I don't see how swallowing barium would do anything either.

While you are at it...you could have them stick some leeches on you & drain your blood or jump in a swampy lake like in "Stand By Me!" HA!...Sounds kind of barbaric & not medically up to date in my humble opinion.

Sounds like a procedure from the days when they use to use to use Ether on a rag under your nose as a sedative before operations. hehe! Sounds weird to me! What else are they gonna put in you? Mercury & coal & copper pennies on your eyes when they send you on down to Davey Jones Locker? Hehe! Let's pray they don't go THAT far!

Weigh out all your options first my friend, then decide!

Take care,
Stay sane!

Well in my humble opinion we haven't been using barium swallows for quite a few years now. You have MS and the muscles are weak and spasming. Have you tried antispasmodics? Even dilatation, not pleasant but if done routine (q6 months or so) usually works well. I would get another opinion. Yuk who wants to swallow that crap. Good luck and may the Barium NOT be with you.

P.S...Ether was also used in the olden days to put on a rag & sedate woman & drag them into alley ways & have your way with them...The "Ladies of the night" as well, could essentially use it to "ransack" their sedated customers as well...It had so many uses back in those days. HA!...That's just some Ether fun facts! hehe!

I had the barium swallow 20 years ago or more. The stuff didn't taste horrible but it wasn't a good taste either. I wasn't having swallow problems, but had an ulcer. The test enabled me to be treated and cured. After going through the diagnosis and treatment, I was able learn how not to be prone to ulcers.

Just saying, it could be worth the while. You might call the office and ask just what they hope to uncover with the procedure that you would benefit by going through it again so soon. Just a thought.

I found a page on strengthening throat muscles. You could try these and allow yourself a certain amount of time before having the test? Just another thought.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/346592-how-to-strengthen-throat-muscles/

I"m wondering if it would show that a particular procedure- such as the dilation- would be useful. Or if they would recommend trying dilation without having done the barium swallow. Or if there would be another way to test for numbness as a possible cause. The dentist had said some of the numbing stuff they use for tooth extraction, when it gets on the back of your throat, can make you feel like your throat is closing up and like you can't get air. Which I have experienced, not from the dentist- just MS.

lorrie- thanks for the link. I will definitely see what I can do on my own. For the ulcer, did they know it was an ulcer already? Or did they do it to investigate for something else? Is that something that can mimic MS symptoms of the thoat? I did seen and ENT and had an endoscopy of my upper throat- through the nose. Not overly pleasant. He said there seemed to be evidence of a little reflux and offered a prescription for prilosec. I don't really have symptoms of GERD, but researching, found that most patients having that procedure done are presccribed that, almost no matter what. I didn't take it. Thanks again.

By the by...if you decide to do the test, let us know how it goes.

But if you get there & it ends up looking like Steve Martin's Lab in "The Man With 2 Brains" or "Dr. Frankenstein's office in Van Hellsing" or the place where "Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman" took up shop"...high tail it out of there as fast as your poor little legs can carry you. Hehe!

No, I'm just being silly & saying weigh your options & "Know Before You Go!"...Make sure it is right for you & your health & will do more good, than harm...whatever treatment plan that may be my friend.

Take care,
Stay sane!

Swallowing isn't as simple as it seems - in fact, the process involves about 30 muscles in your mouth and 8 of your cranial nerves. So, as you can imagine, MS lesions can interfere at any point in the process, from when you put food in your mouth to when it arrives in your stomach.

When the nerve impulses that make swallowing possible aren't working correctly, you develop dysphagia, or difficulty swallowing. If you notice that your eating has become much slower, you have difficulty swallowing different kinds of foods, or you find yourself coughing a lot during or after meals, ask your doctor for a referral to an S/LP.

The S/LP will evalate your swallow with a test called a modified barium swallow, that tracks via x-ray a bolus of food as it travels from your mouth down to your stomach. However, it was assessed that you had some muscle weakness on one side of your throat, so why go through this test? Depening on the type of problem you are having, the S/LP can teach you safe swallowing exercises that improve muscle coordination during swallowing and recommend modifications in the way you eat or the consistency of the foods you eat. Why not just see a S/LP?

i have GERD and take prilosec and still have that feeling. my neck muscles also spasm alot. i would like to know if its the GERD or weak muscles for myself.

since i have the GERD and trouble swallowing is a symtoms of GERD, the docs tell me its the GERD but i've had GERD all my life and haven't had these more recent problems (my trouble swallowing and chokeing and what not started in about november for me)

if anyone could shine some light on this for me it would be much appriciated

i just wanted to let you guys know your not alone. i dont have an ansewer

rayfoof, since you have had this different swallowing problem since November, and know that it is different than your lifetime gerd problem, it sounds like you would really benefit by seeing an S/LP. Especially if you are choking when you are swallowing. It must be difficult to eat.

My step-mother had the barium swallow test done back in the 90s. I think that it was helpful to her although I wasn't that privy to her medical condition as I should have been. But it seems like it helped her.

But I agree with you. Do your homework before getting the test. Find out how much it costs, etc. I do not think that the test itself was that horrible as I recall. And the doctors seem to have acted like it was absolutely necessary in my step-mother's case, because they wanted to make sure that she wasn't sending food stuff done into her lungs instead of her stomach. Very important.

Best of luck to you. And BTW, Beluemyst, you are hilarious!! Some of the things you come up with are very creative!