I feel like something is stuck in my chest. Is it due to an inflamed esophagus?

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

Greetings of the day.

Yes, it could be inflammation of the esophagus because it has an acute onset. Other possibilities are an esophageal stricture, causing narrowing of the lumen and pain while swallowing.

There are various causes of inflammation and stricture of the esophagus, for example, reflux of acid from the stomach, ingestion, and secondary narrowing due to a growth of some mass causing compression of the esophagus.

One group of motility disorders also causes problems in the esophagus; for that, we need a barium study and a manometry study. In this situation, liquids will cause more problems than solids. So, for that, we need to plan investigations for various etiologies.

I suggest you get the following tests done.

1. Chest X-ray.
2. Complete blood hemogram, with indices in the form of MCV (mean corpuscular volume), MCH (mean corpuscular hemoglobin), MCHC (mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration), and ESR (erythrocyte sedimentation rate).
3. A barium study of the esophagus will clear any doubts about the stricture.
4. Endoscopy.

An endoscopy will be required for the same, and that will give a clearer picture of the esophagus. A biopsy can be taken by this modality; we will do it after the initial reports.

For treatment, I suggest you try taking the tablet Pantoprazole 40 mg once a day. Take semisolid food rather than solid food.

I hope it helps.

Thank you.