Choking on Saliva/ Uncontrollable swallowing and air in esophagus

I saw an ENT specialist about mine the other day and had a camera up my nose and into my throat. He says there is a small tremor somewhere in my throat which suggest some type of vocal cord dysfunction and i have to see a voice specialist next week to learn breathing exercises and ways to deal with attacks. I will let you know what she says

See discussion about Laryngospasms in earlier posts. That is what most all of us have. It is a Spasm of the vocal chord muscles that "slam closed" your vocal chords making breathing through your mouth impossible until the spasms subsides. You can still breath through your nose as long as it is not stuffed up from congestion. If your nose is stuffed up, I suggest using Afrin or Vicks Synex type spray to help shrink the swelling in sinuses especially to sleep. Also just try to relax as much as possible when this "attack" begins. Try massaging the voice box at the lower end of your throat after the coughing stops to get it to relax. There are several videos of what this spasm looks like online if you do a Google search for "laryngospasm video". Mine have decreased to about 1 attack every 2-3 hours, which is still too much for me. Be proactive, and if this seems like what you have, point this out to your Medical Doctors, even giving them the link to the videos. I have found when coughing, as gross as it is, that not much phlegm comes up, but what does is very sticky and stringy and I know that is the source of my irritation that leads to the coughing attacks. It is not like what we normally associate with sinus drainage. If you find anything that works for you to make these attacks lessened or go away, please come back and share that. Thanks, Reed

He has diagnosed laryngospasms but thought they may be being caused by acid reflux. He now feels the cause is this vocal cord dysfunction. Apparently the voice therapist i am seeing next week is one of the top therapists in the uk for dealing with this. Will def come back and let you know what she says

I just had an experience this morning as I was cooking. I started to choke and couln't catch my breath not even threw my nose. Of course I tried to keep calm but my husband whs standing there with no clue what was happening to me. Was there anything he could have done? I'm so scared that I will pass out or even die. This sometimed happens to me at night when asleep.

Littlebit123 wrote:

bigbetty wrote:

Yes, Yes! You must keep Calm. It will pass and you will be able to catch your breath soon. (I know it's very difficult) Raising my arms does helps. For me, it happens when I least expect it but I have notice that usually is when I'm upset, stressed or nervous for some reason. I sometimes feel it coming and I try to keep calm hold by breath and cough and I prevent it from getting worse. Hope this helps.

I just had an experience this morning as I was cooking. I started to choke and couln't catch my breath not even threw my nose. Of course I tried to keep calm but my husband whs standing there with no clue what was happening to me. Was there anything he could have done? I'm so scared that I will pass out or even die. This sometimed happens to me at night when asleep.

Littlebit,

Have you have a cough or cold symptoms recently, or have you NOT had any symptoms like that??? That will help in steering you through this. One of the responders early on mentioned using pillows to raise yourself up while you sleep. This worked for me as well. You pretty much have to make a Nest of Pillows to support you. Don't let anybody try to help you by doing the "Heimlich Maneuver". This will actually make the situation worse since you really don't have anything lodged in your throat with this event. As tough as it is, just being there is good enough. Earlier in this thread there was some good intel about what could happen if you do pass out. It would be momentary since once you do, your body relaxes the "involuntary" muscles and your larynx will reopen allowing air to pass. This could be a problem though if you are driving. Best suggestion is to try to stop the coughing if possible, not trying to clear whatever is in your throat, except with small clearing sounds ... If you feel like you are getting dizzy or faint, try to get down on a knee as you cough, so you are closer to the ground if you do pass out. This is called Coughing related Syncope (sink-o-pee) and you can google that through webMD. Amazing all the things you will learn as you try to figure out what is going on. Don't give up on trying to breath small breaths through your nose. It will have to be after your coughing spell is over, but you are able to do it before your Laryngospasm ends... Get back about whether you have had cold symptoms or not...

Reed

Norma Hrica wrote:

cornfedgroove wrote:

I dont know what my problem is. A few years ago, I started waking up in the middle of the night choking on my own spit. It's not just a little cough mind you, but its a total blockage of my airway for 5 seconds or so until I can manage to s**k in half a breath, a few more seconds of panic and choking until I can gasp a few more. It's quite terrifying, and very noisy when I can actually force a breath.

Some time after that it started happening while I was awake. I could be sitting there doing nothing or even talking...and all of the sudden, I can feel the spit drop down into my trachea and I'll start choking. It is not nearly as severe during the day, but it quite annoying.

Another major issue, is that I began noticing that when I would sneeze it would cause what I describe as an air pocket in my esophagus that I can feel. This pocket (or whatever it is) triggers an never-ending series of involuntary swallowing reflexes in an attempt (I guess) to rectify the issue, but it only makes it worse. The only way to break the cycle is to refuse the reflex (not easy) and after several seconds when the reflex isnt as strong, I have to force a tiny burp out by just contracting every muscle in my torso and trying to push that little air out. Then after much slobbering, nose-running, watery eyes and throat-clearing...all finds it way back to normal.

what is the problem here?

It has been happening to me for years to the point where i think i'm going to die during one of these episodes. i have had sleep studies to find if it is due to apnea and the test were negative. this also happens to me during the day when i swallow or have saliva in my mouth. it is the worst terror to get these episodes and not know what to do about them. afterwards my chest and head feel like they are going to explode and i feel like i'm passing out....is there a treatment for this and what type of doctor should i see?

victoria wrote:

Norma Hrica wrote:

cornfedgroove wrote:

I dont know what my problem is. A few years ago, I started waking up in the middle of the night choking on my own spit. It's not just a little cough mind you, but its a total blockage of my airway for 5 seconds or so until I can manage to s**k in half a breath, a few more seconds of panic and choking until I can gasp a few more. It's quite terrifying, and very noisy when I can actually force a breath.

Some time after that it started happening while I was awake. I could be sitting there doing nothing or even talking...and all of the sudden, I can feel the spit drop down into my trachea and I'll start choking. It is not nearly as severe during the day, but it quite annoying.

Another major issue, is that I began noticing that when I would sneeze it would cause what I describe as an air pocket in my esophagus that I can feel. This pocket (or whatever it is) triggers an never-ending series of involuntary swallowing reflexes in an attempt (I guess) to rectify the issue, but it only makes it worse. The only way to break the cycle is to refuse the reflex (not easy) and after several seconds when the reflex isnt as strong, I have to force a tiny burp out by just contracting every muscle in my torso and trying to push that little air out. Then after much slobbering, nose-running, watery eyes and throat-clearing...all finds it way back to normal.

what is the problem here?

It has been happening to me for years to the point where i think i'm going to die during one of these episodes. i have had sleep studies to find if it is due to apnea and the test were negative. this also happens to me during the day when i swallow or have saliva in my mouth. it is the worst terror to get these episodes and not know what to do about them. afterwards my chest and head feel like they are going to explode and i feel like i'm passing out....is there a treatment for this and what type of doctor should i see?

I would suggest an ENT or Ear Nose and Throat Doctor that can review your symptoms, can do a visual exam of your windpipe, and larynx, and may even be able to see it happen if you can while in the office. Whether it is Acid Reflux/Gurd, or excessive drainage from allergies or a bacterial infection like Pertussis, if they have an idea of what is going on, you have a chance at finding relief. My suggestion to you about feeling like you will die, is to relax about that. Your body has mechanisms that will help keep that from happening. keeping as calm as possible, and realizing it will pass is the first step.

Reed

I can't believe I have finally stumbled across people who seem to have the same 'attacks' as my daughter. She just turned 6 last week and this has been happening to her almost every night for the last month. Thank goodness the poor little thing has no memory of it at all the next day but I certainly remember it. It only happens to her at night and she wakes up just gasping for air, the first week that it was happening she would actually go blue. Then the swallowing would start happening and then the belching. The first few times she would vomit too. She was given asthma preventative to start with and now she has been on Losec for the last week but is still having an episode every night. SHe has been pushed forward for an urgent appt with ENT guy in two days who will put a camera down her throat. I'm glad to have found all your answers to what it could be but I'm afraid of living with this long term. At the moment I am too scared to leave her side and sleep on a mattress on the floor next to her, I'm an exhausted wreck as I wait up most nights waiting for it to happen. I just hope the ENT finds something and there is a way we can stop it from happening. The tips on getting through an episode are great but it's just not something I want to see happening to my child every night. I would love to hear if anyone has had success in stopping the episodes. Thank you.

So sorry that your little girl has to go through this. I cant imagine how horrible it would be to watch that in your baby. There is hope though! My hubby stopped having these attacks. (Thank GOD!) His was related to GERD/acid reflux and hes on Pantoprazole and it seems to be doing the trick. As you have read, everyone has different reasons for their attacks (acid reflux, drainage, etc) Once you pin-point the cause, you can treat it effectively. Did your daughter have acid reflux as a baby? Hang in there. She will be OK. As scary as it seems now, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Praying for your angel!

hi i have had choking on saliva for many years , once i could not a breath, i thought i was going to die,other times its the choking and gasping for air, but when the lungs shut down as mine did why does a doc look at you as if u are over reacting, hope someone out there can come up with a reason , thank you

You may have Nasal Drip, which means that mucus runs down th back of your throat and then wakes you up by choking you as you are not able to swallow it down.

It can happen during the day as well.

It may be anxiety.

RyeMan wrote:

It may be anxiety.

That's not very helpful. See your Doctor and describe your symptoms. Use this Thread as a way to help you understand
A. You are NOT ALONE
B. There are several distinct causes for what we experience
C.There are some good techniques to help while having a spasm
D.There is information available on the web as listed in previous posts that will help with your understanding of what is going on.

All the Best,
Reed

im sitting here and breathing in and as i breath in my left nostril , im petrified of coughing,as even a little as saliva closes up my throat on left side , i can feel the air going down and only way its easing is by holding my neck on the right hand side .. and trying to breath slowly thro right nostril , very slowly ...and not sure should i drink or not ?? its scarey..im 66 and think oh well this must be it !!will let you know if it works , if am still here half hour...

hi, i have the same thing. i was sitting her watching tv and down the mucus went, I felt like I would never breath again. It scares the c**p out of my kids. it started in my sleep years ago and it has even happened when Im driving. My mother also has these but the thought of doing this the rest of my life is depressing.