ZENKER'S DIVERTICULUM and BAD BREATH
Posted: Mon May 05, 2008 9:59 pm
I read this interesting question from a woman about her husband:
Husband feels like food gets stuck in his throat and feels sensation behind his breastbone, had scope examinations, doctor stretched the opening at the bottom of the esophagus but husband did not get any relief for his swallowing. He as bad smelling breath, like nothing wife had ever smelled before.
Dr. Donohue (newspaper Press Enterprise, Riverside, CA) answers: Your husband should check back with doctor and inquire about Zenker's diverticulum. It's a pouch that forms in the back of the throat, much like a hernia sac. People with the verticulum have a hard time swallowing, particularly solid foods. Foods get stuck in the pouch and when it stays there for a long time undergoes partial digestion and that gives rise to foul breath. Pain swallowing can be experienced in the throat or lower down, at the tip of the breastbone. The diagnosis is made by having the perosn swallow some barium and taking an X-ray picture. The barium enters the diverticulum and outlines it. Surgical correction is possible.
IF SOME OF US ARE WILLING TO SPEND LOT OF MONEY BUYING PRODUCTS THAT DON'T WORK WHY NOT NAG YOUR DOCTOR OR MED. INSURANCE TO CHECK THIS AND PAY THE CO-PAYMENT!! when I suspected I had post nasal drip and my primary doc. was doing nothing about it I kept calling and saying I couldn't sleep because I couldn't breath, I had headaches and such until I had X-rays that showed mucous accumulating on the back of the throat and was sen to the ENT.
Husband feels like food gets stuck in his throat and feels sensation behind his breastbone, had scope examinations, doctor stretched the opening at the bottom of the esophagus but husband did not get any relief for his swallowing. He as bad smelling breath, like nothing wife had ever smelled before.
Dr. Donohue (newspaper Press Enterprise, Riverside, CA) answers: Your husband should check back with doctor and inquire about Zenker's diverticulum. It's a pouch that forms in the back of the throat, much like a hernia sac. People with the verticulum have a hard time swallowing, particularly solid foods. Foods get stuck in the pouch and when it stays there for a long time undergoes partial digestion and that gives rise to foul breath. Pain swallowing can be experienced in the throat or lower down, at the tip of the breastbone. The diagnosis is made by having the perosn swallow some barium and taking an X-ray picture. The barium enters the diverticulum and outlines it. Surgical correction is possible.
IF SOME OF US ARE WILLING TO SPEND LOT OF MONEY BUYING PRODUCTS THAT DON'T WORK WHY NOT NAG YOUR DOCTOR OR MED. INSURANCE TO CHECK THIS AND PAY THE CO-PAYMENT!! when I suspected I had post nasal drip and my primary doc. was doing nothing about it I kept calling and saying I couldn't sleep because I couldn't breath, I had headaches and such until I had X-rays that showed mucous accumulating on the back of the throat and was sen to the ENT.