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I have started to choke spontaneously on my own saliva. Anyone else?

Posted by chinasvegas @chinasvegas, Apr 19, 2022

I’m a 75 year old female take no medication and have had no diagnosis. Lately I’m chocking on my own saliva occasionally. The kind of chocking that used to happen only when liquid goes down the wrong way. Now it seems that I spontaneously choke on my own saliva. Anyone have this experience?

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chinasvegas | @chinasvegas | Mar 11, 2023

So the throat doctor put a camera up my nose and down my throat, and he said that my flaps that keep the spit from going down the wrong way are just weak because of my age. So he sent me to a throat therapy clinic where I have been doing what is known as Swallow therapy. They attach a tens unit that has electrical impulses to your throat which pulls on your muscles in your throat that are responsible for your swallowing and makes it harder to swallow and then you have to swallow pretty consistently with a variety of exercises. You do this for about 40 minutes and it strengthens the muscles in your throat. I have only had two sessions so far but I really believe that it is going to work well. If you want to remind me in about a month or so, I’ll let you know how it’s going.

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4 replies
drterry | @drterry | Mar 12, 2023
In reply to @chinasvegas "So the throat doctor put a camera up my nose and down my throat, and he..." + (show)
@chinasvegas

So the throat doctor put a camera up my nose and down my throat, and he said that my flaps that keep the spit from going down the wrong way are just weak because of my age. So he sent me to a throat therapy clinic where I have been doing what is known as Swallow therapy. They attach a tens unit that has electrical impulses to your throat which pulls on your muscles in your throat that are responsible for your swallowing and makes it harder to swallow and then you have to swallow pretty consistently with a variety of exercises. You do this for about 40 minutes and it strengthens the muscles in your throat. I have only had two sessions so far but I really believe that it is going to work well. If you want to remind me in about a month or so, I’ll let you know how it’s going.

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Good luck! Please keep us posted. Hope this works for you.

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irinig | @irinig | Mar 13, 2023

Not a doctor but this was happening to me so much so that I did not know if I was going to wake up the next morning. I was diagnosed with a small hiatal hernia for which there is no cure. So you may want to look into this…

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irinig | @irinig | Mar 13, 2023
In reply to @callalloo "I just looked up the water brash that I referred to, associated with GERD and other..." + (show)
@callalloo

I just looked up the water brash that I referred to, associated with GERD and other GI tract malfunctions and one symptom is a feeling as if one has a lump in one's throat. That could trigger a swallowing and/or cough reaction.

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Agreed! My primary care insisted that I had GERD but if acid does not come up, it is something else entirely…

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irinig | @irinig | Mar 13, 2023
In reply to @chinasvegas "So the throat doctor put a camera up my nose and down my throat, and he..." + (show)
@chinasvegas

So the throat doctor put a camera up my nose and down my throat, and he said that my flaps that keep the spit from going down the wrong way are just weak because of my age. So he sent me to a throat therapy clinic where I have been doing what is known as Swallow therapy. They attach a tens unit that has electrical impulses to your throat which pulls on your muscles in your throat that are responsible for your swallowing and makes it harder to swallow and then you have to swallow pretty consistently with a variety of exercises. You do this for about 40 minutes and it strengthens the muscles in your throat. I have only had two sessions so far but I really believe that it is going to work well. If you want to remind me in about a month or so, I’ll let you know how it’s going.

Jump to this post

It is amazing they have developed these solutions, isn’t it…i was going to a medical voice coach when my throat was not working properly…

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chinasvegas | @chinasvegas | Mar 13, 2023

Yes. I had no idea about such remedies.

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johnkemp | @johnkemp | Mar 20, 2023
In reply to @chinasvegas "So the throat doctor put a camera up my nose and down my throat, and he..." + (show)
@chinasvegas

So the throat doctor put a camera up my nose and down my throat, and he said that my flaps that keep the spit from going down the wrong way are just weak because of my age. So he sent me to a throat therapy clinic where I have been doing what is known as Swallow therapy. They attach a tens unit that has electrical impulses to your throat which pulls on your muscles in your throat that are responsible for your swallowing and makes it harder to swallow and then you have to swallow pretty consistently with a variety of exercises. You do this for about 40 minutes and it strengthens the muscles in your throat. I have only had two sessions so far but I really believe that it is going to work well. If you want to remind me in about a month or so, I’ll let you know how it’s going.

Jump to this post

Are you in the USA please?
We are in the UK & it's not available on the NHS.
Thanks.

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chinasvegas | @chinasvegas | Mar 20, 2023

Yes in the USA. There are not many clinics that are available for this kind of swallow therapy.

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karlm | @karlm | Mar 21, 2023
In reply to @chinasvegas "So the throat doctor put a camera up my nose and down my throat, and he..." + (show)
@chinasvegas

So the throat doctor put a camera up my nose and down my throat, and he said that my flaps that keep the spit from going down the wrong way are just weak because of my age. So he sent me to a throat therapy clinic where I have been doing what is known as Swallow therapy. They attach a tens unit that has electrical impulses to your throat which pulls on your muscles in your throat that are responsible for your swallowing and makes it harder to swallow and then you have to swallow pretty consistently with a variety of exercises. You do this for about 40 minutes and it strengthens the muscles in your throat. I have only had two sessions so far but I really believe that it is going to work well. If you want to remind me in about a month or so, I’ll let you know how it’s going.

Jump to this post

My husband is also receiving this treatment. It’s known as Vital Stimulation therapy. We have 4 more sessions to go and then a swallowing test. He can’t swallow due to side affects from cancer treatment.

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chinasvegas | @chinasvegas | Mar 21, 2023

Thanks for sharing. I’m hopeful that this therapy will curtail my occassional, spontaneous, choking. Such a pain. Good luck on your test.

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