It so nice to see an active topic on this.
My name is Joy,I'm 23.
This started happening to me last May.I had a pogo on my way home,alittle snack before supper.Made an awesome supper,ribs,patatoes and my famous macaroni salad.Only I coulnd't eat it.Went to take a bite and I honestly thought I was gonna choke.
For about 1 or 2 after it started,I was terrified to even drink something.
I've learned to stick to "safe" foods.Potatoes,chicken,ice cream.Anything soft and that I trust.
This has been a big burden on my life.Up until 2 months ago,I thought I was crazy,that nobody else goes through this.Once I googled it,I found some answers.I finally told a couple important ppl in my life.I had to be drunk to it,lol I just can't come around to telling my family.I avoid family dinners and when I do go,I pretend I'm not feeling all that well and don't eat.Then I'll come home and eat something that I can.
My hubby no longer gets mad at me when I can't finish my plate or when I take an hour to eat.
But I have lost alot of weight.I was always alittle over weight.And I was happy with it.But I went from 150 to 130,some months I weight 125 and that really scares me.

I do plan on going to see a doctor,make sure it's nothing physical.I'm pretty sure it's not.Nothing feels wrongs.I have suffered from depression when I was a youth,I was daignosed with having the fear of change,I can't cope with it. I do have good days where I can eat a burger.But then there are really bad days were I can't even eat a piece of cake.I know I'm not choking and that I won't.I can only remember one time were I choked.I was 10,it was on a piece of rice.It didn't bother me at all.

Thanks for reading and I do hope we can help each other out.I will be checking in everyday.

Hi Joy.

I completely know how you feel about family dinners and whatnot. When I'm with my friends, I'm fine with going out to eat, because they all know, and they're prepared to wait an hour for me to finish eating. But family that I'm not around so often is harder. I too just pretend that I'm full, then go home and eat later. My boyfriend and sisters often make fun of me because of how long it takes me to eat. I make fun of myself. lol When I first developed this fear, I wouldn't go out to eat at all. It's very embarassing, especially around people you don't know. With my last boyfriend, I would refuse to eat dinner with his family, even a year and a half into the relationship, because I was so embarassed of the fear. Unless it was something like soup and sandwiches, I wouldn't go.

There are still things I can't quite eat. I don't eat burgers very much, because they're gross and nasty by the time I'm done with them. I don't eat a lot of meat, either. Chicken and lunch meat is about it. I stick to noodles mainly. All different types of pasta. I don't eat anything I have to suck on to eat, like candy. I just have that deadly fear that it'll fall down my throat. I've just recently began chewing gum again, but not for very long.

I would love to go to the doctor and do something for this. But I don't know where to start. I was to my general practitioner a few weeks ago to get my fiber intake checked out. I told him I don't eat a lot of fiber because I'm deathly afraid of choking and I can't eat the things that give me the best ammount of fiber. He kind of laughed at the fear. So I definitely can't go to him about it! lol I might have to see a psychiatrist..


Good luck!
Beth

Thanks for the reply Beth!

I know what you mean about not knowing where to start.But when I came out and told my best friend about it.She said the first step was admitting that there is something wrong.So I think I got that covered.I know there is something wrong,just scared to death about what a doctor might say.It's pretty much either gonna be there's something physically wrong or it's all my head.And I don't know which one I'm more afraid of.
I have the same problem,I can't go see my family doctor.He's a pill pusher.So he's probably gonna try to get me on anti biotics for 2 weeks.Which obviously,i can't take pills.
I find one thing that really helps me,at home.Is to sit in front of the T.V and watch a favorite show or movie.I've also been noticing since I started looking into this fear.That when I'm stressed out,feeling rushed,that's when it's the worst.If I'm having a good day,I can eat half a burger before deciding I can't finish it.Also,with meat,like hamburger,pork anything that already takes a few chews,I try to have some sort of patatoe with it,fries,mashed or baked.And of course I can't eat anything without something to drink beside me.Even though I never need it,it's still there just in case I start to choke.

This feels so good to talk about it.Even though I have told my boy friend,I feel embaressed talking to him about it.He'll ask me what I can eat,and it's as if I'm still trying to hide it.

Good luck Beth,hope everything works out for you.

Mr Ian Wrote:Hi Beth and welcome to oFear

It seems fear of choking is not all uncommon - tho not many who have this fear have described a particular choking event that triggered the fear.
There seem to be frequent similarities with choking fears to emetophobia and eating disorders.

Every now and then I do a random off the wall 'theorising' - and choking (in the absence of a choking experience) is not one I've done... so this will be one of those "now" times.

Anyone reading - take what makes sense (if anything) and use it - then discard the rest.
And please feel free to critique my 'theory'.

Let's start with something obscure - and bring it round....

Agoraphobia and Social Phobia - are forms of phobias that seem underpinned in fears of being 'caught out' or 'unaware' - they are fears of being away from a "place of safety" - a sense of no retreat or no escape.
One thing strikes me as universal in these and that is the sense of 'control' over not just the environment, but also those around us and of ourselves.

But does it always come out in 'social anxiety'?

Most times we don't "fear" other people - but situations; how we might react to them and what might the outcome be.

Choking is perhaps a more "serious" form of internalised sense of 'loss of control' in the sense that we know, if we were to choke for real, it has a potentially serious consequence - and onset can be instant.
Importantly, it also requires no one but yourself to set the scenario.

So is a fear of choking any different to another fear?

Could a fear of choking be a result of low self esteem? Coupled with a fear of "loss of control" over the situation? Just as in Social Anxiety - but manifested in a different way?

Hi Mr Ian!
I've been reading this thread over and over since I found it among many others.You were talking about social fear,losing control.The more I think about it,the more it's starting to make sense on why this has started happening to me.The last year and a bit has been so crazy.I worked for my grandfather,who sold the bar last february.I got laid off,then about a month after I was barred.I worked there for 3 years and I loved my job.Then me and my boyfriend were fighting during that time but we had made up atlease a month before this happend.My dad sold his business where I had worked for 4 years.It took me till January to find a job I love again. My mom started drinking again after 7 yeas of sobriety.And the list goes on. Theses were all things I could not control.Not that I'm a control freak,but yeah I like to be somewhere "safe".It seems like when something happens to make me feel stressed,mad etc.Thoses are my bad days.It takes forever to eat 2 pieces of toast.My good days are still bad because this has been going on since last May.But atlease I can eat most of a burger and some salad.
I'm gonna start writing in a journal.The things I eat everyday,how I was feeling.Keep track on patterns.I don't think I'm ready to go see a doctor yet.Still scared about dealing with this,but I'm pretty there's nothing physically wrong.
Thank you for taking the time to read.

And please everyone who's going through this.Keep posting,I'll keep checking everyday.I would like to talk about this more with people that are experiencing what we're going through.

hey all, have been dealing with the choking fear for several years off and on, it's come back severely the last 6 months or so, not just limited to food, but liquids and things flying through the air i'm worried about inhaling. I had a choking incident almost 20 years ago, and it's been a recurring thing ever since. Not sure what triggers it to come back, but i'm glad to see there are more people that have it, as I really felt alone with this disorder. Has anyone had success with any types of treatment? Feel free to respond.

Thanks

Hi thehfxguy and welcome to oFear

The choking fear seems to work on a few levels - and I'm not to clear on how but here's some additoins to my thoughts so far:

Panic is a fear of something bad going wrong.

If there's something tangible to fear - like a rampant bear running at you - then it's considered normal to have the fear response.
If it's something that we've got a bad memory of, then it's possible this will come back as a fear - and when we fear it more than we rationally should, it's a phobia.

Sometimes tho there are fears without any particular apparent reason for this; like buttons or windmills. I suspect this is either a representation of some object or event that scared us once - but not the same object (eg people who have a bad experience with a swooping magpie attacking them might develop a phobia of flies, because both things fly).

Sometimes tho it seems the fear is a manifestation of other 'latent fears' - things that aren't objects or events particularly but we fear them: like loss of control of a situation or feeling of insecurity or being embarrassed.

I'd guess that rather than your choking fear coming from that past event - it's more that the incident of choking raised the likelihood that this became your focus of attention for other fears that you can't identify just yet. Hope that made sense.

Do you have other fears or phobias? Or would you describe yourself as a generally anxious or particular sort of person?

Works great! Thank you for posting this.
I really hope you like this new challenge! Best of luck, everyone!
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Interesting thought, i completely agree with your perspective

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hi to all with this very strange fear of choking,I truly thought I was the only one in the world,I've never met anyone else with it but then i've never spocken to anyone about it.
Looking back over the years i think its been there longer than not.I am 44 years of age and was diagnosed with type 1 diabetus at the age of 18,so i suppose i had to think of food often.I used to really enjoy food and eating out but now just the thought of eating around people makes me feel ill so i don't go.While by myself i'm often ok but not always,its getting worse!Meat or anything that won't turn to mush is almost impossable to swollow,i seem to find myself gagging .I keep a drink next to me at all times when eating,its helps alittle when food seems to be sticking in my throat and won't go down.I feel like i'm drowning.I also feel very resticted in close spaces,i feel i'm turning into a hermit,going mad,have no quality of life,this fear of swallowing and failing-to is effecting almost every part of my life.Never told my doctor about this,i feel sure he'll think i'm for the men in white coats,in fact ,this short note that really just skims the surface of what i'm going through is the first i've ever opened-up about this problem.Hope someone out there can help please.

Hello.

I joined these boards in the hopes of finding some support and answers ... even though I am a trained RN, with a post-grad in psych nursing, I am not coping at all. :cry:

I'm 51 and have suffered from a swallowing phobia on and off since I was in my early teens. There have been times when it has been completely gone and other times when it seems so full-blown that I think I'll never ever be rid of it - and now is one of the latter times. It seems SO ridiculous and I have tried and tried and tried all sorts of things to deal with it, only to have it get worse instead of better. Hypnotherapy did not work at all, btw, and neither did EFT.

But it is now getting to the point where my social behaviour is completely avoidant - I choose to miss out on things because I fear the embarrassment related to the WAY I eat. I'm aware that I use all sorts of maladaptive behaviours in order to swallow safely - prolonged chewing, storing food, spilling food, hunching shoulders, clenching teeth and so on - and every time the food or liquid goes down safely, but the tension related to the whole process of eating is becoming unbearable. I live in fear of being 'caught out' doing these things: that someone will one day ask me, in front of everyone, if I have a problem or why do I do XY or Z? OMG, the humiliation of that moment would be unbearable and I would never be able to look anyone in the eye again!! So I find excuses not to go places; I take only soft foods - soup, yogurt etc - to work for lunch break; and even then, I take care to sit where I can conceal the way I eat. I've always been a slow eater ... and a small eater ... probably as a result of this phobia. As a single parent with only a daughter at home right now, I manage to eat alone all the time and I can use these eating methods without fear of being caught out, even though I HATE them and HATE myself for using them and for not being able to just friggin' get over it already!!! :evil:

BUT: this December we are going back to our home country (we emigrated at the beginning of this year) for a three-week visit and I am already in the throes of pre-visit anxiety, knowing I will be living in the homes of various family members and friends for that time and that they will all expect me to happily join them in celebratory meals - it is the festive season as well as us being there on holiday. I have less than three months to get sorted out, or the visit is going to be a nightmare and I will feel robbed of the pleasure of seeing family and friends again ... I really do feel quite frantic about this, but I conceal it from everyone. And yes, I have suffered from mild anxiety and depression in the past, but have been basically free of that for many years now. The choking phobia has been back, to a greater or lesser degree, for the last few years, but it seems this move to a new country with all its attendent stresses and strains, has triggered a full-blown attack which is now getting worse by the day. I still manage to eat and drink but it is always, always a tension-laden procedure and I am now getting irritable, exhausted, frustrated and depressed.

Thanks for listening.
Ellywelly

Ellywelly Wrote:Hello.

I joined these boards in the hopes of finding some support and answers ... even though I am a trained RN, with a post-grad in psych nursing, I am not coping at all. :cry:

I'm 51 and have suffered from a swallowing phobia on and off since I was in my early teens. There have been times when it has been completely gone and other times when it seems so full-blown that I think I'll never ever be rid of it - and now is one of the latter times. It seems SO ridiculous and I have tried and tried and tried all sorts of things to deal with it, only to have it get worse instead of better. Hypnotherapy did not work at all, btw, and neither did EFT.

But it is now getting to the point where my social behaviour is completely avoidant - I choose to miss out on things because I fear the embarrassment related to the WAY I eat. I'm aware that I use all sorts of maladaptive behaviours in order to swallow safely - prolonged chewing, storing food, spilling food, hunching shoulders, clenching teeth and so on - and every time the food or liquid goes down safely, but the tension related to the whole process of eating is becoming unbearable. I live in fear of being 'caught out' doing these things: that someone will one day ask me, in front of everyone, if I have a problem or why do I do XY or Z? OMG, the humiliation of that moment would be unbearable and I would never be able to look anyone in the eye again!! So I find excuses not to go places; I take only soft foods - soup, yogurt etc - to work for lunch break; and even then, I take care to sit where I can conceal the way I eat. I've always been a slow eater ... and a small eater ... probably as a result of this phobia. As a single parent with only a daughter at home right now, I manage to eat alone all the time and I can use these eating methods without fear of being caught out, even though I HATE them and HATE myself for using them and for not being able to just friggin' get over it already!!! :evil:

BUT: this December we are going back to our home country (we emigrated at the beginning of this year) for a three-week visit and I am already in the throes of pre-visit anxiety, knowing I will be living in the homes of various family members and friends for that time and that they will all expect me to happily join them in celebratory meals - it is the festive season as well as us being there on holiday. I have less than three months to get sorted out, or the visit is going to be a nightmare and I will feel robbed of the pleasure of seeing family and friends again ... I really do feel quite frantic about this, but I conceal it from everyone. And yes, I have suffered from mild anxiety and depression in the past, but have been basically free of that for many years now. The choking phobia has been back, to a greater or lesser degree, for the last few years, but it seems this move to a new country with all its attendent stresses and strains, has triggered a full-blown attack which is now getting worse by the day. I still manage to eat and drink but it is always, always a tension-laden procedure and I am now getting irritable, exhausted, frustrated and depressed.

Thanks for listening.
Ellywelly

blackthorn Wrote:

Ellywelly Wrote:Hello.

I joined these boards in the hopes of finding some support and answers ... even though I am a trained RN, with a post-grad in psych nursing, I am not coping at all. :cry:

I'm 51 and have suffered from a swallowing phobia on and off since I was in my early teens. There have been times when it has been completely gone and other times when it seems so full-blown that I think I'll never ever be rid of it - and now is one of the latter times. It seems SO ridiculous and I have tried and tried and tried all sorts of things to deal with it, only to have it get worse instead of better. Hypnotherapy did not work at all, btw, and neither did EFT.

But it is now getting to the point where my social behaviour is completely avoidant - I choose to miss out on things because I fear the embarrassment related to the WAY I eat. I'm aware that I use all sorts of maladaptive behaviours in order to swallow safely - prolonged chewing, storing food, spilling food, hunching shoulders, clenching teeth and so on - and every time the food or liquid goes down safely, but the tension related to the whole process of eating is becoming unbearable. I live in fear of being 'caught out' doing these things: that someone will one day ask me, in front of everyone, if I have a problem or why do I do XY or Z? OMG, the humiliation of that moment would be unbearable and I would never be able to look anyone in the eye again!! So I find excuses not to go places; I take only soft foods - soup, yogurt etc - to work for lunch break; and even then, I take care to sit where I can conceal the way I eat. I've always been a slow eater ... and a small eater ... probably as a result of this phobia. As a single parent with only a daughter at home right now, I manage to eat alone all the time and I can use these eating methods without fear of being caught out, even though I HATE them and HATE myself for using them and for not being able to just friggin' get over it already!!! :evil:

BUT: this December we are going back to our home country (we emigrated at the beginning of this year) for a three-week visit and I am already in the throes of pre-visit anxiety, knowing I will be living in the homes of various family members and friends for that time and that they will all expect me to happily join them in celebratory meals - it is the festive season as well as us being there on holiday. I have less than three months to get sorted out, or the visit is going to be a nightmare and I will feel robbed of the pleasure of seeing family and friends again ... I really do feel quite frantic about this, but I conceal it from everyone. And yes, I have suffered from mild anxiety and depression in the past, but have been basically free of that for many years now. The choking phobia has been back, to a greater or lesser degree, for the last few y9ears, but it seems this move to a new country with all its attendent stresses and strains, has triggered a full-blown attack which is now getting worse by the day. I still manage to eat and drink but it is always, always a tension-laden procedure and I am now getting irritable, exhausted, frustrated and depressed.

Thanks for listening.
Ellywelly

hello there ellywelly, please note i am quite new to useing computers but i am not new to fear of swallowing.My problem with it is very much like yours.I am putting off driving anywhere in case i freak out whilst doing so and trying to swallow my own saliva at the same time,not that i go out much anymore (just weekly shopping ,that sort of thing),in fact i've lost a lot of friends due to this problem,the old me was so full of fun and bubbly,i used to love going out ,whats more ,i loved food and eating out.Thing is i still love food and want to enjoy it and i so want to get out,just be my old self again.This seems to be where the problem is,the mere thought of eating around anyone and them noticing me unable to swallow causes me to think about each mouth-full,or nibble as the case may be,i know i must look awfull as my shoulders roll forward,i won't look at any body in the hope that they don't look at me and i take forever to eat the smallest amount,so if the there's a reason to go out i make excusses the best i can not to.I prefer the few people i still see come to my house instead of me going to them,some-how that feels a little more comfortable.While at home by myself i seem to be a lot better but on really bad days i can't seem to swallow even in my own company,that really worries me.Past few weeks because i'm avioding going out altogether where possible i haven't even bothered getting dressed all day,don't see the point ,i'm not going anywhere and no one's coming to see me,after all ,even a cup of tea or coffee can be such hard work when i'm with someone.On a more positive note(yes there is one) i'm finding that causing a distraction from my self while in company helps ,just getting people to talk to each other rather than me while i try to swallow .I'm also noticeing a pattern for my very worst times which seem to be stress and hormones,these two things certinly make a differance to the strength of an attack.My son left home to start uni six weeks ago,it was the wrong time of the month , i cried for two weeks, could'nt swallow a thing and lost a stone in wieght,four weeks later was very much the same.I think really i just want to tell you that i understand how your feeling,your really not alone but i know just how alone you feel when this is happening,don't give up please.I'll be thinking of you in december and hope it goes better then you think.I also hope you keep chating ,it can't do any harm.Love and hugs to you.Ann.x

Hi, everyone!

I am so glad I found this thread. I have been dealing with this fear of swallowing since about 1996, and it won't go away! I cannot get over it, and it is driving me crazy.

It all started when I felt like I was choking on one of those blooming onions. What happened was I felt like the bite wouldn't go down, but I swallowed again and it went down. I immediately began to be afraid of swallowing - even my own saliva!!!!

I ended up losing a lot of weight. I can't swallow food by itself. Everything is washed down with a drink of water. I have what I call "swallowing fits" where I spazz out when I have to swallow my own saliva. As crazy as it sounds, I do things like bonk myself on the head to distract myself. Or, I may take a drink of water every time I need to swallow or I spit in a cup.

I discovered an unfortunate solution that helps me eat - drinking alcohol. I basically get drunk to eat. Because of this, I have recently gained a TON of weight. It has become a real problem for me.

Since the incident in 1996, I have developed other problems and anxieties. I am being treated for anxiety and depression.

I am so happy to discover that I am not the only one with this problem. I am so miserable with my life. I hardly ever leave the house... basically never. I haven't driven a car in several years. I need something to change because I'm really not living my life at all!

Anyway, thanks for letting me share. If anyone can relate, I'd love to hear from you. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks so much!
E

tooafraid Wrote:Hi, everyone!

I am so glad I found this thread. I have been dealing with this fear of swallowing since about 1996, and it won't go away! I cannot get over it, and it is driving me crazy.

It all started when I felt like I was choking on one of those blooming onions. What happened was I felt like the bite wouldn't go down, but I swallowed again and it went down. I immediately began to be afraid of swallowing - even my own saliva!!!!

I ended up losing a lot of weight. I can't swallow food by itself. Everything is washed down with a drink of water. I have what I call "swallowing fits" where I spazz out when I have to swallow my own saliva. As crazy as it sounds, I do things like bonk myself on the head to distract myself. Or, I may take a drink of water every time I need to swallow or I spit in a cup.

I discovered an unfortunate solution that helps me eat - drinking alcohol. I basically get drunk to eat. Because of this, I have recently gained a TON of weight. It has become a real problem for me.

Since the incident in 1996, I have developed other problems and anxieties. I am being treated for anxiety and depression.

I am so happy to discover that I am not the only one with this problem. I am so miserable with my life. I hardly ever leave the house... basically never. I haven't driven a car in several years. I need something to change because I'm really not living my life at all!

Anyway, thanks for letting me share. If anyone can relate, I'd love to hear from you. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks so much!
E

Hello there tooafaid,i'd like to tell you i know what your going through and it is really scarey.Drinking isn't the answer,i'm sure we both know that but i must admit i've resorted to the same on a few very bad times,when in company manly.I've also stared to notice myself becomeing more and more depressed must be quite normal for the two to go hand in hand.I just want to be the old me again,start to enjoy life again and feel comfortable around people once more.It dos'nt seem like so much to ask :roll: All the same we mustn't give up on our-selfs,.there is surely a way out somewhere and we just need to find it,distraction is good if not enough,i panic before i even need to swallow because i've already told myself whats going to happen,i'm sure it's in our heads,so mind over matter,think positvely and give it yet more time.I wish i could be of more help to you,i'm sure my words have'nt offered you much in the my of help,but hopefully knowing some-one else is going through the same as you might just offer some support and comfort,god knows we need it.Hope you keep chating,chin-up.Sending you love and hugs,we need these too. :wave:Blackthorn.

Bad day my sister has planed a shopping day to liverpool on monday,its sparked off a bad panic attack ,i'm finding myself imagining eating out in public,i just know i won't cope.I should be looking forward to the day but instead i'm dreading it.I've spent all day struggling to swallow almost anything,all the positive thinking in the world is'nt hitting the mark at all : :cry: i'm so sad right now,i really am.