choking attacks?

[Bilgerat]

Does this scenario sound familiar to anyone?

  I tend to get choking episodes when eating but occasionally they come out of the blue. It has happened before when running in cold weather.

  It seems as though a tiny particle trigers a spasm and I can't breathe.  The obstruction is high in the throat, not down in the chest at all.  I burp to try to get some air moving (which is easy because I swallow air trying to breath) and I can manage to inhale a bit through my nose if I relax.  Last night's episode was a bit different in that I couldn't talk.  I tried to ask for a piece of bread to sweep out any crumbs that might be down there, but my voice simply didn't work.  I could exhale enough to talk, I think, but my lips moved with no sound coming out.  When I did get breathing it was with a pronounced wheeze for a minute or so before gradually clearing up, and I was able to croak out a word.

I did eventually cough out a bit of phleghm and little bits of crumbs, but of course coughing empties the lungs and it's hard to refill them.

Five or ten minutes after dinner I had a more minor spell of the same thing.

Can someone suggest what might cause this?  And if I pass out, will my throat open up?

Last time we were at a restaurant, my throat felt on the edge of a spasm, and I made sure to order something without any irritating bits or crumbs e.g. pasta rather than salad.

I do have a bit of post-nasal drip and a tickle in the throat when I inhale.  I'm in my 50's, no known allergies.

[National Jewish]

Your episodes of choking may be due to a swallowing problem.  If your vocal cords and/or windpipe are not closing properly when you swallow you could be aspirating.

[sabry]

A related discussion, choking attack was started.

[Concerned lady]

Follow the Lung Line nurse's great advice!

Also, calling for an ambulance or having someone take you to an ER (emergency room) can be good to do, for breathing problems that haven't yet been diagnosed.

And, also consider the possibility of VCD/Vocal Cord Dysfunction (VCD can have many causes).

Sincerely, Concerned lady
<a href=http://cantbreathesuspectvcd.com>http://cantbreathesuspectvcd.com</a>

[JSouth]

Are you sure it's acid reflux and not sleep apnea? Perhaps you stop breathing in your sleep and wake up gasping for air. I've had this before. It always starts with a sensation of drowning and than I wake up with a start trying to get air. My father has sleep apnea really bad and I've sat and watched him do this while sleeping on the couch. It's not a pleasant thing to see or feel.

[ct2000]

I have a similar problem. I believe mine is related to acid reflux disease because it almost always occurs when I am asleep. I don't know how much matter is required to cause a choking reflux, but the poster indicates very little.  I my case I wake up gasping for air, able to inhale only enough to remain conscious yet able to easily exhale. Last night was particularly tough. My son wanted to call 911.

I noticed that someone posted a similar problem in April 2002. The advice was little more than a restatement of the symptoms and encouragement to see a doctor (ENT). I'll se my family MD Tuesday. However, I'm looking for some way to cope until then. I'll try beathing through the nose, but the breathing restriction seems to be located in the throat. I'll also try sleeping upright. I wonder if there is any other way to open the air passage short of mouth to mouth or an intubator.

[lisaS]

I have the same exact thing happen to me.  I was treated for a respiratory infection (MAC) for a year and a half, before that it never happened. I am in my 40's and now have bronchiectisis in my right middle lobe, but it is such a small part of my lung my pulmonary function tests are still over 100%. Ihave never had any resp. problems in my life til diagnosed with MAC.
The first time it happened to me i was in the hospital waiting for the diagnosis for the MAC and a doctor looked down my throat and could see phlegm in the side on my throat.
I totally can't breathe or talk when it happens,  i can only breathe through my nose. It's so scary.  I don't ever cough or have much phlegm but i guess the little phlegm i do have causes this to get stuck in my throat out of the blue and causes me to choke.  It doesn't happen often but the doctor said to drink Juice or something heavy to push the mucus down, water doesn't help.  Hopefully this helps, i also have post nasal drip, so maybe it's connected that way too.
lisa