17F - Food keeps getting stuck in my chest, I can’t drink afterward, and I’m losing weight

Hey everyone,

I’m 17F and I’m wondering if anyone has any idea what could be going on.

For a while now, I’ve been having episodes where certain foods, especially harder foods like chicken, bread, meat, and similar foods, feel like they get stuck in my chest. It’s not in my throat. I can swallow the food, but then it feels like it gets stuck behind my sternum and just sits there.

When this happens, I can’t really drink afterward either. If I try drinking water, juice, tea, or anything else, it feels like it hits the same spot and then comes back up. Sometimes I end up throwing up whatever I drank because it won’t seem to go down properly.

The feeling can last for hours and sometimes even into the next day. Eventually it goes away, but it keeps happening again and seems to be getting worse over time.

I’ve also been losing weight because I’m not able to eat normally anymore.

Before anyone asks, yes, I know I should probably get checked out. The issue is that my mom doesn’t really trust doctors or hospitals and believes people often get worse after going there, so getting medical attention isn’t as straightforward as people might think.

I’m not looking for a diagnosis over the internet. I’m just genuinely curious what kinds of conditions doctors usually think about when someone has food getting stuck in their chest, can’t drink properly afterward, and is losing weight because of it.

I’d especially appreciate hearing from anyone in healthcare who has seen something like this before.