trouble swallowing/gagging during and after eating

[nicoley17]

for about the past two years i have been having problems swallowing my food while eating. i will be eating normally and then it feels like my throat is just paralyzed and i cant make myself swallow my food. now for the past coupold weeks ive begun gagging during and after meals. i was diagnosed with anxiety, panic attacks, ptsd, and borderline personality disorder 2 1/2 years ago so im not quite sure if  this is causing this. i am not currently on any medications and have not taken any in about 8 months due to lack of health insurance. for a long time i thought that the medication was the source of me not being able to swallow food but after being off of medication for so long now nothing has changed. please help.

[Scarper]

Yeah I have been gagging on fruits and veggies since I was two! I hate it, I think I al gonna die if I can't eat anything healthy!!! I tried eating a grape two days ago in small pieces. I was able to chew and swallow, but it seems as if it got stuck in my throat. Then I tried a bigger piece and then I gagged, unable to swallow it, it also happens with all other veggtables and oatmeal! I'm only a teen and I can't live on like this!

[nicoley17]

just so everyone is aware when they read this post i am 23 years old.

[caregiver222]

While it is true certain medications affect swallowing, this is unlikely.

Your problem is not being caused by anxiety disorder. Cognitive therapy is not going to help.

Kateyes was giving you good advice.  There are lots of local clinics that provide treatment based on income. There are other serious diseases such as Parkinson's that present in such a manner.

You have a potentially life-theatening problem that requires treatment and evaluation by a swallow specialist.

Go to the internet and look up the government website for Hill-Burton hospitals. Find one that provides comprehensive care and go there and ask to be treated as a Hill-Burton patient.

Alternatively find a local clinic. There are many who will treat for a low flat rate.

[Dr J Singh]

Hello,
The various causes of gag reflex  are anxiety disorder,acid reflux,biliary disease,cranial nerve compression esp glossopharyngeal and vagus nerve and myasthenia gravis.

Both gastric reflux and gall bladder disease cause gag reflux esp after a heavy fatty meal.Diagnosed by ultrasound abdomen and upper GI endoscopy. Anxiety related gag reflex requires anti anxiety medicines and cognitive behaviour therapy from a psychiatrist.Nerve compression can be diagnosed after nerve conduction studies and Myasthenia gravis needs blood tests and EMG studies .

Most likely it looks like being caused by anxiety disorder.I would advise a physician’s evaluation for this.
Hope it helps.Take care and pls do keep me posted.Kind regards.

[KatEyes]

I hope you are hooked into a local clinic that prorates costs based on income, because you do need medical evaluation. You may end up at a gastroenterologist or ENT who will want to go down and take a look.

Anything from an enlarged thyroid to GERD to esophageal spasms to strokes can affect swallowing, just to mention a few. Since you could end up in bigger trouble by leaving some things untreated, I hope you will seek out public assistance. If it happens to be GERD related, you might want to consider if you could possibly have sleep apnea, as I've been reading the incidence of having both is pretty high and that apnea can worsen the GERD. Best wishes.