Persistent throat tightness and sensation of food lodging after choking episode

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Tryingtobegreat

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Hi everyone, I'm new to this space and I'm not certain whether this is the appropriate section to post in, but I wanted to find out if others have gone through something similar and could offer some advice.

I've been using retatrutide for 5 weeks now. The first 4 weeks went really well. Then on Jan 6th, while I was eating, I swallowed a chunk of meat that was too big. It lodged in my chest for several hours before it finally went down.

Ever since that incident, some days are better than others, and my tolerance varies too, but I still get that same feeling that things are getting caught in my throat. I'm also dealing with tightness and a dry lump sensation. Eating any kind of meat is just too intense for me.

I have GERD and take a ppi every day. Recently I doubled it to 2 15mg lansaprozole, plus a famotidine at night. After looking into things, I saw a few people mention Flonase as well.

I can't tell if this is increased anxiety, the medication, inflammation from the choking, or some mix of all of it. I'm on 1mg per week and have been consistent, but I haven't taken my dose today because I'm scared.

Thank you
 
In this kind of case, I'd say getting a doctor's input is worthwhile. Since you're in the US, I realize expense could be a concern, but having it looked at is the safer route.

If I were to speculate — and that's all this is — the food that lodged might have scraped your oesophageal lining, leaving it somewhat inflamed and irritated, possibly alongside some spasm of the oesophageal muscle, and that could be what's behind the trouble swallowing. My reason for recommending a medical opinion is the small chance of a tear, which can bring a range of complications — infection, bleeding, and so on.

Beyond that, stick to liquid or soft food for a while so things can heal. Still, even a low chance of something serious is enough to justify having it checked. Most likely they'll simply advise waiting and watching, but it's safer coming from a doctor who won't overlook possible red flags, or less likely, they may want to do a scope to see exactly what's going on. Skipping your reta dose for a few days or weeks does no harm, and anything that could worsen nausea is best avoided until it settles. It sounds like you're already on maximum doses of anti acid stomach drugs, so I can't see how more would help.

To be clear, this isn't medical advice — it's advice to seek an expert opinion from a doctor, and the reasoning behind why that could be a good idea.
 
lessthanhalf said:

In this kind of case, I'd say getting a doctor's input is worthwhile. Since you're in the US, I realize expense could be a concern, but having it looked at is the safer route.

If I were to speculate — and that's all this is — the food that lodged might have scraped your oesophageal lining, leaving it somewhat inflamed and irritated, possibly alongside some spasm of the oesophageal muscle, and that could be what's behind the trouble swallowing. My reason for recommending a medical opinion is the small chance of a tear, which can bring a range of complications — infection, bleeding, and so on.

Beyond that, stick to liquid or soft food for a while so things can heal. Still, even a low chance of something serious is enough to justify having it checked. Most likely they'll simply advise waiting and watching, but it's safer coming from a doctor who won't overlook possible red flags, or less likely, they may want to do a scope to see exactly what's going on. Skipping your reta dose for a few days or weeks does no harm, and anything that could worsen nausea is best avoided until it settles. It sounds like you're already on maximum doses of anti acid stomach drugs, so I can't see how more would help.

To be clear, this isn't medical advice — it's advice to seek an expert opinion from a doctor, and the reasoning behind why that could be a good idea.
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A 10/10 response!! Issues tied to several of these symptoms have been mine too (separate from peptides) and I'd sign off on every word. Be kind to your body
 
Tryingtobegreat said:

Hi everyone, I'm new to this space and I'm not certain whether this is the appropriate section to post in, but I wanted to find out if others have gone through something similar and could offer some advice.

I've been using retatrutide for 5 weeks now. The first 4 weeks went really well. Then on Jan 6th, while I was eating, I swallowed a chunk of meat that was too big. It lodged in my chest for several hours before it finally went down.

Ever since that incident, some days are better than others, and my tolerance varies too, but I still get that same feeling that things are getting caught in my throat. I'm also dealing with tightness and a dry lump sensation. Eating any kind of meat is just too intense for me.

I have GERD and take a ppi every day. Recently I doubled it to 2 15mg lansaprozole, plus a famotidine at night. After looking into things, I saw a few people mention Flonase as well.

I can't tell if this is increased anxiety, the medication, inflammation from the choking, or some mix of all of it. I'm on 1mg per week and have been consistent, but I haven't taken my dose today because I'm scared.

Thank you
Click to expand...
A GI doctor visit would be my recommendation. They might recommend scoping your esophagus and taking a biopsy of the lining to check for eosinophilic esophagitis. Food remaining lodged in your esophagus for several hours is quite a long duration.
 
What you're describing sounds like it could be an esophageal stricture, and reflux (GERD) is often the culprit. A GI doctor is the right person to evaluate this, since without treatment, food — meat in particular — is likely to keep lodging there. Eventually you could find yourself in the ER with food stuck and unable to swallow even your own saliva. Your GI doctor can take care of it: he'll examine the area with a camera and in all likelihood dilate it. Whether Reta is responsible isn't clear — it does slow digestion, and that could have made your GERD worse.
 
PopTart said:

Tryingtobegreat said:

Hi everyone, I'm new to this space and I'm not certain whether this is the appropriate section to post in, but I wanted to find out if others have gone through something similar and could offer some advice.

I've been using retatrutide for 5 weeks now. The first 4 weeks went really well. Then on Jan 6th, while I was eating, I swallowed a chunk of meat that was too big. It lodged in my chest for several hours before it finally went down.

Ever since that incident, some days are better than others, and my tolerance varies too, but I still get that same feeling that things are getting caught in my throat. I'm also dealing with tightness and a dry lump sensation. Eating any kind of meat is just too intense for me.

I have GERD and take a ppi every day. Recently I doubled it to 2 15mg lansaprozole, plus a famotidine at night. After looking into things, I saw a few people mention Flonase as well.

I can't tell if this is increased anxiety, the medication, inflammation from the choking, or some mix of all of it. I'm on 1mg per week and have been consistent, but I haven't taken my dose today because I'm scared.

Thank you
Click to expand...
A GI doctor visit would be my recommendation. They might recommend scoping your esophagus and taking a biopsy of the lining to check for eosinophilic esophagitis. Food remaining lodged in your esophagus for several hours is quite a long duration.
Click to expand...
If a bite is larger than it should be, the blockage might clear faster than you'd expect — yet the esophagus is under such strong pressure that the sensation lingers until the swelling subsides. This has happened to me multiple times. Still, absolutely!! A gastroenterologist can address a wide range of issues in a single visit
 
It might be necessary for you to get your throat dilated. Both my father and my spouse have undergone that procedure.
 
I’ve dealt with this a fair amount myself. On 1 occasion I ended up in hospital because a chunk of chicken was lodged in my throat for hours, and every time I tried to swallow something it came right back up. In the end they had to sedate me and use an Endoscope to push it down. After that I was diagnosed with Eosinophilic esophagitis. Budesonide is what I take, and it does help.

I wouldn’t have guessed there was a connection to GLP1s, but halting them and seeking medical advice is certainly a reasonable move. I hope you find out what’s causing it.
 
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