Sounds strange but eating bread hurts! HELP!

Question

Hey I'm Hannah and I'm 18(:
Ive asked everyone I know if this has happened to them and they all say no so I was hoping you guys might know.
Whenever I eat bread or bread products when I swallow it, it feels like my chest and back are being stretched open. Iv tried eating slower,eating less,chewing until it's almost nothing, breathing differently,sitting different, drinking water with it and many other things but it never helps. Whether it's pancakes or just a sandwich  it hurts so bad >.<
It's been doing this since I can remember. Anyone know?

Lizxx · Answer

I get very sore when eating toast or bagel but that is it. I don’t know whether it is the same thing but I am here to find an answer.

wayfind · Answer

For years, I've had much pain when swallowing certain breads & bread-related items (biscuits, donuts, etc.) My chest hurts so much... yet I eat certain wheat products (pasta and bagels, for instance,) all the time and have no pain, at all. 

I finally started investigating this today when I tried to eat a plain "cake donut" (the kind that's dense and good for dipping in coffee,) I had brought home for a workplace party. After one bite the chest pain was so awful I threw the rest of it away. 

Yet, when I was at work I ate more than one of the other, fluffier "raised" types of donuts with no problem. I knew it couldn't be the wheat!  I thought maybe it was yeast causing the problem, but when I looked up recipes for these denser, heavier donuts, I learned they don't have any yeast in them; they have BAKING POWDER. 

So, I searched and found it is indeed possible to have a sensitivity to baking powder. On one guy's site, I also read that many major bread manufacturers will use baking powder instead of yeast, because the bread takes longer to rise with yeast. (So, by using baking powder, they can increase production and make more money....) 

When I think about the bread or bread-type things that are so painful (impossible, almost!) for me to swallow, they probably all have baking powder in them! (Not necessarily baking SODA, although apparently that can be a problem for some people, too.) 

This has given me a clue on what I need to steer clear of, because this swallowing pain and chest heaviness is terrible and actually a little scary. I hope this might help someone.  (I'd like to go to a small bakery and buy some bread that was made with yeast and contains no baking powder, and see what happens when I take a bite.... If it went down fine, that would really cinch it for me!)

pineapplelover27 · Answer

Anytime I eat bread or donuts or cake or anything of that sort I get a severe chest pain where i cant breathe and it feels like someone is sitting on me while i try to swallow and its very difficult. I was tested with celiac as a child and the blood test was "slightly positive" but my scope came back negative, however I use to love bread and it has slowly gotten more painful over the years. I try to avoid eating bread and food containing gluten as much as possible. I'm glad I know I'm not the only one.

baycityrollers51974 · Answer

With me,if i eat white bread 10 mins later my head goes weird and my eyes go funny painful and my head drops and i have to go to bed. When i wake up i have a very painful head ache. Any one get this.help.

LNP15 · Answer

I have exactly the same reaction when I eat bread. IT hurts like crazy. And you are right - nothing helps, neither water nor slow chewing.

MaeveyTC · Answer

This happens to me. No allergy. My doctor said it could be because my esophagus is small, I am only 12. so your issue could be worse. I would just tell your doctor. Do you have difficulty breathing? And when you drink water after, it hurts as it slowly travels down your throat in a big chunk?

mastermindtn · Answer

Rather than regurgitate these facts, I'll simply link one of MANY articles relating to what may be the culprit here. For myself, I can eat Organic wheat products, yet, most non organic makes me feel as if I am having a heart attack and last for hours or even days. This seems to be the only reasonable answer! link to one of many > Fhttp://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/real-reason-for-toxic-wheat-its-not-gluten/

Milton007 · Answer

I have had that as well..Its not gerd that's for sure or even an acid or gluten reaction. I think it has a lot to do with how it goes down ..If I eat a lot of cheeseits, pizza or just plain bread it sometimes happens, in fact it just happened! Only for a few minutes the pain is in my chest and back and pretty intense. I have Gerd so I can tell you thats not it. I think its just because bread is so dry it goes down slow and gets a little hung up. like a sponge. I think the pain is from the top of your stomach getting jacked open sort of like a charlie horse. I hope this help but it sounds to me like the same thing that happens to me sometimes. I know it really hurts when it happens but I dont think its anything serious at all.

Todd373 · Answer

I too have chest pains, however, mine is a bit more severe.  I have not been diagnosed with Celiac, but have had a life of illness.  I'm still learning what not to do.  I don't eat any wheat products anymore and have not for about 2 1/2 years.  Just yesterday, I went to a Chinese Restaurant and  ate some very lightly breaded meat.  Immediately in 2 hours, my chest feels like I'm having a heart attack, 'sharp pain between my heart on breast bone.  Anxiety onset and a head ache.  I took aspirin and took a nap.  Here it is about 20 hours later and I'm still feeling chest pain.  I regret even eating out.  My wife and 2 of my 3 children have followed suit to avoid wheat.  Any Suggestions, please let me know.  It's awful!

FurballsMom · Answer

It sounds like gluten sensitivity or gluten intolerance to me.  You don't have to actually be allergic and you don't actually have to have Celiac to have gluten intolerance.  And, yes, gluten intolerance can irritate both the upper and the lower digestive tract, so, yes, it can irritate GERD.  If you get aching elsewhere in the gut, it is likely aggravating the IBS.

This doesn't sounds so strange to me, because I can't eat standard bread either.  And, as strange as it sounds, in a way I'm lucky that I had the visible difference with the type of eczema I have, too, because I tested negative for Celiac.  I knew I couldn't eat gluten, but I was getting the doubting doctors right and left.  Thank goodness my PCP has seen the difference on my hands of before and after I stopped eating gluten.  At least there was something visible to prove that I knew what I was talking about concerning gluten.  No one doubts you if you say any other food bothers you, but they give you a lot of grief if you figure out that gluten bothers you but you test negative for Celiac.  What's the big deal?  It's not about going completely carbohydrate free.

Anyway, back to the gut.  Every time some doctor doubter gets me doubting myself and I cheat, not only does my gut hurt as you've described with yourself, but I start feeling that familiar itching below the surface that is the eczema talking.

You're not alone about the bread issue causing that kind of pain.  You just needed to know what to expect from the medical community.  Not that it makes sense, as I described above, but doctors are great at making you feel like an idiot if their special tests are negative.  Like you can't possibly know what's happening in your own body.

You will also want to look into going on an anti Candida diet.  Gluten intolerance, dairy intolerance and Candida do go together.  You don't want to battle the yeast infections on the skin not surfacing until years after you start a gluten free diet.  I speak from experience.