[Dysphagia] 29 Year Old Male/Sudden Onset Dysphagia/Still Ongoing/Anything else it could be?

[jamesrwright at windstream.net (James Wright)]

I am not sure what to do or where to turn. 

 

Here is my situation. Sorry if ramble. I am a 29 year old male that had a
sudden onset of dysphagia at the end of April. Stuff suddenly felt as if it
was not going down smoothly. I have been to a variety of doctors, and
basically they are telling me it is in my head. I do have anxiety now about
eating, but only because I feel like stuff is not going down right. I am
desperate to get better since I am scheduled to go back for my MBA this
fall. I had no surgeries or trauma to my throat.  The foods that are giving
me problems are "harder" solids such as rice, crackers ,even harder
vegetables i.e. bits of carrot inside of a wrap. Softer items are no problem
for me.  Sometimes I feel as if I have to cough..I don't cough anything up,
but I have that urge. I have never had a choking episode per se, at least
none recent. (choked on a chicken bone when I was 5)I am now paranoid to eat
foods such as  chicken or hot dogs in solid form but only because I have
been having issues with them. I never had any fear of choking before. I used
to drive down the road with a 12 inch hoagie at 50 miles an hour and eat
with no problem. I know dangerous and messy, but I am using it to illustrate
my point that there was no long standing fear..Here are the tests I have had
so far. 

 

1.       ENT did a Flexible Endoscopy back at beginning of May. I had normal
closure of my airway when swallowing, but I did not swallow anything I would
be having trouble with i.e. solids. The test was performed with
pudding/applesauce with food coloring. He thought maybe it was caused by
reflux despite my lack of symptoms so I have been on Prilosec twice a day
since beginning of May. 

2.       I had a CT scan. Nothing showed up other than mild sinus disease;
nothing that could account for my dysphagia. 

3.       I had two barium swallows, regular and modified. I am not sure why
the doctor did the regular once since I never had trouble with liquids. The
modified one was down with a soft cookie; once again, I don't have trouble
with mushy carbs such as cookies, and Nutri-grain bars, just hard stuff. I
told the doctors that, but they did not include such a bolus in my swallow
tests.  

4.       The upper GI endoscopy revealed mild felinization of my esophagus.
They did a biopsy. They did fine some eosinphils in my esophagus, but fewer
than 5 per high powered field. There were no visible lesions or webs or
anything like that in my esophagus. The number of cells was consistent with
reflux, but visibly I had no damage per se.  The doctor put me on a Flovent
swallow just in case it may have been due to allergy. 

 

I am at my wit's end as to what is going on. I am going to a respected
medical center, UPMC in Pittsburgh.  I swear I am not crazy..really..I am
not. I tried to talk myself out of there being a physical cause, but I keep
on having feelings in my throat when I am eating that alarm me. Anyone have
any idea as to what this could be? Possibly a different angle on this? Any
assistance would be appreciated. I need to get better ASAP. 

 

Thanks!

 

Jim