Food going down the pipe slowly

[StomachPump]

Okay. I am 52 yo male, and only started having this problem for a few weeks now. But I best see if someone can point in the right direction.

I have no trouble eating meals generally. But lately, I have found that chewing and swallowing bits and pieces of a meal is causing the food to sort of get paused as it travels down to the stomach. I can chew and swallow the pieces just fine, but a few moments later I can tell that something is preventing the material for moving down the pipe, so to speak. It isn't painful and doesn't cause any reaction or accute disconfort, but I am forced to 'pause' in my eating and let Nature work everything out.

Generally one of two things will occur. Either the food way suddenly 'opens back up' and the process of digestion can then begin in the stomach, or else I have to excuse myself and get to the nearest bathroom and heave up by force (similar to trying to induce vomiting physically) to get some of the just eaten pieces of food to expel. When this is the case, I notice a thick, clear phlem that seems to be accompaning the food which is also expelled along with each heave. Theh the feeling of this stoppage goes away as the rest of the eaten food seems to 'break through' and reach the stomach. I am not bothered by the episode again for the rest of the meal. I have no trouble breathing throughout this, I am in no way choking, I remaing fully conscious and in control... and nothing else seems out of place. I even still have my appetite and go off to finish the rest of the meal without incident.

Again, none of this is painful at present, and it only happens maybe one out of six regular meals, It may be breakfast, but most times it is lunch in which this takes place. I am not 'tense' and I do not believe it is stress related, nor do I have any other noted symptoms of stress.

Any thoughts?
Thanks.

[vangh]

A related discussion, Food goes down slowly was started.

[StomachPump]

Thank you for your comments. Looking over the material at that website, and noting how it 'feels' with my own observation, I come across this tract of text:

*** Muscular wavelike contractions known as peristalsis push the food down through the esophagus to the stomach. A muscular ring (called the cardiac sphincter) at the end of the esophagus allows food to enter the stomach, ***

It is somewhere in that process which I believe the problem is occurring and the 'backup' of the chewed food is taking place after swallowing. Again, digestion does not seem to be a problem once the swallowed food reaches the stomach proper. But perhaps, maybe there is something going on with that 'cardiac sphincter' mentioned, which possibly might no be 'opening up' as it should to let the swallowed-food inside. I can 'feel' when the stomach is receiving the eaten material, and the food is chewed well. So I get the impression that any trouble taking place to slow down that process is where the issue might lie.

I do suppose some 'tests' are in order as you mentioned.

Thanks again.

[CassAnn]

You need to see a Gastroenterologist. There is a bunch of different things it could be, but a Gastro Doc can probably run a few tests and have an answer for you. You sound alot like my Mom did when she had a Hiatal Hernia.
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/hiatal_hernia/page3_em.htm