A rare condition was making an Australian mom cannot swallow her food. Samantha Anderson, a mother of three and a goldsmith in Brisbane, Australia was beginning her day with a breakfast composed of her typical peanut butter and toast. But for some reason, she couldn't swallow even a single bite.
"I was confused, and ended up having to cough it out. I tried a few more times. That gulp just didn't happen," said the 40-year-old jeweler.
Sam tried to brush off what happened in her morning meal until she can no longer eat her succeeding meals and ended up starving.
She consulted a doctor and said that she is stressed and she needs to take Valium. None of the prescriptions given worked and ask to 'to buy herself time.' They tried hypnosis and counseling.
Due to low blood pressure, Sam was immediately rushed to the hospital. She underwent series of tests including those which test for motor-neuron diseases and mental health disorders. They went to have the result reading her having a Dysphagia.
What Is Dysphagia
Dysphagia is a rare condition wherein the person is having difficulty in swallowing. This condition may occur in different ages and have different causes as well as its treatment. The food and liquid taken in by the person having Dysphagia needs time and effort to ingest.
Sam converted solid meals to those soft-textured foods like yogurts. She puts effort to swallow it and wait until it kicks in but ends up coughing it out. Eventually, this Australian mom's weight went down from 60 kilos to 45 kilos (132 pounds to 99 pounds) and tries to conceal this by using lose clothes.
At the end of the nine-month treatment period, medical doctors found out that the reason of Sam having Dysphagia is the pain she had in her left ear that was left untreated. The untreated pain in her left ear caused the four cranial nerves to be damaged and paved way for her Dysphagia.
After getting much help in Australia, they found a specialist from University of California, Dr. Peter Belafsky of Davis Voice and Swallowing Center. He said that the condition is "like being constantly waterboarded."
After four long years of struggle, Sam eventually learned to eat foods mixed with water. She also went back to her jewelry studio having her husband go and help her eat for lunch.
"There are definitely days when I don't want to get out of bed ... But when I think about how far I have come, what I can manage to eat now compared to a year ago, two years ago, I am so happy,' Sam said.
