MY DAUGHTER IS 13 AND FOR THE PAST 3 MONTHS SHE HAS REFUSED TO EAT FOR FEAR OF CHOKING HAS ANYONE EVER HEARD OF THIS OR HAVE ANY INFO ON THIS WE ARE DESPERATE TO SAVE HER

my daughter is in the 3rd different hospital right now and is going to the fourth on thursday and all of the hospitals say they do not tube feed for this ? i'am so scared

my daughter is getting ensure plus for all meals plus as a snack before bedtime but she still cannot overcome her fear of choking enough to take a bite of solid food  her weight is still good because she was a little overweight to begin with but it just scares me that she is not getting enough nutrition thanks for all of the info

Swallowing therapy is administered by speech pathologists. Here is a link to a detailed description, described in a Cigna insurance guideline. If you google swallowing therapy, there are a lot of sites to look at.

http://www.cigna.com/customer_care/healthcare_professional/coverage_positions/medical/

mm_0409_coveragepositioncriteria_dysphagia_therapy .pdf
Here is another link with a good description.
http://www.nyee.edu/cfv-swallowing-therapy.html

My d has had trouble swallowing large pills and I suspect that the swallowing problem is related to anorexia. Your d's fear of choking may be related to difficulty swallowing.
Tryingmom

I have no experience with this problem, but in googling 'phagophobia in children' I came across this information that was a good description of it.

http://www.lib.okayama-u.ac.jp/www/acta/pdf/61_5_261.pdf 

"A Study of Psycho-athology and Treatment of Children with Phagophobia" from 2007.   This 9 page PDF document has a graph explaining phagophobia and AN differences and similarities. 

In either case, getting refed is a priority along with proper diagnosis.

I hope this helps you.

Thank-you for your comments.  Since the last time I wrote, I have done nothing but try to be calm with my son and make sure he is happy.  He can eat.  He is still being picky with some things.  I am not sure if he is trying to use this to his advantage or if he is still afraid.  He had taco chips tonight with chili con queso and a soft burrito.  Last night he ate a bar-be-qued hamburger and pork and beans.  He did not eat any bread, but he ate the whole hamburger.  What do you think about this now?  I just do not want to run to a psych and blow everything out of proportion.  Sometimes love and understanding and patience go a long way.  I quess I am saying this because if there is anyone out there who is still having a problem...maybe they can try this approach.

My son is eating.  He will not eat certain things, but I think he is using that to his advantage.  If he can eat taco chips, hamburger helper, chicken quesadillas,pasta,crackers,cheese,etc,etc...I do not want to go to a psych to tell me what is wrong with him.  At first..after it happened...of course he was afraid.  I tried a different approach and he seems to be doing ok.  I think he is going through a phase like some kids do.  I also think when he saw how afraid I was and reacted at first...he knows how to not eat vegetables anymore or things he does not want. 

I just found this site and am very grateful.  I know it will not make what is happening go away but I had NO IDEA that the fear of choking in children was even an issue.  My daughter,8 and turning 9 next week, stopped eating a month ago after being ill with the flu.  Having a degree in psychology I thought less attention the better.  But it didn't go away.  It got worse.  I started reading these entries and said "Oh that is it!  That is what she does!".  I have been crying and she has been crying but nothing changes.  We saw her pediatrician for a physical and he said she needs a counselor and that she is "behaviorally" controlling her environment through not eating.  I was confused.  I did not agree.  She was a happy waffle, pizza loving child until she threw up during her illness.  Then she told me, crying, that she was afraid the food would go down the wrong way.  She was crying because she WANTED to eat the food in front of her but couldn't.  Looking back she was terrified and I was helpless.  Which is terrifying.  I have printed out information on this disorder for her pediatrician.  He needs to know what we are dealing with.  In my panic and fear I haven't been able to come up with many food ideas for my daughter.  We are trying a weight lifting drink with high amounts of protein.  But I have read many suggestions here and feel there are more choices.  Thank you.  Like many who have written my daughter will only eat pudding, yogurt (no lumps), soup (just Tomato), and was eating sweets...and toast but has stopped eating things that she has to chew.  I definitely feel she is going backwards.  I panicked and started to cry and feel very very scared.  She lost 2.5 lbs in one week.  She is already tiny.  We live far in the North Country and any experts will be 2-3 hours one way.  But finding this site is a start.  I should have looked before we went to the doctors.  I also thought "it" would go away.  She would get hungry and eat.  But she just cries.  She is my whole world.  When does the fear of survival kick in?!  Sorry, just scared and who wants their child to fight this battle instead of playing and eating too much....normal childhood. 

Has anyone else had their child tested or seen by pediatric GI or ENT?  I am taking my daughter this week and next week.  She struggles even to get her nutritional drink down.  We have also started counseling and relaxation techniques.  It has been a huge help for both of us.  She is using bunny puppets to talk and it is interesting to see how she identifies her feelings and just how much she doesn't.  She honestly hasn't a clue as to why she isn't taking a bite of anything.  I want her completely checked before she is given a functional disorder label.   I want to know what we are dealing with.  Then get the right help.  If I had followed her doctor's advice we would be doing nothing.  He didn't even suggest nutritional drinks.  She had lost almost 6 lbs.  Anyway, if anneli is still reading this log how are things?

Hi, My wee girl has recently (1week)went off her solids too. She has always been an anxious child, worrying about aspects of life that a child shouldn't be worrying about. I think she may have developed her anxieties through the death of a grand aunt who was very good too her. Recently she had to stay overnight in our local hospital following a panic attack and since then her anxieties have increased. She now has went off her solids, only eating fruitless yogurts, soup and fluids. She is constantly saying she is hungry but cant swallow the food. I've read through some of the threads and I feel she has Phagaphobia. I took her to a hypnotist/physcotherapist to try and have her hypnotised however it didn't work. Does anyone know of any specialists in Ireland who deals with this condition?