Help! I Can’t Swallow! Dysphagia’s Panic, Our MS Symptom Thesaurus

There is one symptom of MS that sneaks up on me and quite literally grabs me by the throat.  When Dysphagia – trouble swallowing – strikes, I can feel the adrenal gland kick in, my eyes widen, and a feeling of genuine panic–for my life!–arise. These swallowing problems can be a long-term constant or, as in my case, an occasional attack.  Either way, we must pay attention to this one.  Aspiration Pneumonia caused by swallowing issues is a leading cause of death for people with MS; particularly in the advanced stages of the disease. In the past few months I’ve been reading more and more comments from our community about people having swallowing difficulties.  I thought this would be a good time to put it up on the Symptom Thesaurus. My descriptors would include: Acute onset, throat constriction, inability to breathe, painful lump of whatever is in there.  Adrenalin rush, fight-or-flight instinct, panic.  Fear. Now your turn.  For those unfortunate enough to experience MS related swallowing problems I encourage you to share your descriptions.  If you have this symptom it is important to share with your MS medical team as well. Wishing you and your family the best of health. Cheers Trevis Don’t forget to follow me on the Life With MS Facebook page and on Twitter, and subscribe to Life With Multiple Sclerosis.  
Source: Life with MS - Category: Other Conditions Authors: Tags: MS multiple sclerosis MS symptoms Multiple Sclerosis Thesaurus Source Type: blogs