I have kind of a weird question…so i suffer from anxiety and i am sure this is just a effect of that…but lately i feel like i cannot swallow my food…like i over think it to the point where the food sits in the back of my throat and i feel like i am going to choke…now i am kind of scared to eat…i have tried taking smaller bites and finding different ways to chew the food but its still happening and its getting on my nerves…what fixed this for you if you have gone through it? i am not medicated for anxiety its something i have always got through on my own…i drink liquids just fine…its just food…and its when i realize im eating…i can take a few bites and be fine and then i remind myself and struggle…thoughts?
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Help a mama out and respond anonymously on our forum. Does anyone get anxiety about swallowing food?
I had this same thing years ago after my separation and becoming a single mum !! Every time I ate it felt like it was stuck and I was choking so I wouldn’t eat !! But after counciling and training my brain , I got through it and I’m sure you can to !! Good luck !!
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I was having that problem and had to get my esophagus stretched. Usually just meat that gets stuck. I need to go back and get it stretched again cause it gets stuck now too. I always have something to drink at the table with me and just take a drink with every bite of meat I take. It can be very scary tho so I know what you are going through. I don’t think it is anxiety. Or in my case it wasn’t anyways.
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Yes I have huge panic attacks over swallowing food. I choked as a child while in school and the teacher had to do the heimlich on me. Ever since then, I get bad anxiety about choking. I also have issues swallowing pills
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What is the underlying fear do you know? What is it that you are anxious about while you eat? Or right before? If it is not the fear of choking itself that has you anxious it could be another factor without you even realizing it. Is it every meal or just at dinner time or breakfast? I know it’s a lot of questions but getting to the root might help you out.
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If I was your I would contact your PCP and try to go to an ear nose and throat doctor and possibly get a swallow study done, but if it is your anxiety I would recommend pureeing your food. It may not be ideal but may ease your mind a little
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I do this to. But mine isn’t anxiety. I just can’t get my swallow reflex to engage sometimes. Its very weird.
I would see a physician regarding this condition. I have Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis and developed a goiter that interfered with my ability to swallow solid food. There are several other conditions that can cause this, such as strictures.
That’s weird bc I will not eat if I’m home alone. Someone always has to be there bc im scared of choking and noone helping me.
You need to talk to your PCM and get into a therapist. You may have managed your anxiety before but you’re keeping yourself from eating. That means you are no longer managing it. you need to address the root issues to your anxiety or it’s just going to keep manifesting in more ways.
That has happened to me and I found out it’s because I have acid reflux!
If it’s not a physical thing it sounds like food aversions too me. I went through this before. I didn’t beleive the doctor for a while on it. But it made sense once i did my own research.
Do you smoke weed at all? I’ve had issues with this as well but it was 1000x worse when I’d smoke.
Ya I used to give myself panic attacks over that as a child, lol. One time I had to leave a whole movie theater. I grew out of it, just tried to train my brain to think about other stuff or quit eating. Lol.
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I had ptsd from having hyperamisis while pregnant because couldn’t eat a single thing without spewing my guts up the entire pregnancy, I lost 75kg in 8.5 months a year later and I still can’t eat, but mainly because food hurts my stomach
ENT is a good idea to rule out anything serious but I am a speech pathologist and we work with a variety of swallowing problems including symptoms like this with very good outcomes
Can resolve this at first level by taking vitamin B12, St. John’s wort and ashwaganda-all help with anxiety. It’s natural and it really does help. Also could there be an underlining eating disorder? Sometimes it could affect the thought of eating and gaining weight could stress u out?
A reason I ran into was… allergies. I’m allergic to citrusy fruits and watermelon, cherries, and I was allergic to insulin and ibuprofen so as you can see it years to figure out but it would feel like my throat tightening. Eliminating common food allergy may help.
Swollen tonsils can also make u feel this way.
It would be wise to speak to a therapist to find out the reason ur super anxious-dealing on ur own is not the solution.
Try eating soup and bread dipped in soup and protein shakes. Being dehydrated can make u lose ur appetite.
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Do you take anxiety meds? Do you see a therapist to get them? If so bring it up to your therapist at your next visit. If you don’t see a therapist. Bring it up at your next appt at your primary care physician, they will look into it and order some tests if need be but Def don’t let it slide. Good luck love. Sure it’s nothing but it always pays to be safe than sorry.
This happens to me too. I just try not to think at all about what
I’m eating.
Yes but I have been diagnosed with ocd for 10 years
Sounds like you don’t have enough going on and you’re spiraling about nothing. I would suggest therapy and medication.
Is it a feeling like there’s a ball stuck in the back of your throat? This is called a globus feeling according to my ent specialist. Other thing is have you ever suffered from an ED? Either way I suggest a visit to your primary. You don’t want to let this get worse.
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Not weird at all. Please visit with your medical provider and voice your concerns. This is a huge choking concern and called dysphasia. As a fellow nursing student, I encourage you take care of yourself before it’s too late. Wishing you the best.
I do to allot just let your body do what it naturally does, just breathe
YES, I used to have a HUGE anxiety over chewing any meat or anything chewy. I once choked in a restaurant on steak, almost died, got heimlich remover twice . A stranger doing it saved me. After that I suffered for years from the anxiety. It took a couple of years for it to go away but I still sometimes will panic with steak
…the mind is a powerful thing… Youre overthinking
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There are some medical conditions that can cause this. I also have trouble swallowing. I saw my gastroenterologist. He did an endoscopy and a minometry (measures the pressure in my esophagus, which came back abnormal. I have Lupus and this happens. Eventually my muscles won’t work to swallow and I will have to get my nutrition from a feeding tube. There is also a diagnosis of a hyhatal hernia. That’s the feeling you get when your food feels stuck. The flap is screwed up that opens to let your food into your stomach and keeps your stomach acid from coming past that area. You need to see a gastro dr to rule out other things. Not ear nose and throat. My gastro had me see an ENT dr also but gastro 1st! My other recommendation is to seek out mental health counselor, to get to the root of your anxiety. Plus psychiatrist to see if medication is recommended.
I have worked in Healthcare for 34 years! Please consider my advice! You are suffering unnecessarily. 
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I’m this way too but with pills.
One of my granddaughters suffers from this. She is going to swallow therapy.
See an ENT and a cognitive therapist.
You can work thru it but probably not alone.
The ent can show you there’s mothing physically wrong. The therapy is to help you prevent the anxiety and find ways to work thru it.
Ask your doctor or look up ARFID
You need to be checked for a milk allergy, a milk allergy can cause your throat to constrict.
Repeat after me:Father God give me your peace
Counseling and medical treatment
You may want to talk to a doctor about this. It might be a sign of another illness or disease. Get it checked out for your own piece of mind.
I have the same problem. Been seeing a throat n ear specialist n he’s getting it all under control. My gag reflexes have gotten bad n throw up my dinner as a result. Just starting a new med n also a meditation routine to calm myself down for meals I’ll soon be eating. Everything is working ok so far. Still get that urge to throw up most every time we have dinner. Make an app t with a throat specialist. If still have you tonsils, ask they remove them. You’ll feel much better.
Talk to your dr. It may be anxiety related or could have a physical explanation (some people may need their esophagus dilated). It sometimes happens to me but I think it’s usually related to eating to fast & occasionally I need to regurgitate. Very unpleasant. Good luck
Mine isn’t food, but medicine. It literally feels like my throat closes and my tongue won’t move once the medicine is in the back of my mouth. I have never choked, so I have no idea where I get it from. I have been diagnosed with anxiety, but not for that. I just eventually get it down, sometimes it can take 20 minutes for me to talk myself through it.
Nope no issues here. Sounds like you are overthinking.
This is crazy I have the EXACT same problem you explained it so well
I go through same .I get my esophagus dilated like every few years but a doctor doesn’t like to do that to often cause it can wear holes in your esophagus.i als take a muscle relaxer to relax muscles around the esophagus.which works ok . allergies to will also cause problems like that .this year has been a bad year for allergies .if nothing helps as your doctor to do Altra sound of your thyroid to make sure you don’t have nodules growing …
My husband had this problem. He actually had to get surgery to remove food from is esophagus. You need to get an endoscopy. He has to take a steroid sludge for the rest of his life