Swallowing Difficulty

You might have some acid reflux from the stomach, also called gastroesophageal reflux (GERD). GERD is treatable with anti-acid medicines.

One of the most common causes of a feeling of a lump in the throat is stress or anxiety.

Rarely, GERD symptoms and a feeling of uncomfortable swallowing can be caused by a problem in the way that nerves trigger the muscle function of the esophagus. This problem is named achalasia.

Your symptom could also come from enlargement of lymph nodes or the thyroid gland in your neck, or an abnormality in the nerves that control swallowing.

Call your doctor's office for advice and to arrange an appointment.

If your doctor is concerned about your symptoms, there are several tests he or she might use to evaluate your swallowing problem. They are laryngoscopy (viewing of the larynx through your nose or mouth with a camera on a flexible, narrow rod), video swallowing study (this study uses an x-ray technique called fluoroscopy to videotape your swallowing while you consume samples of foods or drink containing a material that can show up on x-ray), or barium swallow (x-ray views of the esophagus, after you swallow a liquid that shows up on x-ray; this test shows the shape of your esophagus during your swallows, so your doctor can know if your esophagus muscles are functioning correctly).