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The Scenario:
For the longest time, Karen experienced bouts of heartburn. Usually it was after spicy meals like spaghetti, or when she made her blazing hot home-made chili. A couple of Tums later she'd feel fine again.
Then gradually, she began to notice that food seemed to get stuck in her throat. Actually, it was down beneath her breastbone, just above her belly. It was the strangest sensation. It felt like a knot, just sitting there. Usually, after waiting a few minutes, and taking some sips of water, she would feel OK again. Meat seemed to trigger it the most, but over time it seemed that any type of solid food gave her problems.
She went to the doctor, who checked her over, then ordered a barium swallow test to get a look at her food tube. Unfortunately, before she could get the test done, things got worse. While eating an apple, she got the familiar sensation, only this time it would not ease up. An hour went by, then two hours, and still it was not better. Whenever she tried to drink water it just came back up again.
Questions:
Answer:
The answer is that Karen has an esophageal ring. The apple is now stuck right at the level of the ring and can't move. Her esophagus is obstructed, and not even water will pass. "Sounds like her stomach is having a party and doesn't want anymore guests."
What's an esophagus, you say? That's the tube that carries food from the mouth into the stomach. It works using peristalsis -- a pulse of muscular contraction that pushes the food down to the stomach every time you swallow. Peristalsis is why you can drink water upside down. A handy thing to know.
There are a number of problems that can affect the esophagus. A "ring" is just a narrow band of tissue that constricts the esophagus. The problem is fairly common, and is not cancerous. Karen may need to have an upper endoscopy done, where a lighted scope is past down into the esophagus, the stuck food is removed with little pincers, and through one of a couple of techniques the ring is dilated.
Sometimes the ring comes back, sometimes it doesn't. If it does come back, the dilatation just needs to be repeated. In older folks, it is important to rule-out esophageal cancer which can be done at the time of endoscopy.
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