Choking on Saliva/ Uncontrollable swallowing and air in esophagus

its been happening to me for a few months.i just had it happen prior to getting on here and it was so bad i passed out and smashed my head on fridge and woke up jelly-fishing making a gasping sound or like it and my dogs russeling around me barking.scary i dont know what made me come back,or why it happens...

I have the same problem and I am scared too. I have not told anyone because i think they cant understand of what am talking about

I have this also, it's scary. The other thing that happens to me is I inhale food and liquids some times and I choke on that also.
I hate this I wake up in a panic. I already take medicine for acid re-flux. I also have trouble swallowing at times and food, pills, and water will get stuck in my esophagus. I'm sure I need to see my doctor about it. Any suggestions?

I have a story to tell. My daughter and I have been coughing every moment we went to our respectful bed rooms. My wife and other kids have no this problem. on Saturday morning when my daughter woke up from bed she coughed until she becomes unconscious she choked for five seconds and was unable to breath. I also experiences such scaring moments. i have been complaining about the dust particles that fells on our bed from the ceiling. i knew this was the problem but was not sure so I went to the home depo bought two gallons of paint and painted the ceiling of our bedrooms. This helped us very much that night for we are now not coughing and we are now enjoying our sleep. for nine years in this house we have been suffering because of the cheap paint on our ceiling. pleas check the paint on your ceiling

I just had a choking spasm, rosaella. I've had them off and on (usually a couple a year, but getting more frequent now). I've been to the doctor. Mine is not saliva, but I've had trouble swallowing saliva before also. Now, I'm 77 and have been told to go to a "speech therapist!" She did give me one good lesson. Take a little sip (liquids do it to me) and point your chin down before you swallow. I learned I have to inhale, and blow ou gentlyt as I swallow I thought I was going to die some years ago when the pipe of my throat wouldn't open...it was screeching in and shuddering out and I voided (peed) no one around, it was a long time...at least 15 seconds I think. I was going to call 911 but didn't want to cause trouble. This is what made me feel better. My doctor said I wouldn't die of it! I guess maybe you black out and relax. I'm still working on it. I do not like to eat and drink with people. I gave up wine and anything acid as that makes it worse. I found out my father used to choke on mints and chocolate. My grandson on a piece of steak and had to go to hospital...my daughter just now says she found out she has acid reflux...must be something wrong with our pipes!! I never could drink fast. Everyone teased me for taking little sips. My first husband could take a bottle of beer and chug it, opening his throat very wide! I remember I never could swallow a pill as a child. Finally, an uncle showed me how by putting it way back in my throat...nowadays, I take my 8ills in applesauce, that has never choked me! I have heard of people dying choking on popcorn, meat stuck in throat (I picked up my baby when she was eating and choked and slapped her on the back as I read that in a baby book...and the food popped out...so glad I read the book! She never could swallow her food right even as a baby! To tell the truth, I've found only one case like mine that was solved and it was on TV. I never got the name of the doctor. The woman said she went to 20 doctors, and that's how many it took to fix it...we can swallow cameras now! I think I will start going again. I sure scared my dog, he hid under the bed. I HATE this...it isolates me. And, if you tense up it is worse. My brother had sleep apnea and wore one of those masks at night...many men who snore have that and should wear one of those masks as they CAN die...they stop breathing! Oh, I also sleep with my bed slanted up by the head. I also take allergy pills, and tonight I will probably cleanse my nose and throat with salt water...OH, everything else is healthy...why this mysterious thing?

I know this post is over a year old, but my 12 yr old daughter has just started this exact thing in the last 2 weeks and doctor said it is allergies......it is terrifying and I am not convinced it is allergies.

I have had this exact same thing three nights in a row. Every time I tell my husband I am gonna choke to death. You described to the T what happens to me. Happens not much during day but so often at night. I am exhausted with no slerp.

In many situations it is associated with food  allergies or intolerances. Even if you weren't intolerant before, an allergy or intolerance can happen at any time. The typical culprits: milk, cheese and other known food allergens; perhaps the heavy pollen contributes to the airway issues.

Try discussing with a holistic nutritionist or query complimentary cures for respiratory probels.

I used to not know what this was when I would have it.It turnsout I have asthma, I used to smoke and it kept the asthma attacks at bay, now that my lungs are clearing, they are asthma attacks. The only thing that gets it to go away is religious use of my inhaler (I need adry-powder inhaler or something I think)and/or using my nicotine vaporizer. If you are having trouble breathing, and start to panic, it gets harder and harder. The most important thing to do is relax and breathe. Just breathe. Hack like you are trying to cough up a lougie a few times, get it clear enough to breathe, and just breathe. If you keep having it happen, get a rescue inhaler, it can help, whether or not what is happening to you is because of asthma, like mine is.I also have bronchitis, and have for a while, my mother will not get me medication because she thinks it is too expensive. I somtimes get depressed that this is happening and start thinking I am going to die because of this, what you all and I are experiencing, but then I realize I have made it this far and refuse to give up. You don't have to die if you have the willpower and don't panic. Mind over matter, friends. If it does not instantly kill you, breathe as slowly and deeply as you can, call 911, and let out deep heavy coughs followed by a few hacks when it starts feeling too deep to breathe. You can't get it out by panicking, it takes time. Think of your lungs as a series of small tubes, and when you panic, have bronchitis, an asthma attack, or chronic severe asthma, all these things reduce the size of the tubes, asthmatic bronchitis can shrink your tubes to the bronchioles smaller than a straw, it's like trying to push a big thick glue-like phlegm clot through a straw, it doesn't always want to fit. It is not water, you will not drown, as long as you breath deeply, you or someone else can do the heimliche on you if you stop breathing. Learn to do the heimlich on yourself with a chair or other structure, it could save your life, only use it when you cannot breathe at all.I suggest getting a vaporizer, seriously, it moistens everything, and makes the gunk a little slicker and easier to get out, more so the mucinex for me, as it does not cause me to have to cough out more, it just makes it come out, it is like lubricating the straw with WD-40 before you push the clot through.Above all else though, remain calm, and request a rescue inhaler from your primary doctor, and if he denies you it, go to different doctors until you have one. Inhalers help everyone.

 ***this post is edited by moderator *** *** private phone numbers not allowed*** Please read our Terms of Use

I too have often woken up gasping for air but recently it happens during the day I sometimes swollow and start choking. The first time it happened several months ago I thought I would choke to death? All we can do is hope for some kind of solution. All the best.

Yes i have had that same experience of choking on saliva. my second time was yesterday when i was just about to leave work. i was telling myself to keep calm while i was noisily inhaling an tried to exhale an couldnt so i inhaled a bit more an was freaking out an exhaled a little an kept foing ths hoping no one would come by because i wouldnt b able to explain an saw someone coming so i darted around the corner still trying to breath but the person knew me an asked if i was ok an that i didnt look comfortable, at this time my breathing was coming back an i half heartedly and not in a full sentence but in single words when i could get each word out said "i'm fine" an walked away. Today if i see her again i'm going to ask her as she is a doctor an i will ask another doctor at work, they are cardiologist but they may know something an i will post what they suggest. I hope i will remember how to get back on this site. I will try because iknow how frightening this is.

Sleep apnea doesn't cause this much fluid. You need too get you child to a Pulmonologist. There are several dangerous (and non dangerous) conditions that can cause this. Believe me, a Pulmonologist (lung dr) id's really really needed in these situations. Sooner the better.

I get that at night too, and wondered for years what it is, I have just been dignosed with a thyroid problem and wondered whether it is related

Sounds like a panic attack

Wow!  A huge relief to find I am not the only one.   Very interesting information here.   I finally decided to do some research and found this site.   I have been having this problem for about 12 years now.   Very occassional.   Perhaps once a year but it scares the c**p out of me each time it happens.   The most severe episodes are almost always initiated by drinking something.   A sip of tea, a swig of pepsi even once or twice I have had this eating bread dipped in oil and vinegar.   They are the severe ones.   The ones where your esophagus seems to totally close.   Just a strange squeel of air as you try with all your might to suck in some air so you can cough.   Every time now, I try to keep calm and within 60 seconds or so, it starts to open and I can cough.   I have very frequent episodes with silvia, most often when I start to fall asleep in a sitting position.  Last night was the worst I have ever had.   Somehow stomach acid came up in my sleep and got into the wrong tube.   It was very painful and I woke up in a complete panic between not being able to breath and feeling this strong acid in my esophagus.   It longer than normal to clear but also because of the acid, I lost my voice and couldn't clear my throat as easily.   I couldn't sleep for about 2 hours becasue I was scared of it happening again.  I tried to sip water to relive the acid burn.    My voice started to come back this morning and as of now - this afternoon - I just have a very horse voice.    Everyone thinks I have a terrible cough.    Anyway, pretty freaky.   It sure sounds like there aren't any solutions out there.    I feel horrible for those who say they eventually black out.   That is my biggest fear.   I always think during these episodes how horrible it would be to drown.    It is such a scary feeling.    The only thing I can think of is we ate way too late and probably also ate too much last night.    I went to bed feeling very full which is never a good feeling but this doesn't explain all the other times.