothing, no ulceration, no mass, nothing even to biopsy. I changed to Prilosec OTC rather than Aciphex since if it was not gonna help much at least it'd be a cheaper non help. The Dr. upped it to 2 a day. I continued that until late last month when my legs and feet were so bad that I had to attend to that. I am taking one Prilosec OTC now daily and while I am better, have far less chest pain on swallowing ,I still have those choking incidents and the pills hanging in the throat. I don't know what really to tell you . I suppose I will end up having a manometry if I ever get done paying for the PT I am having now on my back hoping to help my legs and feet. I've been on PPI's daily since Jan. 1 and I am not well yet. I hope you find some relief soon for your back and your esophagus. Hi to Katie G too ! Lia

I'm curious....do any of you think my asthma might make this worse ? Could it affect my reflux ? I've heard about the relation between the two,but nothing too explicit... :confused:

Hi GHJR -- Good question about the asthma, and my guess is that although they may not necessary be related (as in one causing the other), they may very well go hand in hand more than we think, for whatever reason. I just recently started researching for digestive issues, and as I mentioned before, I've had GERD for at least 10 years. I also have asthma, although I'm fortunate in that it's rarely a problem for me. But, it was a huge surprise to me to see how many posters on here mention that they have GERD AND Asthma!! Never, in all the years that I've had doctors diagnose, treat, discuss or try to educate me about my GERD and other digestive problems has any of them ever mentioned asthma as being related in ANY way. I find that odd, considering that so many people have BOTH. My brother was also diagnosed with digestive problems and GERD, and he too has asthma. HMMM. It's definitely worth inquiring about, and researching more thoroughly. Hopefully someone else reading your question will have more definitive answers, but thought I'd let you know that if I were you, I definitely wouldn't rule it out.

I think you should read the thread started by bleupumkin .

Magnesium also helps my wife's asthma.

I think you should read the thread started by bleupumkin .

Magnesium also helps my wife's asthma.
Believe me I'm reading everything I can get my hands on. :cool: It's funny how all of this started,with a choking incident ( heck,I almost choked to death on a piece of spicy chicken ) in Zaxby's ,a local chicken place.I've never, ever had a problem until then with swallowing,or with severe indigestion.I'm curious why,as some other poster stated in another thread,chocolate is bad for you ? Is choclate ice cream bad as well ? I ate some of that the other day when my throat was killing me.I figured it would help the pain.It did for a while.I can't help but think that my whole problem is related to my quick excessive weight gain from sitting around after I hurt my back.Anyone here ever bodybuild a lot ? It's hard to just "stop eating " a lot of food when your used to burning up a tremendous amount of calories daily.I'm also curious how something like this could happen so quickly....it was like one day it was not there,the next I was in " hard to swallow " land.I swear,my back pronblems are horrible,but not being able to feel like you can eat without choking to death is something ENTIRELY more distressing in my book. One quick question - What do most people drink with acid reflux that will not irritate your throat ? I've already stopped drinking soft drinks.... :blob_fire :(

I think you should read the thread started by bleupumkin .

Magnesium also helps my wife's asthma.

Harry....I haven't read the thread yet, but definitely will. I just wanted to add that I do already take Magnesium (for Migraines, which I also have...ughhh). Migraine sufferers are notoriously low in Magnesium, so I've been taking that for years....maybe just not enough. Thanks for the heads up, Harry.

To GHJR concerning what to drink...I find that although I definitely would prefer cold drinks over hot ones, the cold drinks (or anything cold, including frozen yogurt, etc.) causes me more problems than room temp or hot drinks. I've learned to drink a lot more water, but even then on bad days, even the water hurts going down with my GERD unless I have the Rx Prilosec. (OTC Prilosec does NOT work the same for me, no matter how much the docs or insurance company want to claim it's the same ingredients. Same active ingredient, yes, but manufactured in tablet form instead of capsule, and with different inactive ingredients that even the phamacist says makes a difference in how it's absorbed and used by the body). So for now, without my Rx that actually worked(!!), I just have to stick with drinks that aren't too cold. I guess we all have to find what works for us by experimenting.

GSJR,
Your problem may be caused by muscle tone and lack of some nutrients.

My wife developed a choking problem that she thought she would die every time it happened. Also a lump and the feeling food was not going down all the way to her stomack. The choking happened several times a week-- sometimes at the beginning of a meal and sometimes during the meal--- but very unpredictable. After alot of testing -- the test that found her problem was a swallowing manometer test that measures the pressure in her esophagus as she took sips of water. It is repeated every inch for the 9 or so inches of the esophagus.

The Gastro Doctor gave her Prilosec 20mg twice daily and said it was Diagnosed as "Nut Cracker Syndrome". She took the Prilosec for 6 years with no choking problem or lump.

Last summer she started getting nauseate most days and a family doctor switched her to Nexium.

But instead of the PPI we started taking a Magnesium supplement 4 times daily. She had taken a Calcium/magnesium supplement for 20 years at bedtime.
What I had been read about is that taking minerals once daily -- you only absorb 2 to 8 % but taking them 3 or 4 times daily the absorption inceases to 36 to 40%.
All of her swallowing problems went away in a week or so and the lump took several weeks.
She has not taken a PPI since last October and has had no problems.

As you will find out every manufacturer claims their's is the best and all do pretty well. But we like the chelated best. After alot of searching--I think it is the best bio-available supplement available. The chelated minerals are bonded to an amino acid(protein-- glycine and lysine) that is readily absorbed in your intestines. Albion Labs has the international patent and sells their product to many manufacturers. They have a very informative web site---Albionlabs.com

I think it is certainly worth a try. Most of us get enough calcium using dairy products but some experts think we are lacking magnesium.

Your doctor can do a magnesium screening test but it only tells you what is in your blood(serum) -- for all muscles to function properly you need it in your cells and there is really no way to test magnesium at the cellular level. About 67% of magnesium is in your bones about 1% in your blood and the rest in your cells.

Magnesium is a light metal that is 1/3 lighter than aluminum but our bodies don't use it in that elemental stage--- like Iron but all minerals have to be changed by your digestive system to an ion for absorption. So, if you buy something that is not easy to convert then you don't absorb as much.

There is only a 2 or 3 foot length of your small intestines where minerals are absorbed so that is why taking it just once daily does not work very well --- it took me 20 years to find that out. So, take advantage of my long searching for anwsers.

Dr Linus Pauline, winner of 2 Nobel prizes said, "You can trace every disease, disorder and ailment to a mineral deficiency"--- If he is right then we don't spend near enough effort or this problem. WE as well as doctors think we all get enough in our food??? In these days where our food is grown in depleted soil and very much processed --- alot is missing!!!

We like Doctor's Best more than others and you can buy them online at a good discount!! The daily intake should be about 400mgm. So, buy a size that you can take in divided doses.

Harry

Hi there lia! Good to hear from you. I hope you get things straightened out and feel better soon.

As far as asthma/reflux, yes, reflux can definitely worsen your asthma, especially if you're refluxing into the lungs.

Katie G