QtrHrsMomma

Hi there!

I have been suffering with, what I believe to be esophageal stricture, for the past 3 or so years. I have a terrible time swallowing food and it almost always gets lodged in my esophagus. So bad sometimes its to the point that it wont go down OR come back up. I have to drink after every bite to wash it down (but not pop, anything remotely fizzy acts like drain-o and causes severe pain).

I had an severe 'episode' at my husbands xmas party this past weekend. My food got so stuck that I had to sneak off to a friends room and try to either throw it back up or swallow it down. After trying for nearly 20 minutes to get it down I decided to try to bring it back up instead. But all that would come up was mouthfuls of mucousy stuff (I assume it was lots of saliva from the major swallowing I do). It was impossible to get anything other than that mucousy stuff and some fine food (sorry for the graphics)by the clump in my throat.

Finally a piece of meat dislodged. And it wasnt large at all. I make sure to cut my food VERY small and chew VERY well becuase this happens so often. I was sweaty from the panic and the pain. I can breathe through these episodes but I start to get very panicky. My husband nearly took me to the ER.

I have seen a doctor about this a few times. He had the nerve to ask me how I know something is stuck! I was like "well I can feel it!" (duh!) He ordered an upper GI to check for stricture (I thought), and that came back saying I have reflux, which we already know.

He put me on Pantoloc, which has given me horrible heartburn. He said that even though they didnt check for a stricture that if there would have been one they would have seen it.

He thinks 'maybe' that the reflux causes my esophagus to contract because its so inflamed/eroded. But I know when I have reflux (mouth fills up with it) and its NEVER even near the time time that this happens. My reflux usually happens at night.

What can I do about this? See another doc? Im scared to get the same 'its in your head and its not really THAT bad' feeling that the other doc gave me.

Im just really scared that one day I wont be able to breathe all the way through this. this happens almost daily, and sometimes at every meal. Even liquids sometimes hurt going down.

Im at my wits end. Im 27, female, otherwise pretty healthy (some health probs but nothing related to this).

Help! Anyone suffer like this?????