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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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I am sorry you are going through this. Have you gone to thiw fabulous website? http://www.feast-ed.org. The " around the dinner table" is a forum for adult caretakers. Here is a link entitled " fear of choking". http://www.aroundthedinnertable.org/post/FEAR-OF-CHOKING-2368371. Your child needs his nutrition, and must be worried sick. There are many good links to medical websites her, which you may have already found. if you take the three minutes to join the arents forum, you could contact other oarents about their experiences with treatment centers and doctors. There will be an answer!
Have you researched this fabulous website, www. feast-ed.org? There is a specific thread the in the " around the dinner table" an online forum for adult caregivers called " fear of choking.". If you join the forum, you could contact the parents to see what treatments and doctors have done. There are also some very good links to well- researched medical sites on this condition. Here is the address to the link: you can read the foru without being registered, you just can't contact the parents.
http://www.aroundthedinnertable.org/post/FEAR-OF-CHOKING-2368371.
Good luck to you. Your child needs his nutrition and you are probably worried sick. There will be an answer
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1 ReactionI have had difficulty swallowing & everyone told me it was anxiety. I lost 110 pounds. Has anyone mentioned EOSINOPHELIC ESOPHAGITIS? It happens in children. They have a food allergy/intolerance. Instead of having anyphalaxis, the esophagus swells up & it is hard to swallow. This can also put pressure on the airway, making it difficult to breathe. It is not a common disorder. The docs at Mayo would know right away what it is. I suggest getting a referral to Mayo to a gastroenterologist. It could also be esophageal spasms where the esophagus isn't squeezing correctly. This problem makes it impossible to drink a glass of ice water like a normal person would. A normal person could drink it right down. A person with spasms wouldn't be able to. You need someone that sees difficult GI cases in CHILDREN. Don't listen to that all in your head garbage. It's a cop out. You know your kid better than anyone. Trust your mother's instinct!
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2 ReactionsHi I have the same issues last night I was brought to ER I thought it was a heart attack and I was feeling blockage in my throte and chest they found out chronic Longterm illness which I known it from last year visit from emergency room have
Gad I am waiting to see a psychologist .
I don't know how to Handel my sickness manage it
Hello, I realize this is a very old thread but in case your account is still active I am wondering how your child is doing now.
you described exactly what my 11 year old is experiencing. He has a constant feeling of something stuck in his throat, had a lot of anxiety around eating or drinking and occasional difficulty breathing. He is refusing to eat for fear of choking. He had lost weight as well.
His physician feels it is psychological and we have trialed a few medications with no luck.
Can you let me know how this resolved with your child?
Thank you
@cacampbell
Welcome to Connect!
It must be awful for your son to have this feeling! Plus losing weight.
Has he been examined by a pediatric Gastroenterologist and/ or an EarNoseThroat doctor?
Thank you
He hasn’t seen anyone except for his family doctor so far.
Because he initially presented with a panic attack after feeling like he choked on food and described not being able to breathe, they focused on his symptoms being due to anxiety and have not referred us to a gastroenterologist or ENT.
It can be overwhelming trying to determine if it is something physical causing anxiety or vice versa.
Asking his MD for a referral will likely be my next step.
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1 ReactionHi my 11 year old daughter is saying exactly the same thing , and GP is a putting down to acid reflux or she's imagining it, did you get anywhere in with your investigations she's had so many days off of school now because of this but we still have no idea what's going on
@cacampbell @kerryc
I think it’s unfortunate that your children’s physicians are even considering anxiety as a prime cause before investigating other physical causes. Of course children FEEL anxious if they can’t swallow properly or are afraid of choking! I would.
They should see GI and if needed ENT- guessing is not appropriate when dealing with children.
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1 ReactionI am sorry you are going through this with your daughter.
Our son has been seen by a family physician and paediatrician who both feel he does not need further investigation with ENT or GI. They think it is ARFID. He has been referred to a psychologist whom he has seen a few times now.
My son, however still believes there is something wrong with his throat and if he swallows he will choke. He now only drinks liquids. We try to keep his calories up by giving him Pediasure
It is very overwhelming.