In which I whine about my throat.

[Antisocial_Worker]

Or, "How did I get this fat when it's this hard to eat?"

For years now, I've had a problem with my throat closing up when I try to eat. It seems worse in the spring and fall, which makes me wonder if it's allergies to something or other, but it can hit any time. It never constricts my breathing, but whatever I'm trying to eat lodges in my throat and then it's a waiting game. Most of the time it goes down, but it feels like I've swallowed a whole orange -- I can feel it scraping its way down, all the way down. On occasion, the food does not go down and I have go hurk it back up. That's especially fun. Either way, I can usually count on a protracted bout of hiccups -- and those are always enjoyable when they're loud. People stare in restaurants.

I'm not asking for advice on this; I'm just bitching. It hurts like hell, it's inconvenient, it's embarrassing. My boyfriend the sturdy nurse blames acid reflux disease for it, and I can see that... My father had the same problem, as does my uncle, and both of them had to have their esophagi stretched to remedy it. I've talked to my doctor about it, but as long as I can choke down a meal, he doesn't seem inclined to do anything about it.

And every time it happens, I look down at my gut and wonder how the hell I got this fat when it's this hard to eat.

[Sapphire Silk]

It's not how much you eat, sometimes it's WHAT you eat.

Get a second opinion. I don't like what I'm hearing, and I think your doctor may be ignoring something significant.

[dalesys]

Gut to Throat, "You're so damn stingy about what you give me, I have to keep it all right here just in case you want it back!"

[BlaqueKatt]

I've talked to my doctor about it, but as long as I can choke down a meal, he doesn't seem inclined to do anything about it.

Of course, it doesn't bother him any. And Sapphire is right, your physician works for you, and should address your concerns. I once had a physician tell me my cramps weren't a problem. I fired him, and found a new physician.

[Soulstealer]

They're right in that it's as much what you eat as how much. I have a family member who got a gastric bypass and later a gastric band. She gained the weight back anyway because she just ate lots of small portions of the things that were bad and easier to get down.

[joe20girl]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achalasia

[42_42_42]

Thirding what Sapphire said: get thee a second opinion. This is NOT good!

[AccountingDrone]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achalasia

My mom had this - I remember my Dad saying that she had the dilation done which seemed to work.

If you have the vomit reaction it is hard on your teeth, like the vomiting from bulimia is, and you can get aspiration pneumonia if you accidentally inhale vomitus or food fragments from the choking or gagging.

[Seshat]

Fourthing on the 'get thee to a doctor who actually gives a damn'.

This is Not Normal. And while not everything that's Not Normal is bad - some of them are.

In this case, as AccountingDrone says, this particular Not Normal has bad consequences: for your teeth, for your esophagus, and for the parts of your upper digestive system which aren't lined against stomach acids. So even if it's a Not Normal which is otherwise harmless, that aspect of it should be being addressed!

But he hasn't even checked to see if it's a harmless Not Normal. Which is sucky, IMO.

So .. I fourth on firing this doctor and getting a better one.


Oh: as for the 'getting fat'? This is evidence that at least one part of your digestive system isn't functioning in a normal manner. What other parts aren't?
OR: have you been eating selectively - choosing things based on what you can swallow, rather than what's nutritious? (If so, I hardly blame you! Eating is essential for survival, and with no help from the medical community, you've had to make do with self-treatment. The obvious self treatment is 'eat what it's possible to eat'!)
In other words, the excess fat might come from a digestive system disorder of which the swallowing is the most obvious symptom. Or it may be a result of how you've been managing the swallowing problem. Or, of course, it might be that somehow you're eating more energy-rich foods than you need despite the swallowing issue.

[Zaiida]

Ouch that sounds brutal. Yeah, get a second opinion. You know something is wrong and acid can be very detrimental to your body. Ask your Dad and Uncle how to go about it now if they had the same thing