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21 years
I feel difficulty in swallowing, and pain in the esophagus and stomach also bowel, constipation and heartburn. I took treatment for a year, but my situation became worse. I feel tired and depressed.
Aug 20, 2014

Dr. Rania Mousa General Medicine
Difficulty swallowing is also called dysphagia. It is usually a sign of a problem with your throat or esophagus

There are many different problems that can prevent the throat or esophagus from working properly. Some of these are minor, and others are more serious. If you have a hard time swallowing once or twice, you probably do not have a medical problem. But if you have trouble swallowing on a regular basis, you may have a more serious problem that needs treatment.

However ,it seems that your condition is chronic and not now ,it seems that you were suffering this condition since a long time since you now complain of constipation .

constipation is a complication of the symptoms you are complaining of through out the past times of dysphagia ,you have pain when swallowing and difficulty hence you are afraid to eat and eating with respect to you is a battle so ,decrease in eating and drinking causes over time constipation .

DO you have difficulty of swallowing the water and fluids the same as the solid foods or it is only for solids or only for liquids ,what medicines have you tried and what tests you undergo every case has its causes .
However ,Normally, the muscles in your throat and esophagus squeeze, or contract, to move food and liquids from your mouth to your stomach without problems. Sometimes, though, food and liquids have trouble getting to your stomach.

so causes might be muscular ,nerves ,or mechanical :something blocking the flow of food .
In your case of the symptoms you give having dysphagia ,esophagial pain ,stomach pain ,heart burn then you might have aproblem in the esophagus :

>Esophageal spasm. This means that the muscles of the esophagus suddenly squeeze. Sometimes this can prevent food from reaching the stomach.

>Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). When stomach acid backs up regularly into your esophagus, it can cause ulcers in the esophagus, which can then cause scars to form. These scars can make your esophagus narrower. do you complain of coughs or infections in the lungs ?

>Esophagitis. This is inflammation of the esophagus. This can be caused by different problems, such as GERD or having an infection or getting a pill stuck in the esophagus. It can also be caused by an allergic reaction to food or things in the air
other causes might be :

>if you had in addition bad breath smell you may have diverticula these are small sacs in the walls of the esophagus or the throat.

>if you had in addition to above symptoms immune diseases and skin conditions then you may have scleroderma ,dermatomyositis,..

>pains in other parts of the body may direct masses outside the esophagus, such as lymph nodes, tumors, or bone spurs on the vertebrae that press on your esophagus.

So the best of treatment is to deal with causes and this is held through a thorough out examination by a doctor and several tests

-transnasal esophagoscopy and or endoscopy
-Blood tests: Including thyroid-stimulating hormone, vitamin B-12, and creatine kinase; may be useful, especially in neurogenic dysphagia
- (CT) (MRI), and chest radiography
-Esophageal pH monitoring: The criterion standard for diagnosing reflux disease

Because fluid intake is restricted in most patients with dysphagia, these individuals are at risk of dehydration. Therefore, the patient's hydration status must be closely monitored and this caused your constipation

Many medication depending on the cause are found and depending on the grade of the dysphagia and its level such as ,botox ,Diltiazem,Glucagon,Cystine-depleting therapy with cysteamin Nitrates,Dietary treatment,and certain exercises to increase motility of the muscles .
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