Where it all began…

A rather dramatic title for a rather uneventful story, if I’m honest.

Growing up, I’ve always been a tall, skinny, and somewhat sporty girl. ‘My’ particular sport happened to be cheerleading; we trained every Tuesday beginning at 5:15 pm. One evening, I was running late, so decided to wolf down my dinner. My mum had cooked roast beef which was quite dry (sorry mum!). This combination proved not to be ideal as I soon began choking. The food would not budge and was lodged just below my voicebox.

My mum reassured me not to worry, that this used to happen to her alllll the time, and that if I relaxed it would eventually go down. It didn’t. I was more concerned with getting to cheer on time but it soon became clear I wouldn’t be making it to training this night. After a call to NHS24, a paramedic was sent, who soon called for an ambulance. I started to panic at this point because I couldn’t even swallow my saliva and was still choking.

Once we arrived at A&E we waited several hours only to be sat in a bay with an alcoholic. However, he was very kind and kept asking if I was alright. Once I was seen by a doctor, I was asked if this was common, I said no. He then told me I’d get an injection of muscle relaxant, in an attempt to allow the food to go down. However, me not wanting to waste NHS resources ‘decided’ (I wish) to vomit it up as the doctor brought out the needle. Just a note, I don’t have a fear of needles with the amount I’ve had to deal with in the past.

This was my first major experience of Dysphagia resulting in food becoming blocked. At this point, I was just sent on my way with no further follow-ups. In my head, I considered it a freak accident that would probably never happen again. Might’ve gotten that one wrong…