Stenosis

[LilyPony]

What does stenosis feel like? My concerns dismissed (as usual) by the pulmonologist when I asked. I just feel like I am being strangled by someone's hands around my neck. It makes me feel like I am struggling to breathe. It is NOT consistent though. I can be perfectly fine most of the time and then it starts bothering me. Maybe I tune it out or maybe it's not there. What's concerning me most lately is that when I look down or when watching TV in bed it is now always hard to breathe. If I look up slightly, it is much easier to breathe.

I was diagnosed with severe acid reflux last year, and acid monitoring showed high levels of acid well up in my throat, therefore my trachea. My breathing tests showed some sort of obstructive process that was attributed to the acid reflux. My coughing went away with Advair but the intermittent strangling feeling will not go away. Pulm tells me to keep using the albuterol for these "attacks" but it does nothing, and last month I was put on singulair which also did nothing. Pulm will not acknowledge anything might be wegs related but isn't able to give me a asthma/not asthma answer either.

It's gotten much worse the last few weeks but I'm getting a big fat face and neck from the pred, so maybe my fat neck is choking me when I look down?

[Chris G]

Don't want to confuse things for you but I'm wondering whether your choking feeling is similar to what I call my choking feeling. Mine feels like there's something wrapped tightly around my neck, or as if someone had their hands on my throat. But, it doesn't cause me to be short of breath, it makes me feel like the blood supply is being choked off on one side. It's only on my weg ear side, so I think it's related to swelling in that area or something. It was so bad last summer, that I ran out of work in the middle of the day to find one of those drugstore blood pressure machines - I thought my head would explode! Yes, of course my bp was elevated, but, I had myself so worked up about it, I figured it wasn't accurate - a big fat waste of time that was! And it was another of those obscure symptoms that made the docs look at me like I had a horn growing out of my head.

I recently had an ultrasound of the carotid artery to make sure there wasn't a blockage (there wasn't). I seem to have this choking feeling when my ear and sinuses are more stuffy than usual. Does this sound familiar at all? Or is yours just causing breating trouble.

Oh, and with regard to the neck fat......I know I'm snoring more than ever before. I have to believe the extra neck fat can cause that, and breating trouble as well.

[LilyPony]

Yes, it literally feels like someone has their hands around my throat and I'm being strangled. Not enough that I can't breathe. When looking down to read, type, watch TV in bed, it's much worse but looking up a bit it gets better.

Just trying to sort out my general paranoia about getting worse and actually getting worse!

[Psyborg]

I have a similar feeling at times for sure with my Stenosis. Mine feels constricted...especially when laying on my back or stomach. My sides seem to be less affected. Also gets restrictive if I get aerobic at all.

Mine is occasionally worse after eating...but I think that is related to my screwy post bariatric surgery innards :)

[drz]

They thought my throat problems were stenosis but after they scoped it and talked it over the more experience doctor decided it was damage caused by the acid reflux that caused the swelling. They doubled my Protonix and the symptoms subsided as the damage healed up.

Have they scoped your throat? It is easy and painless procedure.
How are they treating your GERD and does it seem under control now?

[LilyPony]

I was scoped last year and was doing well about a month later but lately having these choking feelings in my throat. Glad to hear yours was your stomach, maybe that's all this is too. We know my stomach is a major issue already. I'm taking protonix twice a day, so I was already at the max before starting the pred a few months ago. I see a new doctor on Friday so hope to be able to get off the high pred and onto something else. I'm pretty sure you can take zantac and protonix together so maybe that's all I need is a little more acid calming. Will see... thanks!

[JanW]

I had very severe stenosis prior to diagnosis and surgery, and never felt what you are describing Lily. Rather, it felt like what I imagine asthmatics feel like (which is what I was first diagnosed as having) always being short of breath. You could hear my wheeze -- it was very noticeable.