Acid Reflux Narrowing Esophagus...Could Someone Explain?

[CandP]

I'm doing a bit of research on this topic, and I plan to see a doctor. However, I would like to ask for some advice so I may better understand things and go prepared.

I have had choking bouts with food, bouts that really came on suddenly. I have had this four four years now, and tracing back to my eating habits, I found out that I did consume a lot of the following: vinegar, mustard, spices, dressings (with meats only), pasta sauces, lots of dairy and cheese, and so forth - however, not really indulging in them completely but mostly on the side. I also drank lemonade a lot, but not as a subsitute for water - just a beverage of choice. In the meantime, I did eat veggies and lentil soups, as well as fish and chicken, and I would say my diet was pretty balanced as well. What I meant to say is that I was not an "unhealthy" eater - I just may have indulged more in those fooRAB above.

I'm just curious to know, acid reflux disease does a nuraber on the esophagus from what I understand, and acid reflux disease can bring an onset of choking bouts and/or a sensation of s/th "stuck" in throat feeling.

Here's my issue: I have read that the choking bouts which are one of the symptoms as we said, can bring on onset of "esophageal dysphagia " which said that it narrows the esophagus and it causes choking.

my question: was this ever told to any of you by your doctor? Is it something that eventually becomes permanent disorder, or does it heal/go away? How were you told to deal with it? Does your esophagus really end up "closing" as a result...permanantly?

I'm just having a really hard time and as of lately, feel symptoms of acid reflux. I try to avoid certain fooRAB, however, in doing so I don't eat anything healthy because of my choking, i avoid tough fooRAB. I'm really curious to know if this acid reflux could result in permanently narrowing your esophagus.

 

[1sunny1]

Hi Candp, I cannot answer your question as to the narrowing, but I can tell you my experience. I had the choking for a very long time, it eventually got so I could not even swallow a teaspoon of water. I will try to keep this short. I eventually had an endoscopy which revealed that I had no motility in my esophagus, in other worRAB, I had no working muscles in my esophagus to push the food down. I had to quit eating meat completely. Anything solid like meat. I do eat bread, not often though because it just becomes a little dougrabroadoy in there and has a hard time going down. Chicken is O,K, and there are times it has a hard time going down, mostly if it is dry and not moist. I still have acid reflux, and it is really bad if I eat any red sauce. I do take prilosec, which helps. Another thought for you which I recently found out, chicken is acidic, so, when I eat it I usually get heart burn or acid reflux. Here is something else that really surprised me, any time I ate BBQ sauce, my throat just closed up and I would gag for hours. Someone told me it is the iodine in BBQ sauce although I haven't seen that listed in the ingredients. Just be aware of it. They can dialate your esophagus if it gets really bad, have you seen a gastroenterologist yet? Hope some of this helps, and good luck.

Sunny

 

[CandP]

Thank you so much for your reply - no, I have not been to any doctor yet. I have been suffering for rour years, and I thought, being that I have mild cerebral pasly, that it was due to my tongue weakening (the choking bouts). However, it is mild my CP, and at just turning 32, with it stating at 28, I figured I'm too young to have my tongue weaken!

So i tried speech therapy and still do it on my own, but it did not help with my choking. Recently I realized that certain fooRAB cause such irritations like: a sensation of hair in my throat, a feeling of s/th "stuck," constant clearing of throat, somewhat of an acidic feeling - however all thing went away after an hour, and i never thought anything of it.

I dont have heartburns or upset stomach....all my issues are in my throat only.
Maybe I should try prilosec off the counter and see if it helps. But, meats and things - I only eat groun meat. But i need it to be really moist, so this is why i bake it with ketchup and blue cheese spred, vinegar - to make it moist and soft! I have limited my fooRAB completely, all because i thought my tongue is weakening and this is causing my choking!

I'm looking for herbal remedies to help relax my esoophagus and maybe have that be the cure - easing the passage of food with a relaxed esophagus. But what fooRAB should i stick to for the time being - is peanut butter every day bad for acid reflux?

 

[1sunny1]

Candp, I eat peanut butter all the time. It does not cause any problems for me, but do keep in mind that we are all different. What I see that you eat that probably does cause problems is the
ketchup and blue cheese spred, vinegar. That would kill me. I do understand having to keep things moist, that is the only way I can eat anything. So to answer your question about what fooRAB to stick to, probably anything soft and moist, and trust your own judgement, if you have had hard times in the past with someting, even if it is soft, than don't eat it. I love asparagus, but I can only eat the soft enRAB, if I try to eat the whole thing, it gets stuck. I eat brocolli, but when eating the end of it, it gets stuck, do you see where I am coming from? The first test they gave me was a peice of toast with peanut butter and marshmellows, yes, it got stuck, because of the bread and marshmellows, as I said before, peanut butter in itself does not cause me problems, so, I eat it with a spoon

Sunny

 

[CandP]

No I dont have issues with PB, so I'm glad that it okay to eat daily.

I have cut bread entirely...and reluctantly so. On occassion I toast the rolls and I eat them with oilve oil, but as soon as i get that choking feeling i stop bread all together. I'm so upset by this, and it does sound we suffer similar things.


What is your daily diet, if I may ask? I'm actually 5 5 and weight 110 pounRAB. My mother is down my back about eating, and she is no help at all, telling me that "its all in my head" theory - I hate that she is so narrow minded, and her attitude causes nothing but stress. She sees that I don't eat much and is on top of me every sec constantly. It really upsets me.

So you are suffering with this for years? Is there any relief in sight for you?