Question: I have been experiencing sporadic difficulty swallowing when eating and even occasionally when drinking. It's as if my throat seizes up for a bite/swallow or two. For example, this morning I had a croissant and coffee with cream....my first two bites of the croissant seemed to ball up and it hurt for a moment to swallow, then I got a couple little hiccups and a bit of foam came back up and I spit it out, then I was fine to continue eating with no discomfort at all. This doesn't happen every day, it doesn't necessarily even happen every time I eat something big and more dry like a submarine sandwich or something like that. I'd say it happens a couple times a week to maybe four or five times. This has been going on off and on for a bit over a year, but I can also go weeks and weeks without it happening at all. I am going through menopause and am 48

That actually makes sense. It's almost like my throat gets anxious about swallowing and then I have to mentally set it right in order to swallow properly. I was, of course, afraid of cancer, but while researching these symptoms I also came across EE (Eosinophilic esophagitis) and that seemed potentially likely as well since I do have adult onset asthma (first started noticing symptoms in my early 30s) which is related to, caused by or exacerbated by allergies I developed at the same time. I take Flonase, Pro Air albuterol inhaler and Plumicort. I'd been out of both the Flonase and the Plumicort for weeks and have definitely seen a return of the swallowing issues after a hiatus from them for a couple moths or multiple weeks. I remembered that it does seem like if I run out of my medicines, the swallowing issues come back or are more frequent. Additionally, it seems to mostly be when I eat bread products that I experience this difficulty, and I understand wheat allergy/sensitivity is a common cause for EE swallowing issues. I am in the process of getting an ENT appointment, but this morning was unpleasant so I thought I'd check here too. I do have periods of some tightness in my chest, not painful, and it doesn't feel like my esophagus, more tension related...and they seem to go away once I'm back in a zone where I'm not having hot flashes. I also remember my mom had hay fever when I was growing up and in her later years she did also have problems swallowing. Unfortunately, I cannot ask her about it because she passed away from a stroke at 62. I'm just really afraid of esophageal cancer- is that an ailment where the swallowing difficulties would still be so sporadic even one or two years (maybe even more) after one begins to experience them?
Thank you for your time and your expertise. They are both very appreciated. I do drink red wine...sometimes just a glass or two, often more, and I occasionally have a cigarette or two with the wine, maybe once every two weeks or once a month, it depends.

I used to smoke when I was younger, stopped in my early 30s for all intents and purposes, but I was never a daily smoker- I only smoked when I went out with friends and occasionally if watching a movie with wine at home.

My step-grandfather died of esophageal cancer (no blood relation) so I well-know what a nightmare it is. I'm a mom of a ten year old, so this is extra spooky to consider.