trouble swallowing

[shock1992]

I have trouble with swallowing my spit. I get chocked on it every day sitting or laying down. I am a 63 female with a lot of health issues due to age and diabetes. I also have degenerate bone diease. Could this be due to any of these conditions, or is this something new?

[PandaPio]

I suggest you see a physician. I had this problem severely about 16 years ago. Mine is related to complications of MuscularDystrophy. I had plenty of doctors who didn't believe me,  but I knw it was not put on, so I pursued it.

I ended up having aspiration pneumonia multiple times not only because of the fluids and saliva but the barium I had to try to swallow to get the CT done. In my case, my muscles had a developed a delay to evacuate the mouth, and they were to weak to close off trachea. I ended up with a feeding tube for a number of years. In a Houston, TX hospital, a speech therapist helped re-train my swallowing muscles using lemon ice therapy. This was only after we knew what the problem was though.

I urge you to get it checked. Like many other things, dysphagia has best options and treatment the earlier/sooner it's checked.

Best wishes! Please let us know your progress, diagnosis, etc. If you have questions about my experience, I'd be happy to answer.

[mammaw_medma]

I once had problems swallowing. It was very scary. I later learned I had a large thyroid tumor that was growing inward and pushing against the spinal column in my neck. It actually caused spinal bifida in the cervical region. I am sure there are possible other reasons that could cause this problem. Thyroid tumors and spinal tumors are only two possibilities.

My mother also has had problems swallowing. Her problem was caused by a condition known as achalasia.

You may want to seek medical advice. I hope it is nothing serious.

[caregiver222]

Difficulty in swallowing is called dysphagia and it can be scarey and even life-threatening. There is a medical specialty that deals with this problem. There are a dozen possible reasons for this to develop. I urge you to get a referral to a specialist in dysphagia and an in-person evaluation.