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Ok so i have been on the MS forums for a little while learning everything i can, and one symptom i never even thought of was dysphagia (difficulty swallowing).

For over 2 years, every single time i eat, every single time; i develop an annoying cough afterwards. I can eat pretty fine, getting food down is not the problem. It's afterwards that becomes the problem. I feel like i have excess mucus and cough a lot if annoys my bf every time. Frankly it annoys me too! But it does go away if i drink water or keep coughing more to get the mucus out. Sorry for the description!

It happens regardless if i lay down or stand. Also excessive laughing does the same thing as eating to a greater degree.

This doesn't sound exactly like dysphagia but more like GERD, but i am wondering if one can get GERD while in an erect position? How does the barium swallow test differentiate the two?

ShirleyTemple wrote:Ok so i have been on the MS forums for a little while learning everything i can, and one symptom i never even thought of was dysphagia (difficulty swallowing).

Search the forums for dysphagia. There's been lots of discussion in the past in particular in relation to magnesium deficiency.

http://www.thisisms.com/forum/search.ph ... mit=Search

So I was looking up dysphasia and the different types. Got confusing from there (too many etymologies lol) but it mainly seems to be trouble swallowing in general. Starting or getting the food to go through your throat. I don't have this, or rather it doesn't align classically with this.

I primarily cough AFTER eating like I have a buildup of mucus and a lump in my throat. The act of eating is not problem (at least I hope lol). So I have found on merck that there's another thing called globus sensations. Which more accurately describe my feelings. The feeling to clear throat or lump in throat. Globus sensations do not present with pain when eating or trying to eat.

I am wondering, in dysphagia is it common or uncommon to be able to eat, but AFTERWARDS you just want to cough? Almost a wet cough. But no food comes up? Or does dysphagia present with difficulty initially eating?

Hearing about Globus Sensations puts me more at ease, but damn I lately have been searching for all my symptoms and I just cannot fathom I have all these benign symptoms. BFS (benign fasciculation syndrome? Oily Eyes (blepharitis) to cause my on/off blurriness, Costcochondritis for chest pains, ocular migraines for flashing lights? These symptoms fit perfectly but why am I the lucky bastard to be subjected to all these oddly simultaneous and "benign" symptoms? It's so frustrating!

The following was posted a year ago: http://www.thisisms.com/forum/natural-a ... ml#p226500
In fact, I urge you to examine all 3 pages of the thread where it was posted.


"Unexplained chronic cough and vitamin B12 deficiency": http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/93/3/542.abstract
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition

Abstract
Background: Chronic cough is characterized by sensory neuropathy. Vitamin B-12 (cobalamin) deficiency (Cbl-D) causes central and peripheral nervous system damage and has been implicated in sensory neuropathy and autonomic nervous system dysfunction.

Objective: We evaluated whether Cbl-D has a role in chronic, unexplained cough.

Design: Laryngeal threshold (histamine concentration that provokes a 25% decrease in the midinspiratory flow), bronchial threshold (histamine concentration that provokes a 20% decrease in the forced expiratory volume in 1 s), and cough threshold (histamine concentration that causes ≥5 coughs) in response to an inhaled histamine were assessed in 42 patients with chronic, unexplained cough [27 Cbl-D patients and 15 patients without Cbl-D (Cbl-N)] before and after intramuscular injections of cobalamin for 2 mo. Laryngeal, bronchial, and cough hyperresponsiveness was diagnosed when histamine concentration thresholds were ≤8 mg/mL. Seven Clb-D and 3 Cbl-N patients underwent an oropharyngeal biopsy before treatment.

Results: Cbl-D patients had a higher prevalence of laryngeal hyperresponsiveness than did Cbl-N patients (92.6% compared with 66.7%; P = 0.03), a thinner oropharyngeal epithelium [133.7 μm (95% CI: 95, 172 μm) compared with 230.8 μm (95% CI: 224, 237 μm); P = 0.002], a lower number of myelinated nerve fibers [2.25/mm2 (95% CI: 1.8, 2.7/mm2) compared with 3.44/mm2 (95% CI: 3, 3.8/mm2); P = 0.05], and a higher immunoreactive score for nerve growth factor (NGF) [6.7 (95% CI: 6, 7.3) compared with 2.8 (95% CI: 2.5, 3.1); P = 0.02]. After cobalamin supplementation, symptoms and laryngeal, bronchial, and cough thresholds were significantly improved in Cbl-D but not in Cbl-N patients.

Conclusions: This study suggests that Cbl-D may contribute to chronic cough by favoring sensory neuropathy as indicated by laryngeal hyperresponsiveness and increased NGF expression in pharyngeal biopsies of Cbl-D patients. Cbl-D should be considered among factors that sustain chronic cough, particularly when cough triggers cannot be identified.
Received August 5, 2010.
Accepted December 20, 2010.

And remember, any person at any age – even 20 yr/old – can develop a B12 deficiency.

So Nov 1 is coming up and thats when i can officially enroll for insurance coverage. I stopped my coverage after that whole blueshield hack fiasco but realize that i should still have it. Especially with concerns like this, i can't afford to spend hundreds of dollars on each and every test! VEP? EMG? Spinal MRI? Different Vit- tests? I can see this going into the thousands which i need to save for my business!

When that happens, i think i am going to get a modified barium swallow test as well. Because although i don't think this symptoms is related. It is something that has been extremely bothersome. And finding out why the hell i keep coughing after every meal would be amazing. Maybe it is GERD, maybe it's dysphagia, maybe it's just another odd benign thing with my body!
My 90 y/old grandma eats (or i guess swallows?) better than i do! Compared to her and i, you would think i'm the 90 year old with the eating problem lol.

Last Question: What type of specialist should i see for the barium swallow? Some say ENT, others say speech pathologist.

ShirleyTemple wrote:Last Question: What type of specialist should i see for the barium swallow? Some say ENT, others say speech pathologist.

If you have a GP and have shared your concerns with him, I expect that your GP, or internist, (if he does not feel comfortable ordering it himself) could direct you to the appropriate person.