Feels Like Food Sitting Halfway in Throat Constantly

[orange_mommy]

Ugh! So I'm 7&1/2 weeks pregnant, and the past few days I've been feeling this horribly gaggy feeling, as though there is food that didn't go all the way to my stomach and is sitting halfway up my throat. I have tried drinking water to wash it down, or eating more food to take it down but nothing seems to work. Is this heartburn? I don't have the nasty acidic stuff coming up but this feeling in my throat is almost more than I can handle. My nausea has been almost constant for the past few weeks and most food turns me off, so the thought of food sitting in my throat makes me want to throw up.
Anyone else had this? And if so, did you find a way to make the feeling go away?

[MaerynPearl]

When I get pregnant my digestion slows down (which is BAD because I have IBS to begin with!) and food I ate can sit in my stomach for days... so that even when I feel hungry I end up full right away, something like this.

However, what you describe sounds a bit different and may be worth going to see a doctor over to make sure you not have some sort of infection or something going on in there.

[forest~mama]

If it worries you, check. I get something like this, and it's basically relates to needing to throw up. If I do, it goes away and I feel better. My BIL does have a medical issue that does this though, and obviously, he's not pg

[jessieb503]

I had the same feeling with my morning sickness.... mostly for me it was during the transition period between feeling REALLY sick (wk 6-14) to feeling sort of sick (wk 14-16). It helped if I ate very small meals often instead of three bigger meals with snacks. Also, I couldn't eat about 2-3 hours before bed and had to use an extra pillow to prop up my head or I felt like I was going to puke.

I don't think it was heartburn because it didn't 'burn' and I don't feel sick at all now (at 21 weeks).

I think it also has to do with our slowing digestion. Hang in there mama!

[EnchantedMamma]

Could be heartburn. I drink peppermint tea all throughout to keep heartburn and digestive issues at bay. That might be worth a shot.

[JessieBird]

This is exactly what morning sickness feels like to me - I describe it as having a rotting dead mouse stuck in my throat for six months. Sorry that's so gross but I suspect you know exactly what I mean.

ETA - nothing really worked to get rid of it for me, though sour hard candies helped to take the edge off. With my first pregnancy, I just had this feeling plus dry heaving until about 20 weeks. This pregnancy, I've had the awful throat feeling plus horrible vomitting and ended up dehydrated in the hospital. So I gave in to drugs (Diclectin) and it really helps to minimize the dead mouse feeling and keep the barfing at bay. At 31 weeks, I still have to take it. Blah.

As for the burning acid feeling, that doesn't come till about 20 weeks for me when the baby is big enough to physically interfere with digestion. It's a serious PIA.

[fyrwmn]

that was how i fel during the 1st trimester with this pg and thelast one. i'd complain to dh that it felt like a gag line in my throat. good news is that it went away when the morning sickness did, bad news is that there wasn't anything i found to make it go away other than time

[mom2fussy]

That sounds VERY similar to what I've experienced this pregnancy. Turns out it was related to acid indigestion/acid reflux. The reflux causes the food to come back up your throat, but doesn't always cause heartburn like you might expect.

The ONLY thing that helped (and I tried lots of remedies!) was when my dr prescribed acid-reducing pills after I had explained my symptoms to him. First I was on Aciphex, which worked great but was pretty expensive. Now I'm on pantoprazole, which is a generic. It doesn't work quite as well, but it's still better than anything else out there I tried. I think both are called PPIs - proton pump inhibitors - so you have to take them every day to maintain your stomach.

I'd definitely talk to your dr about it, because between the acid & the nausea I've had, I couldn't eat hardly a THING and I was constantly miserable. I'm not thrilled about being on another medication, but it's definitely been worth it.

[homemademom]

This is happening to me, too (first trimester). It's much better when I eat small meals throughout the day instead of fewer, bigger meals.

[LCB]

That's called globus. It is usually related to irritation from acid reflux. I have it off and on. You can also experience chest pain and unproductive coughing, also from the acid reflux. I have all three of those and it took me forever to figure it out because I never get heartburn (outside of pregnancy). I have heard other people say the thought that their globus was related to food allergies or other allergies. I do notice that mine gets worse when we are having alot of thunderstorms. Not sure why! Hope that helps you some!

[Svarupa]

I'm 20 weeks and I have this feeling too. It was mild at first and I thought it was related to the morning sickness, but I stopped vomiting around 16 weeks and it has continued and gotten worse. It does make me queasy, but it's nothing like morning sickness. And I can totally relate -- it's miserable . In my case it's acid reflux. I only had a heartburn a couple of times before pregnancy, and it was a burning feeling -- not like this at all. This feels like pressure on my esophagus, I gag/belch (some weird combo of the two!) frequently, and when it's really bad I have chest pain and start coughing. But it's acid reflux. It makes it very hard to sleep and I don't lay down for more than 5 hours at a time anymore.

What has helped is Zantac, but different antacids work better/worse for different people. Don't be afraid to talk to your OB/MW about it and try medication. Managing your diet doesn't work for everyone and many, many women take antacids during pregnancy. Unfortunately Zantac hasn't made it completely disappear, but it's no longer constant and it is now at least bearable and I can get some sleep.

I hope you find something that works to make you more comfortable!

[laerhk]

This is what my heartburn feels like when I'm preggo. Papaya enzymes (health food store or luckyvitamin.com) work SO well! Chew 'em like Tums or Rolaids and you're good to go. Instant relief for me...

[etsdtm99]

i get this too.. more often early on with morning sickenss.. but it comes back in the 3rd trimester.. if i overeat (which is more like eating normally) it gets REALLY bad.. it sucks. nothing really helps, however as SOON as the baby is out, its gone and i feel normal again.. i'm talking within seconds.. which is awesome because at that point i'm half way use to it and its just so nice to feel THAT much better ..