Esophageal Constipation

Oh man!I accidentally swallowed one of those white/red peppermint candies whole about an hour ago. It was lodged in my throat for about three seconds as I tried to calmly bring it back up to my mouth with the back of my tongue but to no avail. Then it went down... part of the way.The searing pain was off/on for about a half hour, then it was less frequent and less searing. I got home and started drinking water and ate a fruit and grain cereal bar. It is going away now that (I think) it is mostly dislodged.But having a spicy candy slowly dissolve inside of you doesn't make for a happy esophagus, and now my whole chest feels like it is on fire.Oh why, God, do they make these blasted discs of death!?

I'm not a doctor, though I feel qualified enough to play one anonymously on the internet.I think the candy probably made it all the way through your esophagus at the same speed as other food you swallow, but the fact that it was rigid and larger than what your esophagus is used to, it probably bruised or at least irritated the esophageal lining. That's what you were feeling, and why the pain has lingered.I know that doesn't make the pain go away, but at least you don't have to worry about little bits of candy sitting in your esophagus for all eternity, waiting for the right moment to slip a bit and bring back the excrutiating agony you described above. Because Darwin's a bitch and "survival of the fittest" can strike in the most unusual ways.

If it can happen to a president it can happen to anyone... (But why couldn't it happen to a cool president? I wouldn't feel as bad.) That sounds pretty reasonable. Except I just read this:

quote:

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Wikipedia on Swallowing:

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Like the pharyngeal phase of swallowing, the esophageal phase of swallowing is under involuntary neuromuscular control. However, propagation of the food bolus is significantly slower than in the pharynx. The bolus enters the esophagus and is propelled downwards first by striated muscle (recurrent laryngeal, X) then by the smooth muscle (X) at a rate of 3 — 5 cm/sec. The upper esophageal sphincter relaxes to let food pass, after which various striated constrictor muscles of the pharynx as well as peristalsis and relaxation of the lower esophageal sphincter sequentially push the bolus of food through the esophagus into the stomach.

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At 3-5 cm/sec. it should have been through me in about 10 - 15 seconds. So I'm thinking it maybe did get stuck in there and was moving very slowly (maybe sliding a little as it melted; it felt like it was in the same place for a while until just getting home and drinking some water made it feel like it moved).I think the pain was probably my esophagus trying to force it down periodically but failing. I believe the same thing causes abdominal cramps related to intestinal constipation.Then again, I'm as qualified as you to be giving medical opinions! What I was most worried about, as I sat there trying to help that group of second graders read, was that it would suddenly start moving up and get lodged in my trachea. I wonder if that's even possible...Jon

I really feel for you. The pain when something gets lodged can be excruciating. Somehow I managed it with too big a gulp of Pepsi. Man, that was awful, especially since it increased in size cos of the gas. My oesophagus objected and spasmed so it constricted above and below the liquid and the whole darned lot was stuck. The pain was incredible, I couldn't move.Luckily being a liquid it was able to slowly trickle through the lower constriction until my oesophagus reluctantly decided to take part in proceedings again.If you ever do it again, take sips of warm water to dissolve the sweetie faster. Need I add very small sips?!

The peristalsis you mentioned would tend to keep objects moving downward, but since we've all had experiences with vomiting, this can be overcome by a strong enough force from below.In your case, I don't think it would be very plausible for the candy to be forced upward unless you began dry heaving, and even then, it would probably have ended up back in your mouth, rather than sliding into the trachea. Did you ever finish the goat story, or did you just start staring off into space?

Quick, go for a 3 mile jog and blast out about 60-80 sit ups before all that sugar lodges itself to your stomach and makes you fat! Are you crazy? Do you know how much sugar is in candy?Can I recommend not eating candy, and perhaps chew on an apple instead?- Oni

This may have made things worse in Jon's case. If, indeed, the candy was lodged in his esophagus, the fact that it disolved was a boon to dislodging it. A bite of apple would disolve much slower, prolonging the agony Jon felt, and forcing him to stop reading to those poor second graders.

I would have much rather had an apple! But I decided to have a candy and so things happened the way they happened. Already got sugar lodged to my stomach; but I'm working out trying to get rid of it Lots, but I think it was the spiciness that did me in. I felt off all day from that, even once it dissolved and moved its way down. That night I woke up with a sharp stabbing pain radiating out from just above my stomach to both sides of my chestright in the area the candy was lodged. It may have caused a little damage to my esophagus while it was sitting there.Jon

If a peppermint does that much to you, I would not advise any Thai, Indian, or indeed even the chile rellano plate at Don Juans Cochina in Socorro, NM. (shameless promotion)Why not just force the damn disk down with liquid?Beer and milk intolerant? Perhaps you should stick to lukefisk.Minnesota , home of Michelle Bachmann. At least the insane Republican politicians from Texas can handle a bit of spice. Although WTF is TexMex? Godawful!See you at Niko Niko's in Houston late April

You're going to die.Relax.Things could be worse.My nephew (now a 40 year old cop) at 17 lodged a quarter in his esophagus while playing a particularly stupid drinking game.Upshot: he scarred his esophagus, and now regularly presents himself for a procedure in which his esophageal tissues are stretched with a balloon device similar (though not in scale) to those threaded into plaque-ridden coronary arteries and inflated to restore flow.So be at peace, knowing there is an acutely uncomfortable procedure available if you develop difficulty swallowing.No, no--don't thank me.

It was nature's reminder to stick to chewable fruit instead. Well that puts a smile on my face. Stay on it and you'll soon be able to use up heathcare guilt free. Punishment for eating candy was delivered how nature felt she should. Just be careful in the future with sugary treats. They are deadly, in more ways than one as you can see.- Oni