10 year old feels like something is stuck in his throat.

I have had a similar issue with my 10 year old. He has been complaining that "there is a lump in his throat, it's hard to breathe and he feels like he is going to throw up". He has never complained of issues with swallowing but I have noticed he is not eating as much as he usually does. He's a big kid though and eats alot anyway so I'm not real concerned here. He is not losing weight or anything. The doctor seems to think it's anxiety or seasonal allergies. My son is allergic to cashews and pistachios too but did not eat any/was not exposed to any in his last few complaints of throat tightness etc. I'm wondering if it's a gluten allergy, acid reflux, or anxiety. I got him tested for strep because sometimes symptoms vary a bit and he tested negative. I'm going to try Claritin, which he already usually takes in the spring and some kids tums for now and see how it goes.

Good Morning,
My daughter was 17 when she had a feeling of something caught in her throat. She would make a weird noise almost like a gag or trying to cough something out. They did an endoscopy and found nothing except the anesthesiologist and surgeon agreed she had sleep apnea. Had her tested and they said she didn’t. Fast forward two years later and she has that feeling again…

Hoping your account is still active and you see this. Is there an update, my 5yo is currently presenting similar symptoms. He refuses to eat solids because he says it hurts to swallow any food, and sometimes says he can’t swallow; but is okay with liquids. We’ve had 2 strep tests done in the past 3 weeks. I can get him to drink some high protein yogurt drinks but he swishes it around in his mouth bc of the thickness. We tried pediasure but friends have said that, it led to lots of oral issues (cavities and decay) later in life, and then he just had impacted stool which I think was just high sugar content from all the ice cream and popsicles bc it’s only food that turns into liquid to able to swallow.

It’s very frustrating. I don’t know what to do with him or how to help him. I feel like the doctors are dismissing it bc it’s normal for “picky” eaters.

@ruth24
It must be very frustrating for you and your son to try to get enough nutrition into him.
Has he seen a Pediatric Gastroenterologist? They might do an endoscopy to see if there is anything in the back of the throat or esophagus causing this feeling.

I’m so glad I stumbled onto this thread. My 8 year old choked on a strawberry in March and it’s been 2 months since he’s eaten anything solid. The week after he choked he was eating small pieces of bread and macaroni. Then he had an incident where he burped and thought the bread got stuck so he had the fear of choking back in his mind. He will now only drink pediasure, eat ice cream, and whips yogurt. We have started with OT for feeding therapy and counseling for the anxiety part. But he still tells me he feels like there’s something in his throat and he can’t breathe. I keep thinking it’s just anxiety. I’m just at a loss. Does anyone have success stories where their kids snapped out of this and eat normal again? Just reading everyone’s stories helps me know that I’m not alone in this.

Hello my 10 year old is a twin, has asthma, mild sleep apnea, allergies, and suspected ADHD.

He ate a chicken nugget a few months ago which he's done a million times and then gulped a lot of water afterwards. He thought he was going to choke. Said that he thought something was stuck in his throat. Felt like hair in this throat. He has lost 9 pounds in a very short time. We now are dealing with chronic burping, gasping for air when he tries to eat or even exercises. Walking up stairs even triggers the burping which sounds like small hiccups. He is fatigued a lot and cries each morning when i have to get him up and ready for school. He is not himself.

He has seen his regular pediatrician, a GI doctor, had a scope, a swallow test and seen an ENT. All tests were normal with slight irritation to stomach. Not even Omeprazole, Predisone, or Hydroxyzine has helped which is what the doctors recommended. One doctor even said "maybe he's doing it for attention." I have videos where he is completely by himself and can hear him going through these episodes. My son has never been an attention seeker. He hates going to the doctor, doing swabs or needles. Since all this has happened he's begged me to take him to doctors. We both know something is wrong.

He's been to 6 different doctors - 3 of which believe it's anxiety. "All in his head", is what the ER doctor tells us. He has anxiety when dealing with this issue but it's NOT the cause. I know my child. They want to now refer him to a counselor.

I am extremely frustrated with doctors as they don't believe us when we tell them it's not an anxiety issue causing his constantly burping and gasping for air when he eats. Yes in deed, anxiety follows the episodes. My son is starting to completely shuts down saying no one believes us. He's had to describe these episodes to each and every new doctor what is going on and all they want to do is send him to counseling or put him on an antidepressant. We need a real life HOUSE or someone that has gone through the same thing to give us information where to turn next. I have an appointment scheduled next with a Pediatric Neurologist.

Another issue I have noticed: My son has never liked sweets. In all the years of trick or treating we always had to throw candy out. In 10 years only had one cavity. He never asks for candy or sweets. Since these episodes, he craves sugar, lots of sugar. Cookies, cakes, honeybuns, ice cream, sodas. These things are abnormal for him to ask for or eat.

I will not let him have sodas because of the burping but I am concerned that he's even asking.
Any parents or grandparents out there with similar issues????

It's been a year since your post. Any updates?

How is your son? Did you find out what was going on?

We have exact similar issue and have ran all the same tests still with no answers. It's been 2 months for us.

@kellealo
My 15 year old son has ADHD and was diagnosed at the age of 8 after having 2 concussions. Your son’s sugar cravings and weight loss may be tied to this. Are you planning to have him formally assessed by a pediatric psychologist to see if he has ADHD and determine treatment options? Does your son seem hyperactive and does he struggle with focusing on tasks? My son does well on ADHD medication.

I’m assuming you are working with a pulmonologist due to asthma and sleep apnea. Does your son have obstructive sleep apnea or is it central? Does he still have his tonsils and adenoids? My son has large adenoids and was told he might need them out if they caused swallowing or breathing problems but luckily he has not needed them out as he has grown (may have more space in his throat now).

Anxiety definitely can cause many issues and my son has struggled with some breathing issues and panic attacks. He has a heart defect and gets anxious when his heart pounds fast and hard, especially when standing up too fast (also gets a bit dizzy). He gets anxious because he is afraid he is going to pass out or die. Your son’s sugar cravings may have anxiety he is going to choke or not be able to breathe which starts a panic cycle. My son does well with his counselor who has helped him talk about his feelings and fears and he works on breathing/calming techniques to better control these episodes. He worries especially when they might happen at school.

My son has seen a pediatric neurologist for some symptoms of numbness and recently he has been getting migraine headaches. I have also seen many neurologists over the years. In my experience, they are limited in testing and treatment options and you may not get much help there based upon your son's symptoms. My son’s neurologist did not want to do a MRI of his brain or do any other testing at this time. He sent him away to journal symptoms when his migraines with aura happen and take Tylenol or Motrin at the first sign of aura (he throws up due to the pain of the migraine that comes after aura). He also told him to take omega 3 and magnesium supplements. That’s it. We go back in 6 weeks but don’t expect much more treatment option other than a possible medication for migraine that needs to first get cleared by his cardiologist.

Has your son been tested for juvenile diabetes due to his sugar cravings and weight loss?