Hi ladies,

have any of you ever gotten a weird, sort of pressure feeling down the back of your esophagus when you swollow something? This is like when you swollow a LARGE pill, and it kind of presses on the back of your esophagus going down, so that you feel it in your back, like by your lungs? I've had that twice in the last two days, and it's when I'm either drinking or eating something cold.
Like i said, it's happened only twice, but two days in a row. I don't feel sick or whatever, but I had to take a xanax a few hrs. ago because I felt this anxiety coming, but the xanax took it away - but then, say about 45 minutes ago, i had some ice cream, and it didn't happen at first, but aabout half way through this bowl of ice cream, I got this feeling when I swollowed. It's not up in the throat, it's in the back....like i said, it's like when you swollow a LARGE pill, and you can feel it going down the back of your esophagus, as if it's sitting in your lung. This is a lousy feeling. I still can feel it a little, not much, but it's annoying. I asked my son if he had ever gotten this, and he said yes, so at least, it's not just me. But as you well know, my health anxiety kicks in and you begin to think the worst!

ok thanks ladies, i do appreciate your time! Sincerely, MyDarling

Sounds like the symptom of GERD. What part of your cycle are you in? It seems to hit me in the 2nd part. As of this month I am on one med. after the other between the GERD and my stomach ulcer that felt like coming back to pay me a visit.
The GERD has been horrible. If symptoms continue, see your Dr. There are meds that take it right away. I am on Nexium 2x 40mg. It has really, really helped.
Good luck...BTW, if you start to feel as if you are having a heart attck and need to deep burp to relieve the pain, it is also a sign of GERD. Don't panic, know that it is all related!
Girlsmom

Hi,
thank you for your reply. well, the thing is, I thought you felt GERD in the front of your body, more like around your stomach and then up your chest into your throat, and isn't it more of a feeling of something coming UP from your stomach or chest area, rather than this, which is when I swollow, i feel that feeling when it goes DOWN. I used to have GERD a number of years ago, and it was mainly in the front of my body, and it would feel like something coming UP, almost like a sour acid taste, and it would sometimes burn...so I know waht that was...no, this is different, this is like when you swollow a pill, and it goes DOWN (not UP) and seems to press against the back of the esophagus.....it sort of hung around for about an hour or so ... and then left.

yeah, if anyone else has this, please let me know...my mind starts to go nuts! thanks....MyDarling

oh wait. .... i'm in the 2nd half of my cycle, my period is due anywhere between the 15th and the 19th .. so, i don' t know .. could this feeling be related to hormones, i mean, being that EVERYTHING ELSE SEEMS TO BE! .. LOL... or anxiety? maybe it tightens up in the esophagus?????

I just wanted to reply about the odd feeling in your esophagus. Years ago I was very stressed and I felt like something was always stuck in my throat, like a lump. I went to the Ear, Nose & Throat specialist and he said that it was a spasm on my uvula in my throat. He prescribed paragoric and voila, it went away. Nowadays they would probably just prescribe a light tranquizer or something. But anyway I want you to know that before you start thinking the worst. Have a great day. Love, Lilyfields

I wanted to add my two cents..I have posted this before ,but this really works.Sounds like you may have acid reflux.This helps with all kinds of things
APPLE CIDER VINEGAR..You know the saying a apple a day keeps the doctor away..I believe there is something to it..


Acid reflux
Arthritis
Joint pain
Balances ph in the body
Cleans arterial plaque
Cleans toxins out of the body
Good for sore throats
Regulates calcium metabolism
Helps regulate menstral cycle
Hot Flashes

Google ...Apple Cider Vinegar and see for yourself.I take it everyday
.
2tbs Apple Cider vinegar..Bragg 's is good(organic w/mother)it has alot of enzymes and pectin
1/4 tsp baking soda
8oz of water

3x daily

Hopes this helps.
Pamela

I've had this off and on for several years-I always described it like you did-like you swallowed a pill sideways-I was told it was stress related and even though I've had A LOT of stress lately,I haven't had it in a while-maybe after years of peri I'm getting used to all the crazyness! I have no suggestions but at least you know a lot of us have it-hang in there

thank you ladies!!! geez, it seems that everything is either related to ANXIETY or HORMONES! HOLY COW! you just can't get away from this! DARN IT! .. lol ... well, at least I know! Let me ask you guys something, when you've had this before, did it hang around for a few days or what? See, I can remember having this back in Feb., it just started up out of nowhere again. It felt like I had just swallowed a marble, and it was slowly going down the BACK of my esophagus, so that you feel this in your BACK, by your lungs. (is that where you felt it too?) I remember that day, because i got so panicky, and my husband had to take his knuckles and sort of dig them into that area of my back, between the shoulder blades close to the spine and rub around a little .. now, that sort of helped, it didn't take it away, but it helped. I felt like there was this marble just sitting there, like a hard something. Then, of course, you loose your mind with fear, thinking its cancer or a tumor....geez! Well, that was Feb. and it hung around for that day ONLY.(on and off) THIS TIME, it started a few days ago, and it's been hanging around ever since, for about 3 days now. It's there on and off. Sometimes when i eat something, and sometimes not. Now, today, when I woke up, I laid in bed for about 1/2 an hour, just sort of mulling things over in my head, no particular stress other than my norm...and i noticed suddenly that i didn't feel it....UNTIL, just when I realized it didn't feel it, IT STARTED! It got sort of "tight", and that feeling of that hard marble sitting in there, in my BACK, started to act up, and I'm still dealing with it. It's not "painfull", but it sure is annoying.

I had been thinking anxiety, or HORMONES as well. I wonder if hormones can do this, they can do EVERYTHING ELSE!
I also was told about acid reflux, and I had had that years ago, but that was mainly in the front area, up my throat and in my chest.
And, wouldn't acid reflux come UP from your stomach or lower esophagus? It doesn't happen when you swallow, does it? ESPECIALLY NOT IN YOUR BACK????? RIGHT? Maybe I scratched it while eating the other day, and didn't notice it then, is that possible? I would think, however, that if you hurt yourself somehow, you'd have noticed it THEN, no?

ok, well, I"m going on and on ..... I get nervous about everything latley, and I was never like this before! EVER! . lol...

thank you for your replies ladies! if there is anyone else out there with this, please....let me know!

Sincerely, MyDarling

yes md i use to get it alot it was very bad pains like heart attack and to tell you the truth the only way i could relieve it was to vomit. It was so emabarssing going to resturant and then getting it. And the cold or carbonation usually triggered it. i don;t get it as much now weird. goodluck. lizardlover

I have this off and on as well, I also sometimes get food stuck in my esophagus, which is very painful and uncomfortable. I had an endoscopy last year, and the only thing the doc found is a small hernia. I think it must be esophageal spasms.

Hi everybody

I had noticed, off and on for years, this tightness in my esophagus. It was a really awful feeling, like someone had a rope around my neck, and I couldn't do anything to loosen it! The severity of it finally drove me to the doctor, back in '04, and I was sure it was an enlarged thyroid or something.

My doctor knew exactly what it was. He called it "globus hystericus" and said it is stress related. The muscles in the throat manifest feelings of stress or anxiety by tightening. Even if we aren't CONSCIOUSLY feeling stressed always at the same time we feel this tightness. He explained this is just an unconscious physical response to mental/emotional stress levels.

He gave me Xanax and Clonipin for it. They worked very well; but I hated always being tranquilized. I came home from my part time job at 1pm each day exhausted, and slept most of the rest of the day, and at night too. I had no life! So several months later, as soon as I was able, I weaned myself off. Withdrawal was AWFUL. It took some time--but now my esophageal tightness is gone, chiefly because my depression/anxiety are successfully medicated. But not with benzo's. Never again, for me.

Just a heads-up--if you want to ask your doctor about globus hystericus, be warned that not all medical providers have heard of it.
I was lucky mine had.

Take care and good luck, MD, and everyone else.

Lavender

I've had this feeling too. I thought I had swallowed a bone or something. I went to a dr. and he said it was anxiety. Even had a name for it -Globus Hystericus. I don't panic anymore when I get it. Just try to do something to relax.
Take care
Susan

hi ladies,

thank you all for your posts! well, that lasted about 4 days, and went away. Another peri symptom, I guess. In one way I'm getting used to these weird symptoms that pop up out of nowhere, then again, I still get panicky!..lol but, I"m getting better.
That made me nervous, because it really did feel like a "marble" was in my lung! I could breathe fine, that wasn't the problem...but it just felt like there was something stuck in there, in my back. Well, it's gone now, and that's all i know! thank you all for your help, this way, if it should ever happen again, I'll know what it is!

Sincerely, MyDarling

I have had this feeling for several years, off and on, and usually, but not always, it is triggered by taking the first sip of a Diet Coke, I guess because of the coldness and carbonation in it. But, it occasionally even happens when I swallow food.

MyDarling, you have described this sensation to a tee, feels like it's real deep almost into the back, like a marble going down. It pains me for the first few seconds until it reaches a certain point. I always thought it was an esophageal spasm. What do you think?