Coughing and gagging after eating

[advicegirl91]

For the past 3 weeks, about half the times I have eaten I have coughed and gagged for a few minutes. I get a feeling in my throat that makes me want to cough. I cough so hard that I gag and feel like I can't breathe. It all started back when I had a virus (100.4 degree temperature, migraines that wouldn't go away with pain meds, and the coughing/gagging). The other two symptoms have gone away, but I still cough and gag after eating. I have had episodes recently after eating at Chipotle (white rice, pinto beans, pico de gallo, sour cream, cheese, guacamole, corn), having 1/4 muffin with orange juice, and, on a separate occasion having baked beans with cheese and a hotdog.

I saw my primary doctor yesterday. She put me on Prevacid 20mg for 2 weeks because she thinks it might be acid reflux. My mom does have Barrett's syndrome (a type of gastroesophageal reflux disease). However, my mom didn't have issues with it until she was 45 and I am 21. I feel like it can't be acid reflux because I start coughing and gagging right after eating, so I don't think acid reflux would start that quickly. The doctor also sent me for blood work. I asked her to refer me to an allergist, but she said this has nothing to do with allergies. I thought maybe it could be an allergy to artificial sweetner. Off and on for years I have been getting an itchy throat and cough after eating candy and gum. Does anyone have any ideas on what this all could be?

[overit4now]

I wish you luck with this. About 10 months ago after a bronchial virus then asthma treated with antibiotic and steroids I had trouble like this. They thought it was GERD too. only the GERD meds made acid worse and swallow got bad with anything high fiber like beans, salad nuts, hard foods like chips, popcorn and even chicken getting stuck. I finally had to go on an all liquid diet which kinds sucked but not as bad a choking. I have no idea what caused my problem but docs now suspect spasms.

Anyway a few words of advice. Sit up at a table and eat slowly, chew very carefully. Go for soft foods. I found dense chewy food like some muffins and roasted sweet potatoes to be a problem too. Drink a lot of water. You may want to look into a low acid diet for a while. I think this and time helped me. Mine is A LOT better, but still flares up sometime and include shooting chest pains as well. For me, allergy testing showed nothing but is is possible to have food sensitivities that don't register on allergy test. You may want to see a GI doctor. You might want to ask for a GI cocktail to take when this happens and see if it helps.

You really want to be careful you don't aspirate your food. So go slow. I know that sounds like obvious advice but I realized the with 3 kids I totally inhale my food now either standing up in the kitchen or hunched over the coffee table which I am sure did not help. I have often wondered if my conditions was related tothe meds I took or triggered somehow by the virus/ fever. I am currently taking an antispasmodic and muscle relaxers which seem to help.  Good luck!

[S. Kaul, MD]

Hi there!

Well, without a clinical evaluation it would be difficult to determine the cause of your symptoms. Possibilities that may need to be considered include infections, inflammations, neuro-muscular causes, diverticuli, growths/ masses etc. If the prevacid does not seem to help, you may consider an evaluation by an ENT specialist for an accurate diagnosis and appropriate management.
Hope this helps.

Take care!