Hello, Yesterday I’ve suddenly had problems with swallowing and my anxiety. like im scared of choking and would have a panic attack every-time i try to swallow food or water. Is there anyway to treat this?
I’ve had the same issue for a few weeks now, it can be scary and tough but good news is you’re already in the right place. I’d talk with your therapist about doing ERP for swallowing and fear of choking. Keep trying even though it’s scary. It’s really important that you don’t stop trying!
@Anonymous How long did it take for it to get better?
@MichaelVu2010 I am still in the process of working on it. We spent the first 4 weeks trying to rule out any actual medical issues and once they said I was all clear we started working on ERP. It’s been about a week now and I’m hopeful! But that’s why I say don’t stop trying, I did and that’s why it’s taking me longer to get better! I wish I had started what I’m doing now weeks ago!
@Anonymous Ok thank you, im only 14 i don’t want to be malnourished.
@Anonymous Do you feel any better? Like the fear is going away? I think ill tell my psychiatrist about this on the 24th
@MichaelVu2010 I completely understand your concern for becoming malnourished, I have the same concerns. Really make sure you’re drinking water as much as possible even though it’s hard. I am starting to feel better now knowing that there is nothing medically wrong and the fears are getting less and less! I highly recommend you bring this up with your psychiatrist and bring up ERP as well. The only way out is through! You’ve got this, I wish you the best of luck!!
@Anonymous Ok thank you, ill give updates as soon as i tell my psychiatrist.
@Anonymous What have you ate that helps you control this fear?
@Anonymous Cause i was prescribed antipsychotics before i even had this fear but hopefully it helps.
@MichaelVu2010 Ice cream is a great option. You’re not going to choke on it! Any soft foods are good, like potatoes, smoothies, pudding, and protein shakes to help prevent you from getting malnourished. You can also purée most foods to be a soft easy to swallow texture.
@Anonymous Thanks! Ill make sure to use a straw to control how much i sip per drink.
@Anonymous Have you felt fear for drinking water too? Just curious
@MichaelVu2010 I absolutely do sometimes. It more just feels hard to swallow versus an actual fear of choking on water because it’s not a big deal if a little water goes down the wrong pipe. But I’ve found that if I push through with the water it gets easier. My problem is more that I am hyper aware of every throat sensation which makes normal sensations feel incorrect or uncomfortable, when in reality, everyone experiences them they just don’t think about it.
@Anonymous Thanks i even feel fear before im about to eat or just thinking of it.
@Anonymous Same with drinking, today i ate some greek yogurt because i heard it hydrates you.
@Anonymous Im scared to tell my parents about what im suffering.
@Anonymous Also eating mac and cheese today.
@Anonymous Have you got prescribed any medication?
@Anonymous Im sorry for replying to much its that im worried
Hey there everyone, first I would like to say I am very grateful for every single one of you on this platform and it feels so much better knowing that I can be heard. I’ve been hyperaware of my swallowing for 1-2 month. I feel like I have so much saliva in my mouth and I have to swallow and swallow. I feel the urge to swallow even I don’t NOTHING in my mouth, so I just swallow air. This has been really overwhelming and I feel like I can be so easily latched to other body part of my part. For example, I was conscious about my blinking and breathing for a few days, and now I get so anxious when I heard a weird sound my ears make after each sentence I speak. Is this somatic ocd or health concern ocd? I am so helpless and having a hard time to shift my attention. Does anyone have any suggestions or just words of encouragement would really help me at this moment. I REALLY appreciate your help. 💗🙏 Thank you !
Anyone else struggle with somatic OCD and any pain/feeling slightly different is so noticeable and you feel like you’re just going to collapse or something? Like my ocd always convinces me that any sort of pain is related to some kind of illness that can cause a bad outcome or even death. If so, please share your tips of how to improve with this type of ocd 😭
Hi I’m new to this group. I’ve had ocd and very bad anxiety disorder since I was a kid and only got progressively worse as I grew up. I’m 26 now. I had some somatic/sensorimotor ocd while growing up and feeling or worrying about health concerns that aren’t actually there… anyway about 5 weeks ago I randomly started feeling like I had to go pee all the time? I don’t have any pain or anything just the horrible constant feeling like I need to go pee. I’ve gotten checked for a uti multiple times. My pcp suspects it could be being exacerbated by the anxiety because it’s so distressing to me it’s almost all I think about. My ocd has convinced myself that I now have some chronic bladder problem. I notice it’s not as bad at night when I’m relaxed (thanks to medication) and about to fall asleep. I just am so scared that it’s never going to go away and I’m going to have to deal with this for the rest of my life and I can’t do that…. Was just wondering if anyone else ever dealt with this symptom? I know our brains are powerful but sometimes it just feels so real. 😣😣
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