One takeaway from the TCCA 2022 conference is that standing really helps with my difficulty swallowing. The chairs in the San Jose AV booth were highly uncomfortable so I spent much of my time standing.
Doing so allowed food to go down easier, which in turn unclogged my throat + chest. Instead of having to run to the toilet every five minutes to belch out pieces of my meal, I felt them slowly seep into my stomach. Without food blocking my throat + chest, I felt a lot more energized; most likely that’s why I could survive without naps on all those busy days.
Anyway, I have a reliable way of dealing with trouble swallowing. First, eat only medium-sized chunks of food at time and allow plenty of time for each bite to go down before taking the next. Make sure that each chunk of food is fairly solid and not too watery. Drink less fluids around / after meals.
Once regurgitation starts, belch out what comes into your mouth and stop eating right away; try not to force the excess food out. In the case where the food absolutely refuses to go down (i.e. pieces of the char siu bao I ate on Tuesday), slowly sip hot tea. The hot liquid will stimulate more regurgitation and allow you to barf out the food in your throat.
Lastly, avoid sitting after meals, either by taking a walk or standing and avoid stress around mealtime. Following all those aforementioned steps can be tedious, but should allow me to consume more throughout the day.
Unfortunately, I still do not know why swallowing is so hard in the first place. I want to blame excess mucus buildup from silent acid reflux / GERD, but at the moment it is still unconfirmed.
