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10 year old feels like something is stuck in his throat.
My 10yr old son continually feels like something is stuck in his throat (on the sides and also in front) and feels like he has difficulty breathing at times. He says it feels like his throat is being squeezed. This has gone on now for 4 months and he has lost 9 lbs. He is 10 and only weighs 59 lbs now. It's bad enough for him that he will tell me he would just rather die. We've been seeing doctors and I'm now at a loss as to what to do next. He's had an Endoscopy (with a biopsy), a barium swallow test, an MRI on his neck, allergy testing, etc. We've seen a Speech Pathologist, a Phychologist, and got to physical therapy weekly. 1/2 of the doctors think it's all in his head but I KNOW it's not! I've read his exact complaints online posted by other people but no one seems to have found any answers. My son is typically never sick and never has been. He now BARELY eats, worries about not being able to breathe and is starting to seriously struggle with what's going on. I need some help, some ideas, etc.
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@cacampbell
This does not sound good at all- he will not get enough nutrition.
Can you self refer to a Pediatric GI and ENT?
I am in Canada so I cannot self refer.
I plan to ask again at our next family doctor appointment this week.
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1 Reaction@cacampbell
That sounds like a good plan. How are they otherwise going to deal with a child losing a lot of weight? He’ll need to see a pediatric gastroenterologist- they usually are the ones dealing with a child’s inability to receive enough nutrition to thrive. At this point they have to evaluate him for physical abnormalities or his active growth at this age is going to stop.
Just keep pushing. Since you are in Canada doctors usually have to limit th amount of referrals- just like in Sweden where I grew up.
Keep us posted!
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1 ReactionWere you able to find any answers to your concern? I am dealing with the same so wanted to check what route to go to find answers. I would really appreciate if you could get back to me. I am really in need of some guidance. Thank you so much in advance.
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1 ReactionHi good evening, by this time I hope your son is ok and healthy. I hope you can read this. I have my daughter she is only 6 years old. This is happening to her; she started to loss appetite little by little, I saw her eating small pieces of food when she never had that behavior before. Lately she had episodes when she says that her food get stuck in her throat and got her very scare and now she avoids eating. She lost about ten pounds and eats the minimum. I see her from time to time trying to swallow her saliva I know that something is bothering her. We did x rays, ct scan they didn’t find anything m. Today is her endoscopy . I am very concerned about her; she feels tired and doesn’t want to eat. I pray we can find a why and get a solution.
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Hi, I’m so glad somebody else is applying to this thread 11 years later I’m having the exact same issue with my five-year-old. We have an appointment with a specialist next week but he is also losing weight due to not eat eaten from feeling like something stuck in his throat, and I’m grasping at straws to figure out how to help him.
This may seem elementary but test for Celiac disease. Our young grandson went through this and it was the answer.
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1 Reaction@tinlizzie1979
How is his teeth? Getting new ones in or lost some? Is it possible he has TMJ? Sometimes the bite will shift with gain or loss of teeth … TMJ can too … and cause swallowing problems .. something stuck feeling. Swelling in the neck muscles is not always obvious. .. and not all children will complain of headache or neck ache from TMJ. Sore throat, swallowing problems, and even ear pain may be present with no fever. Sometimes parents can hear clicking or popping from their child’s jaw when the child chews or yawns. .. or just the child may hear it.
I am 72+ and have had TMJ since the beginning of my school years… maybe before. I am having a rough time with it right now. This last bad bout was actually first triggered by dental work. My dentist fixed my bite .. at no charge. Then last Friday morning I awakened to my jaw shoved hard into my pillow .. yeah it pushed my jaw out of alignment and my bite out of alignment again. Dentist fixed bite again without charge. Both times he took x-rays .. at no charge .. to make sure I did not have a cavity or abscess. My teeth hurt because of bruising from the misalignment. I went to the dental office this morning and had a scan for a bite guard to wear at night. I will get it in a few days. Hopefully it will help. I am doing some exercises to help strengthen my jaw muscles.
Aging can be difficult when you are young and when you are old.
I hope you find answers soon.
I’m glad I found this! I have a 6 yr old boy who was diagnosed in may with ASD (autism) and anxiety. But he has never been a good eater but here the last few weeks he has been telling me something is stuck in his throat when he eats. So he has lose weight and we are very worried. We went the the pediatrician today who referred us to a ENT and thankfully we have a friend who is a ENT!
My son also has something called Chiari Malformation 1, where the lower part of his brain is in his spine. So the neurosurgeon will be the next person we reach out too.
Would those disorders show on the testing that was done? He’s had an endoscopy and also been allergy tested. But I’m wondering if endoscopy can measure issues with the swallow reflex.