Swallowing/throat question

[Lulu54]

Hi all,
For the past month or so I have had a strange sensation in my throat - it's almost like a spasm, but not quite.  It feels like a giant air bubble stuck, but that's not it either - no belching, no swallowing weird.  It usually goes away after a few minutes.  

This afternoon it has been there for about 3 hours now.  Nothing I do makes it go away.   It is eerily like the feeling I had in my throat the evening of my heart attack in January - the only symptom I had then was the lump in my throat that wouldn't go away.  

I'm just wondering if any of you have experienced this before? Is this a symptom speaking out from my cervical lesions?  

Any insight will be helpful to me,
Lulu

[Lulu54]

Ess,
That is interesting that it only happens with chicken.   I have a friend who swears he can't eat white meat from a chicken because it is so dry  he chokes.  But he is also a strange eater.  :-)

I have a weird problem with eating white rice - I almost always get hiccups after eating it.  

All,
The lump/bubble/knot is still there today.  I faxed a message to my neuro this morning but didn't hear back from his office yet.  They will probably call tomorrow - he has clinic hours on Thursday and Friday and is off teaching and doing research the rest of the week.  I try to communicate with him and my cardio by fax because I can send a more thorough message and am sure that he will see what I want as opposed to trusting someone to get my message correct.  I'll keep you posted on what he has to say.  

Lulu

[jensequitur]

>  Just a quick question - he does replace his nitro regularly, right?

Not really - but we have a bottle that we keep in the freezer with aluminium foil wrapped around it.

Speaking of swallowing and throats... today I've had what feels like a sore neck and a sore jaw.  I was eating noodles earlier, and I was having problems with making sure the food went down my throat instead of my esophagus.  My tongue is sore, too, at the base.

[essdipity]

I've had some throat problems that I can't figure out. During the summer I had 8 or 10 episodes of excruciating pain immediately after swallowing. It felt as if I had swallowed (no problem with the swallowing part) something way too big or unchewed or both. The area right above the adam's apple felt like it was wildly stretched in different directions and nothing could move in my esophagus. Taking a sip of water didn't help, as the water seemed to just sit on the rest, making the pain worse.

After a few agonizing minutes I would begin a series of sort of puny burps (forgive the Too Much Information aspect here), and then the regular flow of things would start, very slowly, and I'd get a brief but severe heartburn feeling several inches lower.

Although this was horribly painful it wasn't scary. I could breathe normally and nothing was caught in my trachea. So it was a question of waiting it out. Afterwards my throat hurt for a few hours, not the inside infection feeling, but from the outside, as in strained muscles.

Usually the worst episodes happened when eating chicken. A few days ago, also when eating chicken, I had another 'attack,' this one by far the worst. It took 10 or 15 minutes to resolve. Other than being very careful about chicken, I don't know what to think about this. I doubt if it's MS-related, and anyway, I don't want to get involved with any more doctors!

Has anyone else experienced anything remotely like this?

ess

[GrannyJo6]

Whew!

[Lulu54]

Hi Jo,
That is so kind of you - I didn't mean to give anyone reason to worry about me.  The bubble is gone for now.  It's been happening for a month or so - and even my husband thinks it is MS related.  I'm just searching for more pieces to this puzzle.  I do have a cardio appt in early November and I'll add it to the list of things to discuss.

My standard for cardio care is if I call after hours, they will tell me to go to the ER - even for a hang nail - because of my medical history.  I know what's going on today is not heart   ....
Rest easy, Lulu

[GrannyJo6]

I don't know....you're making me nervous!  With your history I'm thinking it wouldn't hurt to get it checked out, stable vitals or not!  Especially since your heart attack was an unexplained "event"!  I'm sure your cardiologist has someone on call - are you sure you don't want to at least talk to someone? Keep us posted! Jo

[Sunnytoday]

Well, I'm glad that you checked your BP, if it's high be sure to check it again tomorrow to monitor it (here is where you nod your head and say yes mummy!)

Hmmm.... now that you spelled it all out, I remember how you described your HA... sorry this memory thing can be a drag... but you still have to be careful with that heart no matter WHAT caused it! And I'm glad that your throat feeling isn't getting worse and that you will stay on top of it.

good night!

((((hugs))))
~Sunnytoday~

[Lulu54]

Jen,
Just a quick question - he does replace his nitro regularly, right?  It isn't good forever and if the bottle is opened it losed strength almost immediately and is only good for about a month.  Lots of heart people out there who have really old nitro with the false sense of security that it will work if needed.   I'm glad to hear a stent worked for him - my husband had CABG x4 at the age of 52.  

Yep, you're right that there was no permanent damage done to my heart.  I'm just still searching for the MS link to my HA!  :-)

Thanks and my best to your hubby,
Lulu

[jensequitur]

I was thinking the very same thing - I had never  heard of a vasospasm until somebody else on this forum mentioned the same problem.

So yeah, I would say that it's a possibility your heart attack was actually a vasospasm.  No heart damage, right?  

My hubby had a heart blockage 5 years ago, and had a stent inserted.  Everything's been fine since then, but he still keeps nitro with him.  Just in case!

[Lulu54]

Hi All,
Just to put your mind at ease, I jsut took my BP and it was HIGH for me .. 110/66, pulse 81.  But I just gave myself my copaxone injection so that might have something to do wth the elevation.  Last night an hour after my shot it was 88/53!!!  

Sorry I didn't make my question clearer .... my cardiovascular system all checks clear... low BP, catherization shows less than 10% blockage in any artery, nuclear stress test passed with flying colors - yet I had a HA.  It is an unexplained event still - one of the best cardios in town is my doctor and he says my case is "weird."  Officially I'm labeled as some sort of cardiac event.  

Now in researching heart and ms, I came across case studies of women who had cervical lesions with their MS and had cervical spasms that triggered a vasospasm and caused a heart attack.  

Can you see where I'm going with this line of questioning?  

This bubble/lump in my throat isn't progressing anywhere , but it is still noticeable.  I'm wondering if anyone else has this type of symptom with a cervical lesion.  

AND don't worry about me please, I have sublingual nitroglycerin close by at all times and I won't hesitate to pop one or two or three if it gets worse.  And I definitely am not embarassed to go to the ER if in doubt.  I've done it before and will do it again if needed.

My best,
Lulu

[sllowe]

I don't know Lu, it's so hard to know your MS right now, since it's all so new. I'd lean on the side of caution and bring it up to your heart Dr. 1st.  Then the Neuro, just to be safe.

I've had throat probs too and hate to even say it, but has been good lately. In the end, I chalked it up to being my MS, but in the back of my mind, it was the meds because it came on when I started taking them.

Since you've had this prior to your meds, least that is not likely the case for you.  I'm w/Sunny, and say, make the call to be certain.

ttys,
Shell

[Sunnytoday]

LuLu,
if this is what your heart attack felt like, could you do me a favor.... please check your BP and heart rate/pulse, and then let us know what it is, or if it's not good, do something?

Thank you.

Then, MAKE AN APPT. tomorrow with your heart doc. Okay? I'm simply basing on the fact that you know your body best, and if this thing is just staying there for several hours AND it feels like what caused your heart attack, it would be wise to at least listen to it?!! And, as you've said before, you can go to the E.R. if you need to, ok?

Now, if it's not the heart, as the above folks have mentioned it could be a lot of other things. But that heart/spasm thing is not cool at all!
~Sunnytoday~

[jensequitur]

I get esophageal spasms too, especially when I'm stressed or when I've had gastric problems.  I also get throat cramps - little muscles around the throat cramp up.

I drink a large glass of warm water, veeeeeeerrrrrry slowly, to get my throat to loosen up - rather like doing stretches.  But when it's crampy, it's only good to release the spasm - it won't get rid of that cramped sensation.

Another possibility is that it's related to your blood pressure - have you taken your pulse?

[Deb61]

Are you concerned that it could be your heart, or is a different sensation?  I've had lots of weird feelings in my throat and esophagus.  I get painful esophageal spasms where I can feel the esophagus spasming up.  Sometimes GERD causes weird symptoms like this.  I've been taking Nexium, which cuts down on these spasms.

Plus, I will go through periods of time (thankful I haven't had this problem in months) where my throat feels like is is spasming up.  It's much like having severe anxiety or being upset--the back of the throat is closed up.  I strain to talk when this happens.  Although this pain is made worse by getting upset (usually because this symptom is making me that way), I can't get rid of it by trying to relax.  I know it has to do with a flare up.  Is this what this is like?

I don't have cervical lesions, but I do have bulging discs in my neck (not pressing on the cord).   I can't say if this problem has to do with that or not.

Are you concerned that it could be your heart?

Deb