Hello-
Ive had this problem for over 1 month now... It all started when I went out to a party with some friends. I drank too much at the party, and hadn't eaten much of anything all day and ended up getting very sick. I wound up spending probably an hour and a half throwing up in the toilet. I remember retching so hard while vomiting that I thought "I bet I'm going to burst a blood vessel in my eye" from straining so hard. The vomiting eventually turned to dry heaves, and the retching was truely very forceful. I have never thrown up so 'hard' before in my life..
After the bout with the vomiting I went to bed and woke up the next day with the muscles in my ribs sore from heaving. Then the following day (24 hours post vomiting) I had this sensation of a lump in my throat. There is no physical lump that can be palpated, but it feels as if something is stuck there. Its incredibly uncomfortable, but I've noticed that it fluctuates in severity of discomfort (although it hasn't gone away completely at any time). Also, when its at its worst I feel the 'lump' in my throat, and also a feeling as though the muscles in my throat are very tight. Its really remarkably similar to feeling emotionally choked up-- This generally occurs later on in the day with me, and there is absolutely no emotional tie to the feeling.
So my question: is it possible to somehow 'strain' the muscles of the esophagus while vomiting? And if so, what are the manifestations, and when can I expect relief?
I've been seeing an ENT, and we started with Nexium to alleviate any heartburn I may be having.It didn't really do much, so we did an esophogram. The esophogram ruled out reflux and ruled out hiatel hernia. Next up is a CT of the neck to rule out any mass. The esophogram revealed "an asymmetrical effacement of the left vallecula and puriform sinus of uncertain significance. A mass cannot be ruled out."
Further details: I am able to eat fine for the most part, although sometimes I feel like I need to swallow twice. Eating seems to relieve symptoms, but I think that may be because the feeling of having something in your throat while swallowing is natural. I have noticed alcohol consumption, even in very small amounts exacerbates the problem, as does using my voice in extreme ways (ie: shouting, high pitch, etc.)
Many thanks,
Ryan