Difficulty Swallowing and More

[karlywarrior19]

Hi everyone.
My troubles started with a suspected throat infection 2 years ago. I have difficulty swallowing food and fluids. It gets worse overtime.  

Recently even my own saliva is hard to swallow. It's either sticky or foamy. I constantly have a stuck feeling and associated pain in the right side of my throat. I also get a burning feeling with this.

Other symptoms include -
Dry mouth - I drool so much overnight which is where this must originate from. Although no matter how much water i drink it doesn't want to properly ever go away. It always comes back. More recently i have been trying Biotene Dry Mouth Products for it.


Nasal congestion/post nasal drip - this seems to be a constant problem. I wake up in the mornings with a lot of discomfort. I blow that much crap out my nose and yet some of it still goes down my throat. It's thicker whitish/yellowish stuff. Sometimes blood is mixed in with it.
In terms of the mucus, all meds i have tried for it makes me feel like i have a cold! I can't get the stuff up or down. It just feel stuck in my throat all the time.
I can also feel like i can't breathe easily from my lungs because of this.

Coating on back of tongue - This is constantly there and appears an off white/yellow colour. A toothbrush won't remove any of it. Sometimes food/fluid sticks there with it.

My right lymph node always feels swollen and the discomfort travels to the right of my jaw and ear. Sometimes i get ringing in my ears.

I get a lot of headaches and dizziness. A newer thing is pressure in my head. My eyes feel irritated a lot of the time.

I experience belching throughout the day.

I have what appears to be toenail fungus on both my big toes that will not improve at all.

I get stomach pain/gas/constipation/feel bloated at times.

I get numbness/tingling in my left foot throughout the day and in my left hand at night. I also get chest pain at night.

These symptoms are now worsened by anything i consume. I am living off of nutritional supplements and even these are becoming too hard for me to have.

The pain in the throat is a bad pulsating feeling. This and the stuck feeling which are both located in the right side of my throat are my most bothersome symptoms. Along with the dry mouth and saliva problem.  

I haven't gotten anywhere with doctors. GP's always say my throat is infected and sometimes i am given a course of antibiotics. This is exactly how my problem started.

I don't know what to do. I'm depressed with all this constant discomfort and not being able to eat.

Has anyone else been through something like this? I am interested in hearing from you and appreciate any help and support.

Thank you.

[Smiley2000]

Thanks Flycaster for sending me the message!  I've been out a lot lately and did not see her message.  She lives in Adelaide, and that is where we go for Doctors, etc.

Keep well :)

[Smiley2000]

Hi there,

Flycaster has sent your message to me.

I've read through your 1st post and you've got a lot going on, but I can maybe help you with the ENT/motility issues.

A short description of my background:  I have been struggling with GERD issues from 2006.  It started off with chest pains and after an Endoscopy, I was diagnosed with having Barrets Oesophagus due to longstanding GERD and eventually, after having heaps of tests done and seeing at least 3 different Gastro Ents, I had a successful Nissen Funcoplication.  I still get monitored for the Barrets.

During this time, I also struggled with my throat and a lot of alarming ENT symptoms, pretty much like yours.  Struggle to swallow different consistencies and having a lump in my throat and the thick mucus, clearing throat all the time, swollen glands and sore throat and the chest pains continued.  I eventually seeked the help of a Otolaryngologist - an ENT Specialist that specialises in GERD related issues.  I had a Laryngoscopy and the ENT diagnosed me with:  Chricopharengeal muscle dysfunction and spasms.  

You're in luck!  the ENT is in Adelaide!  If you are interested, I can send you more details.

Hope I was able to help.

[Flycaster305]

You are from Australia where another person with similar problems lives, I'll alert her to your post.
That said, I don't think you should be seeing a GP, but a Gastroenterologist.  I have developed a swallowing issue almost identical to your situation.  Mine is complicated because I can't vomit, only toss up what is in my esophagus.  There are two tests I'm almost sure you would have if a Gastro doc was involved.  The first is an Endoscopy, the second a Motility test that shows exactly how you swallow, where the problem is, the pressures, etc.  The Endoscopy is relatively easy, the Motility test is more difficult.  I think you will get a message from Smiley... keep us informed.

[karlywarrior19]

Thanks for the info and that's something i'll remember. I do try to remind myself it's okay if things take time. Gradual is better than trying to jump ahead and only fall back worse.

I'll remember to post updates here as they happen.

[selmaS]

  Hi...I eat yogurt but do not get my  probiotics from that I do take it in pill form....from what I understand most probiotics in yogurt can die off b4 it is ingested...so it is not a reliable means.

Talk to your Dr or pharmacist as to which pro biotic is best for you.

Good luck with your diet change or modification.....slowly is best for me as well....one of the reasons  I have a tortoise as a avitar is to remind me and others slow and steady for anything we do.....

[karlywarrior19]

Hi SelmaS.

No, my GP has not tried me on a antihistamine, at least not one that could be taken everyday.

A few others online have also mentioned yeast. I definitely seem to be worse after the course of antibiotics i took recently.

I think it's about time i tried treating this more like a yeast problem. The more dots i join together, the more i am thinking it is this.

I'll bring up my thoughts with my doctors when i see them after the new year and will ask about the things you've mentioned.

In terms of the probiotic, do you have yoghurt or have it in the form of a tablet or etc?
I hear a lot of mixed things about them and am not sure which one would be more effective.

I am working on slowly changing my diet. I find i don't do well with sudden elimination and change.
Stress has been higher for me lately but i am working on being more neutral about things.

Thanks for your help.

[selmaS]

  PND can cause reflux....and much of the symptoms you mentioned....has your Dr tried you on an antihistamine?

  Antibiotics can cause many of us to develop yeast infections....I need to take DIFLUCAN to help prevent it from forming with a course of antibiotics and I also need to take a pro biotic to help restore the balance of good bacteria in my system as they are killed off with all the bad.

Avoiding trigger foods is important as well as any other possible triggers, like smoking, alcohol...stress....