Food stuck in throat or lump?...

x_Trish_x · 02-17-2006, 04:30 AM

I feel like I have food stuck in my throat or a lump. It starts like right above the collar bone and goes down to midway breast bone. It does hurt to swallow or burp and it's very freakin annoying. This is the 3rd day of it. Anyone have any idea what the heck it could be? I'm going make an appt to see my dr tomorrow. Anyone have any ideas in the mean time to make it go away so I can stop being so annoyed?

-I've drank a ton of water and even threw up. I'm pretty sure it's not food since that happened but that's what it feels like.

Thanks for any help ladies...

Also - even though my air way is in no way blocked, I feel like at any moment it's going to close and I won't be able to breath. Perhaps that's just a panic type thing and not related to the problem so much.

NurseKat · 02-17-2006, 07:19 AM

I think you should go to your Dr. or hospital and get it checked out. 3 days is far to long for a sensation like that to go on.

x_Trish_x · 02-17-2006, 07:53 AM

That's where I'm headed tomorrow. They open up to take calls for appts at
7am so i'll be on the phone ASAP. I was just wondering if anyone else had this or knew what it might be. Thanks for responding

ljl7171 · 02-17-2006, 01:02 PM

I have a friend who went though this. I don't remember how long she had the sensation, but it was caused from her vitamin sliding down her throat and scratching it.

nobimbo · 02-17-2006, 02:04 PM

For sure get it checked out.

I had this sensation before and found out it was from not drinking enough water when taking meds/supplements. The name for what I had was "drug- induced esophagitis", and it was probably from my large Metformin and/or iron pills. Here's some info:

What causes drug-induced esophagitis?

First recognized in 1970, drug induced esophagitis occurs when two conditions exist:
First, a pill becomes stuck in the esophagus and slowly dissolves while remaining in contact with the delicate esophagus lining. So, if a pill passes quickly down the esophagus and is washed into the stomach, esophagus injury is uncommon.

Secondly, the pill must be one known to cause esophagus damage.

Not all medications are damaging. The worst offenders are listed below:
Certain antibiotics: doxycycline (Vibramycin), clindamycin (Cleocin)), tetracycline (Sumycin, Tetracyn), trimethoprim sulfa (Bactrim, Septra) The most common presentation we see is a teenager who has recently begun taking doxycycline for his acne.
Arthritis and certain pain medications - These are called non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and include ibuprofen, Advil, Motrin, Indocin, Aleve, Naprosyn, Lodine, Relafen and others.
Ferrous sulfate - (Feosol and others)
Potassium chloride - any slow release potassium (K-Dur and others)
Zidovudine (AZT)
Theophylline (Theo-Dur and others)
Quinidine gluconate (Quinaglute)
Alendronate (Fosamax)
What are the symptoms of drug induced esophagitis?

The symptoms of injury to the esophagus are chest pain, pain on swallowing and food sticking in the esophagus.

Risk factors for drug induced esophagitis

There are certain risk factors that make drug induced esophagitis more likely. These include:
Trying to swallow pills only with saliva. It is important to drink plenty of water with medications to be sure they are washed down into the stomach.
Blockage in the esophagus from hiatal hernia or a narrowing (stricture) caused by chronic heartburn. A malignant narrowing can do the same thing.
The elderly are especially at risk since they take more medications often have less saliva to wash them down who are often lying in bed, sometimes in a nursing home With aging the esophagus muscle often becomes weak making swallowing more difficult.
Large horse-size pills - some pills, especially certain potassium preparations, are huge and are more likely to get hung up because of their large size.
How is drug induced esophagitis treated?

esophagus lining will quickly heal and symptoms subside. In severe or atypical cases, your doctor may need to refer you to a gastroenterologist (specialist in digestive diseases) for a gastroscopy examination, a special "video scope test" of the esophagus to be sure of the diagnosis.

Prevention

Prevention of drug induced esophagitis includes the following:
Don't take medication when lying down. You should be sitting or standing whenever possible.
Drink 4-6 ounces of fluid immediately after swallowing pills and remain upright for at least 10-15 minutes.
If you have an esophageal disorder (stricture, achalasia, diverticulum) or if you must lie in bed, then take the medicine in a liquid or crushed form whenever possible.
Take medications with meals whenever possible.
Be especially careful of the large horse pills and the following drugs - slow release potassium, Quinaglute and Fosmax.
Summary

We all take medications at one time or another and sometimes they can cause a nasty, painful injury to the esophagus. Drug induced esophagitis can be largely prevented by always being sure that medications are swept down into your stomach and do not have a chance to dissolve in your esophagus.

http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cach...s&hl=en&start=1

Linda