About a year ago, I noticed an odd sensation when swallowing. Kind of like there is a marble stuck to the right side of my esophagus, just under the right lymph gland and above the thyroid. Not really painful, and I don't feel any unusual swelling or anything that would correspond to the sensation. I also get a hot, "full" feeling in my right ear that extends to my throat, and a very loud ringing in that ear that comes and goes. I have mentioned it to 3 different doctors in the past year, but all dismissed it as irrelevant, and having nothing to do with TN. Well, excuse me if I have my doubts about their knowledge of a condition they have seen rarely or never. Now it is getting worse, I choke if I try to eat anything really solid. It feels like it is stuck, and I have to cough it back up. I could just stick to a liquid diet, but I would rather fix the problem. I really don't know if this is TN-related. None of the docs actually looked down my throat, or palpated the area where I feel an obstruction. I've thought about buying one of those fiber-optic cameras so I can take a look myself! I get the feeling they stopped believing me after I weaned myself off Neurontin (it wasn't helping). I refuse to try yet another, unapproved for TN medication, as I have not had good experiences with any of the anti-spaz meds they have tried on me. I no longer take any prescription meds for TN. This does not mean I no longer have pain, it just means I don't want to be in pain AND feel sick from medication side effects. I made the mistake of telling my primary doctor that I use meditation and visualization techniques to deal with the pain. If her smirk is any indication, it seems she is now doesn't believe I am in any pain. Hey, I didn't say it worked! I just said it is what I do.
Just before I started having beg flare ups again (I was in a remission for a few years) I would choke on food. I would have to make myself throw up just so I could breathe again. I never thought of it with the tn, but I havent had it since I've gone back on medicine.
Do you have any reflux or indegestion?
I’ve recently started taking (spirolactone) because I am losing my hair, nothing to do with the tn. The medication is giving me mild infrequent bouts of reflux and apparently that feeling at the back of the throat is related to the acid coming up the esophagus.
I can’t chew on either side of my mouth so I do have lots of liquid or very blended foods on a daily basis. I am also guilty of trying to nibble on more solid bits and pieces on the couple of teeth that don’t react and I think because the food is not ground up properly in the mouth it contributes to the reflux.
I would still push to have this investigated further in your case and if mine continues I am going to go back to the ENT just to make sure there are no other problems. My GP had given me a script for Pariet to help with the reflux.
Hope you can get it resolved, it is a horrible feeling.
Hugs trish
I do experience this from time too time. Just had it yesterday. I also get what some call fish bones where it feels like i inhaled a piece of dirt or swallowed a fish bone which leads to a lot of hacking and coughing trying to dislodge something that its not there. Sometimes it also feels like my tongue has swelled up to where it is to big for my mouth. This is a very strange disease, so many little things i could never really figure out seem to happen with some frequency to others with this.