Hi everyone,

I'm 46 and having a lot of perimenopause symptoms. Although, I've only had
night sweats a couple of times; nothing on a regular basis. But that's another
topic !

I was wondering if anyone is experiencing difficulty with chewing and swallowing
food. Lately I feel anxious when I eat because it feels like I may choke on the food as I swallow it. And it just sits in my esophagus until I swallow many sips of
liquid trying to make it go down.

There are some foods I simply avoid now, and I find myself eating more and more soft, easy-to-swallow things.

If there is anyone out there who is having the same problem, I would love to hear
from you ! I can't imagine that this could be related to peri or meno but maybe,
just maybe, it is ...

Suzy

It's probably caused by anxiety and the more aware of it you are the worse it seems.

This is a common symptom of anxiety - I've read of it many times.

When I was in my early 20's, one of my co-workers also in her 20's went through this. It got better in time.

Good luck, Suzy.

Yes, I agree with Jacquie. It's a very common symptom of anxiety. I would experience it often when suffering from anxiety. It also could be a sympton of GERD or reflux. The esophogus get irritated and it feels like food is stuck in your throat. I had this too and I treat it with Nexium.

Hang in there... gulp... I can relate, though when it happened to me I didn't particularly feel anxious till it seemed to happen frequently. Don't know if it is related to peri or not, but I went through a stretch where it was a regular occurance. All tests indicated it wasn't GERD, there is somewhere here another topic relating to this where another possible cause may be related to inflamation of the Larynx...LPR I believe is the acronym- forgive me I am not taking time to find it or spell chuck...

Never had the larynx checked.

The *swallowing* problem lasted about a year off and on, then was gone. At the same time digestion was giving me fits too...

It could very well have been muscles tensing from almost constant indigestion, developing worry as to what the heck was wrong etc. It seemed my shoulder neck muscles were always taut. Massage helped, as well as doing tai chi and yoga exercises.

Hopefully your problem will pass quickly - It is always a good idea to have symptoms checked for physical causes... yet I hope it helps to relieve your worry to know that someone else also experienced this.

It worried me initially as my father was diagnosed with mastavis gratis (sp) in his 60s which is a form of MS affecting the upper chest muscles and the inability to swallow was one of his major afflictions. Thankfully medication, lifestyle modification and his strong will he manages to live with this.

I experience this occasionally. In fact, happened just the other day. I was eating and all of a sudden could not swallow. I am sure it is due to anxiety.

Well, I have such a problem several years ago, but it was due to thyroid....

suzyQ2,

Not to freak you out, but you might want to mention this to a doc--my girlfriend had something similar--when she was flat on her back, she felt like she had something pressing on her neck and couldn't swallow easily and it turned out to be a serious thyroid problem, which she's recovered from.

You can check your thyroid in a mirror--stand in front of it, lift your head so you can see your neck, and swallow. If you see a lump that moves, then you should call your doc.

Just a thought--

Riv

Yes, I agree. I have noticed that many perimenopausal symptoms cross over into other medical areas as well, and from my own personal experiences, including gastrointestinal issues, it's best to see a doctor about this. Preferably, a GI specialist. After all that I have learned, people do not want to chance esophagus-related symptoms, so it's best to get checked out, even if the conclusive reason for it is anxiety.

Diana