9 yr old won't eat solids

My son (9 yrs old) insists that food becomes "stuck" or goes down slowly in his esophagus. He becomes very, very distressed when this happens. He says he feels as though he can't breath and is going to choke. This has become so problematic that he no longer will eat solid foods at all, his weight has dropped and he has panic attacks when pushed to eat or if the 'choking' sensation comes to him while away from my husband and I. (ie...at school) In all other areas of his life he is a normal 9 yr old boy. He has friends....stays over night with friends...has a good sense of humor and gets great grades at school. The GI doctors seemed to have written him off as having anxiety disorder and that results in the sensation in his throat. My question is...can anxiety center on just eating? Has anxiety caused his choking phobia or is there something that the doctors have missed causing him this much anxiety?

PS..Acid reflux was found a year ago along with 5 small ulcers which are now healed.  Any chance he could be having spasms?

[BethanySublime]

Don't quote me on this, but my GUESS would be it is anxiety (I am no doctor though).  Anxiety can definitely be centered around eating only.  I am 19 years old and have never gotten over my fear of choking on pills, and I really don't think I will ever be able to swallow them.  And I do get panic attacks where I get the same feeling in my throat as him.  Of course, I never actually got my esophagus checked out so I don't know for sure, but after years of living with this (not as bad as your son though), I've accepted it as anxiety.  I'm sorry I don't have any advice to help him out, but I'm still trying to figure that out.

[Enoch Choi]

Press the GI doctors more, they're being pretty cavalier if they're diagnosing just on the history, if there's weight loss.  There are a number of tests that can help.  Only the GI docs can determine if there's an organic cause for the dysphagia.

Enoch Choi, MD

[NURSELPN]

Hi carrie0504,

I asked Dr. Choi to drop in & post. I hope you or he don't mind.

When I read your post I was very concerned. Wt. loss & diff. swallowing in a nine year old is nothing to fool with & if anyone is anxious it is you. I can't blame you one bit. I hate the diagnosis of anxiety. I see it as a symptom of something bigger not a diagnosis.

If you live in the states, may I suggest that you take him to a major medical center such as a university teaching hospital. They are wonderful at getting to the bottom of things & don't give up easily. They have the latest technology & a fresh pair of eyes to evaluate the situation.

Your in my prayers,
God Bless, TJ

[MM365]

Our son has had the same exact problem for over 3 months, ever since he had a sore throat. We were given antibiotics by the doctor to help with cold symptoms.
We just had a Gastrointestinal Endoscopy procedure done but nothing was found.
He will eat Smoothies, tomato soup, mashed potatoes, yogurt, ice cream, etc., but nothing with lumps. He has also lost weight. We may try a psychologist next. Let us know how your son is doing and we will do the same.

[missyann1976]

Oh my goodness!!!  My 9 yr old daughter is doing this exact same thing.  She has lost 12 lbs in 1 month and will not eat anything.  She got choked on a chip a a school and every since then, she thinks she is going to choke.  She has been scoped, had a barum (sp) swallow, etc.  They found nothing.  She freaks out if she has to eat.  I don't know what else to do.  What do you do?  We've seen 4 different doctors.  We are starting with a phychologist next.  Please keep me posted and I'll do the same.  I am stressing over this.  70lbs at the start and now 1 month later, 58 lbs.  HELP!!!!!!

[MM365]

  Our son was diagnosed with Acute Acid Reflux. We were given Prevacid Lansoprazole, and after about a week his appetite had increased. Its been about 3 weeks and he has almost returned to normal. I am not sure if it was the medicine or he finally just got over the fear of eating solid food. We hope this is behind us.
  His starting weight was in the high 80's and his lowest weight was about 64. For a variety we would take different soups (clam chowder, cream of potato, and one of his favorites, caned sweet pees and some milk, to name a few) and put them in the blender. Smoothies were always on the menu with plenty of bananas and protein powder. The only advice I can offer is to take it one day at a time and be patient. We never wanted to scare him or make him more nervous about his condition, in the event that stress could be the problem.
Good Luck!

[nvme2day]

Sounds to me like he has a narrowing of the esophagus due to GERD. I too have the same problem but it is only when I eat french fries or beef. Also called Esophageal Stricture. I would take him back to the Gastro and adamently request that it be checked out.

[cacyshay]

Has your child been tested for any motility disorders? There are a number of things that can go wrong in the digestive tract and the symptoms that your child is having is a symptom of one of them.
If the muscles in the digestive tract do not work as they should, it can cause major problems from the beginning (swallowing food) to the end (expelling the food in the form of a bowel movement). I can relate to your experience.. I have a 12 year old daughter who has been suffering for 2 years now with digestive problems. We went through several doctors, procedures, and sleepless nights to get to the point that we are at now.
After being told by the first few physicians that it was "all in her head" and I had no clue as to what I was talking about, we finally found one that has atleast gotten us to the point we are at. She has been diagnosed with Gerd, Gastorparesis, SIBO, and her gallbladder is not functioning properly... My daughter does not complain of having a hard time swallowing food, but does often feel like she has something stuck in her throat. If your child were to have a motility disorder (and it is possible to have motility problems in only one area of the digestive tract, such as the esophogus) then it could explain the problems that he is having with swallowing. While considering this possibility, take note of any other problems your child may suffer from such as, excessive gas, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, stomach cramps, ect..
(and he does NOT have to have these other symptoms, these are related to the lower digestive tract)
My personal feeling concerning physicians is this... They have an education, I am grateful for that... However, I am the person who know's my child better than anyone else and when I say that something is not right then I would expect them to trust my judgement and make use of that education by finding out what is wrong with my child.
I sincerly hope that if you have not already found the answer, that you soon do!

[ChitChatNine]

My daughter used to get laryngospasms from acid reflux.  If you do a search it describes tightening, etc.

Did they do a swallow study, etc.?

Definitely persue this .. nothing for them to write off a anxiety.

My daughter was written off as probably IBS and had GERD or so they thought and she took Prevacid on/off for 2 yrs and finally it got so bad she was in the ER and finally got the correct DX of a severely dysfunctional gallbladder and 2 weeks post op today she has not taken Prevacid once .. she actually had bile reflux!!!!!!

C~

[Slvr6]

I am so glad to have run across this site.
My 9 yr old daughter had a course in CPR/First Aid in school and when they talked about choking she freaked out, went to the nurses office balling, and has developed a fear that she will choke if she swallows her food.
It's been three weeks now. She is doing a little better but at first it was yogurt or pudding only. Now she will eat small bites and her portions are small. She has lost wieght. I just can't talk sense into her. She has talked to the principal at school and the counselor. Now I am thinking of finding a phycologist also. I was hoping her fear would phase out. But if it doesn't I don't want her to carry an irrational fear all her life.

[Alba_Castellanos]

hello to all I have a 8yr, old so that won't eat no solid food's at all, no meat's, veggies, fruit's. The only thing's he will eat is noodle soup, or a homemade soup i do at home, he will also eat go-gurt's only, almost any liqiud's,and skittles/starburst, no chocolates or ice cream etc. I'v turn so many ways an dso concerned for my son. He has been liek this for about 3 yrs. He became like this when his tonsils were removed at an early age. Since then he just dosen't wan't to take anything. If a doctor, nurse or any one reading this pls. respon dto me would greatly appreciate it.

[worriedmom1234]

Oh my God, I am so glad that I found this site!  My 9 year old son with Asperger's has the same problem.  He choked on a hot dog about a month ago and my husband was able to get it out.  Life went on as usual and he seemed fine.  He was eating fine.  Then he got really sick with a terrible cough.  He literally could not go 2 full minutes without coughing for a few days!  He was still eating fine until a piece of goldfish cracker he was eating went down the wrong way.  We think it brought back the hot dog incident to his mind and he has refused to eat solid foods since.  It has been 2 weeks now.  He gets extremely stressed when we try to get him to eat or even bring it up!  He even says that he can't stop thinking about the hot dog.  He is existing on those meal replacement drinks mixed with ice cream and some yogurt.  He says that he wants to eat but is terrified that he will choke.  He says that his throat feels funny when he tries to eat.  He cries every day about how hungry he is and how he wants to go back to normal.  We don't know what to do for him.  We have an appointment with a pediatric ENT and are also trying to get him into some sort of anxiety counseling.  We are about 90% convinced that it is severe anxiety but are worried that there may be something physical going on also!

[Jaybay]

I've had esophogeal spasms since I was a child.  That's been a looooong time ago!  My mother has the same thing.  I can tell you they are very frightening.  Feels like you're having a heart attack when the food (or even liquids) get stuck halfway down to your stomach.  I can easily understand why a child would avoid eating solid foods if his esophogus spasms.  Making matters worse is anxiety.  That alone can bring on a spasm so you end up in a vicious cycle.

There are a couple of important things to do when a person is prone to these things.  Always remember that it WILL pass.  Your airway is not obstructed, so sit up straight and breathe through the nose slowly until it's over.  The more you panic, the worse the spasm and the longer it lasts.

Sitting up very straight while eating or drinking is of paramount importance for avoiding a spasm.  Same goes for not swallowing until the food is thoroughly chewed, and eat slowly.  Make sure one bite goes all the way down before attempting another one.  Where liquids are concerned, sip rather than gulp.  

I'm not aware of any meds that target this problem, so if anyone knows I hope to see a post about it.  :-)

[Thrilled]

Any updates??? my 7 year old daughter has been on liquids for 1 month now- so similar to many of your stories, except no choking incident that we're aware of.

We've some the swallow study (upper GI), all clear.  Acid meds did nothing.  

She also says she feels like something is 'stuck' in her throat.  Help!!!!

[gutless]

I used to be a youth worker and have seen this kind of thing many times due to anxiety and it then becomes a trigger for further anxiety. What I have found to help is to get you child to chew small mouthfulls of food 40 times each and wash it down with water once he starts to eat without the anxiety start lowering the amount he has to chew.( this will be hard because its boring , try to make a game of it or start a reward incentive). also when it comes to meat, dont serve it well done, and cook vegies fully to start with. hope I could help

[geminigirl1963]

Since the original post on this discussion was made over two years ago, you may want to try posting a brand new question - you may get more and better response - it's quite possible some of the original posters are no longer on the site.

[Sassie__]

I am suffering from trouble swallowing also!! I just start choking on whatever i'm eating, without warning. My throat has been pretty sore to say the least. Does your daughter have a sore/burning feeling in her throat? If she feels like there's a lump there then i can't blame her not wanting to eat. Could be anxiety, an eating disorder/excuse not to eat, a bad throat.,

[mommyland]

My 9yr old son choked on a chip 2 weeks ago.  He was really freaked out by this and then stated he thought he choked on a piece of food a few days later.  Anyway, he is sensory challenged at times but is a smart kid and an excellent student at school.  Last week he decided he can only eat liquids from now on and has extreme anxiety regarding the issue of eating food.  He says his throat is closing and the food gets stuck.  The pediatrician said he has a post-nasal drip(which I am medicating him for) but otherwise he is fine.  Not sure what to do this as he is starting to lose weight and is on the small side to begin with.  I thought maybe OT, a child psychologist and a trip to the GI doctor would be appropriate.  He is my oldest of 4 children and I am very stressed out right now.

[dede69]

my daughter is 9 and has been dealing with the choking for a year now.she has lost a lot of waight and only eats ice cream,mashed potatoes and liqiuds.lots of tomatoe soup, carnathoin instint drinks.she allso has a bad fear of her eye lashes falling out.they told me its all in her head and she needs counsling.she has a mild case of terrets as well.she cant stand certen fabrics on her skin eather.panic attacks sometime to.we are working with her,but as for her terrets theirs not much we can do.

[ktwoodman]

My 6 year old son, in grade one has also developed a fear of eating solids just in the last week. He says every time he swallows it feels like he is going to choke. There is no choking incident I am aware of. I originally thought it was strep, which he does tend to get in the winter, but two swabs letter he tested negative for strep both times. He will only eat broths, yogurt, choc pudding etc.
I am glad I read these posts.....seems I need to get on this asap and ask the doctor for more tests, or a referral to a GI. He only weighs 45 pounds and cannot afford to start losing weight.

[julie_1978]

My 6 yr old daughter wont eat anything because shes afraid of choking...it's been 2 days. Funny thing is that she hasn't choked on anything. So it can't be a fear of choking if she never choked. My cousin thinks it may be from anxiety because she is going on a trip for 3 weeks and she's never been away from home for more than 1 night. What should I do? Will she be ok once she's there? Any comments or suggestions is greatly appreciated. Thank u.