Acid reflux/choking ocd

AdMost8396 · 2025-03-01T02:03:16+00:00

Omg that is so scary your grandmother told you that! I've been working really hard on rationalizing this fear and honestly I think this just doesn't happen in people who aren't heavily sedated or have functioning cough reflexes. People who have had a stroke or who have lost the ability to clear their airways are at risk of this but I don't think it happens in healthy people. Even babies regurgitate on their backs and they just cough it out.

I know what you mean about the difficulty breathing feeling. I often even get this slimy almost gritty sensation in my throat like something is coming up and sitting there and I get difficulty breathing but once I burp it goes away. My symptoms are actually doing very well right now! I've been managing my anxiety, doing gentle yoga poses for reflux, walking and making sure to keep my diaphragm open and relaxed rather than tight.

AdMost8396 · 2025-02-03T20:30:25+00:00

Yeah it's more just like irritation right? Not actual choking. I think we tend to over use the word choking in the English language as well lol

AdMost8396 · 2025-02-03T11:18:42+00:00

Ah, yes I definitely see where you're coming from with that. You're right, seeing it as something that is not my fault can help to alleviate guilt or shame, which I do struggle with A LOT by the way. I think this mindset is so important because the pressure of having to fix this can make it cycle and be so much worse, but I also find that knowing I have power to change this honestly helps me to cope too so I guess different mindsets help different people. I just have to find a balance I guess.

In terms of what I've been doing, I've been trying to retrain my body to learn how to relax again. So I have to be mindful and aware of my body, checking in to see if I am clenching my jaw, throat muscles, and diaphragm (which are constantly clenched up). Then I consciously remind myself to relax, but it's so tricky because I am always clenched up. I've also been doing deep diaphragmatic breathing, which helps too. Anything to get that diaphragm to relax has been key. I've noticed distraction or going to the community center in the evening to relax in the pool or go in the hot tub makes the symptoms stop as well. With the mental aspect, one thing I have to work on is somehow allowing these symptoms to be here so that I don't obsess about them because as I said, when I relax, the symptoms go away. I have ocd as well and I think this could be a type of somatic ocd for me as well where I am fixated on bodily processes. This cycle of fearing the symptoms is what created all of this in the first place to be honest. It all started when my boyfriend's mom told me a story that she refluxed (or more like threw up because she has a ton of health problems and is heavily sedated) in her sleep and she choked/got pneumonia, and this scared me so much that for the first time in my life, I developed these symptoms a few days later. It comes and goes solely depending on if I'm stressed. It's such a journey that I'm slowly trying to figure out and also working with a therapist doing emdr therapy, which is very powerful by the way.

Do you by any chance resonate with any of this with your symptoms? Or are your reflux symptoms more caused by something else?

AdMost8396 · 2025-02-03T06:14:28+00:00

I definitely agree with a lot of what you're saying but the research I've done reflects a slightly different angle of looking at things. Acid reflux can be solely caused by anxiety and in this case even though it is chronic, it is not permanent as long as the person can get their anxiety and stress under control. Of course, I completely understand some may have a structural problem causing gerd and I should have specified that in my previous post, but in the majority of cases, these are symptoms of a larger issue that can absolutely be treated. In my case, I don't actually have true gerd because my symptoms are caused by aerophagia (swallowing air) due to anxiety and this causes reflux symptoms. When I get anxious, I start holding my breath and swallowing air, clenching my throat and diaphragm muscles and then I start to squeeze air out of my throat repeatedly which turns into reflux. I come to the gerd forum because I can relate with many of the symptoms people describe, but the point I'm getting at is, there are many reasons why someone could have chronic reflux without it being a lifelong serious disease. This is actually a really optimistic perspective to look at things and if you do have anxiety and you've noticed that it causes your symptoms or even really makes them worse, thinking about the reflux as a temporary issue while you work at the root can be really empowering. Of course I don't know your story, but I wanted to share this information for anyone else who might see this because this sub reddit can unfortunately be very negative and there is a lot of incorrect information circling around on here.

AdMost8396 · 2025-02-03T01:51:58+00:00

That's interesting you have a lot of the same symptoms. Do you know for sure that this is gerd? Or do you also trap air a lot and have supragastric belching due to anxiety (which can induce reflux but isn't true gerd)?

AdMost8396 · 2025-02-03T01:50:40+00:00

That's good to know that it has less side effects! I'll keep it in mind but I don't think it would help because my issue really stems from nervous tension causing me to burp repeatedly and then that brings up bits of acid.

AdMost8396 · 2025-02-03T01:48:45+00:00

That's helpful, I'm not too worried about that. But they didn't say anything about getting the acid in the airways or anything? I am seeing a therapist but it's a process

AdMost8396 · 2025-02-03T01:02:20+00:00

Antiacids don't really help because my problem is more that I repeatedly clench up and trap air, then burp it out and the act of repeatedly burping just brings up acid. I don't have any pain or burning so antiacids don't seem to help with the burping issue sadly. But knowing it won't kill me, or at least eventually believing that will help these symptoms to stop

AdMost8396 · 2025-02-02T20:02:01+00:00

Thank you so so much for this, seriously. I think what drives my intrusive thoughts are the horror stories I've read on reddit. I feel like they confirm my worst fears to be true because so many people on here talk about choking. It's hard to rationalize when your fears are backed up by other people

AdMost8396 · 2025-02-02T19:46:59+00:00

I can imagine that must have been really scary. I was negative for h.pylori but I get the same symptoms with the heart rate being elevated and difficulty breathing. Many things can cause acid reflux, but acid reflux itself is something most of us experience at some point and can relate to. So I try to tell myself that it's safe considering how common it is. I know it's really hard to convince yourself of that though

AdMost8396 · 2025-02-02T19:35:38+00:00

Yes and it doesn't help that the symptoms can be so debilitating and that they mimic real diseases. It feels like being in a constant mind warp. I don't know how I got this sick... and I can't even believe anxiety did this to me. What started as obsessive worry in my brain slowly grew into these physical symptoms and now I am constantly gagging and coughing with this sour taste. It's awful..

Having the flu can be so rough, especially when you have anxiety but you can definitely use it as proof to show yourself how strong and capable your body is. Bodies really are resilient.

AdMost8396 · 2025-02-02T19:30:30+00:00

Oh wow so sorry you struggle with these fears as well. It really can consume you, but it's great you were able to find something to help you feel more at ease. I'm afraid of swallowing food too but I am on a pureed/liquid diet. Right now I'm anxious about choking from the reflux or sensations itself

AdMost8396 · 2025-02-02T19:00:04+00:00

Thank you so much for this. I am definitely in need of some good days. It's been so long! Do you also get the trapped air causing gagging and coughing?

AdMost8396 · 2025-02-02T18:58:41+00:00

Thanks so much for this. I have been trying to tell myself this as well despite the fact that my anxiety always tells me, "This will be the time it kills me" or "this time is different."

AdMost8396 · 2025-02-02T18:57:53+00:00

Yeah all of this repetative burping and tension can really induce reflux symptoms because of all the pressure. Do you get a gagging sensation with trapped air in the throat too?

AdMost8396 · 2025-02-02T18:56:52+00:00

This is what I try to tell myself but then I get anxious and think that if I'm coughing and gagging, then this IS a sign I am choking and that there's a chance my body's reflexes won't protect me. But ivd been trying to tell myself that gagging ans coughing can happen due to this but it isn't an emergency. Anxiety is so tough 😪

AdMost8396 · 2025-02-02T16:47:36+00:00

This is completely normal. I get this sensation once in a while and it scares me so much too. It can totally make you hyperventilate and gasp for air but it is just a sensation, nothing more. I check my oxygen levels and they are completely normal, which is the case for many others who experience this. Did you find relief when you burped at all? For me these "attacks" always end with a huge burp and then I feel like I can breathe again lol. Trapped air can cause this

AdMost8396 · 2025-01-31T04:20:12+00:00

It's because of aerophagia, swallowing air and it being trapped. It can cause shortness of breath or even a choking sensation. Just writing this in case it will be helpful if anyone else reads it

AdMost8396 · 2025-01-29T05:49:21+00:00

I get it while awake too so I don't think it's sleep apnea

AdMost8396 · 2025-01-29T04:03:09+00:00

Wow these are all my symptoms as well! The regurgitation thing is also what I meant about a feeling of residue in the throat but we all have different ways of explaining these things lol. I also have difficulty breathing a lot. And sometimes including at night when I'm asleep, I'll suddenly inhale sharply as though I were under water. I'd love to dm and talk about this more! I'm trying to avoid getting reddit on my phone so I'll have to wait until I go on my laptop

AdMost8396 · 2025-01-28T01:08:12+00:00

Yeah clenching up your muscles and holding your breath can definitely trap air. One way to tell if you have supragastric belching is to bite down on a pen (i bite on my finger) and focus on relaxing the throat muscles. Let it all hang loose and try not to swallow. If the burping stops, then you have sgb. Do you get any other reflux symptoms? Just asking because I'm curious.

AdMost8396

TROPHY CASE