I added a flair for trigger warning so be mindful of that.  It's to do with my body, and I don't want to infect other people with the same idea that I have.  But at the same time I would appreciate some support.

&amp;#x200B;

I was at a restaurant recently and while there swallowed something that got stuck in my throat.  I choked, gagged, coughed, etc.  I ran to the washroom and I could breathe, but whatever it was, was stuck in my throat.  I tried to throw it up but couldn't.  I drove myself to the hospital.  Got in trouble from the wife for that one.

At the hospital, which was under staffed (Canada), I had to wait for 4 hours.  The triage nurse had me sit in her view and kept an eye on me.  The whole time I had something in my throat - it felt sharp, edgy, like a piece of wood.  And every time I swallowed, which I had to do because my mouth was watering madly, it moved around.  I thought it was going to move and block my breathing and I was going to die.  At one point I began choking, gagging, coughing and trying to throw it up but it only caused a scene in the waiting room. The triage nurse brought me into the back and they connected me to a monitoring machine and put in an IV.  I got sent to Xray and when I walked out I had to use the bathroom.  While there I coughed a little hamster cough and the object that was stuck in my throat popped up into my mouth.  I pulled it out - a &lt;expletive&gt; bay leaf.  Whole, raw.  

I was so happy.  The doctor said it showed up in the xray and if I hadn't coughed it up he would have had to stick a probe down my throat.  I would have fought him on that one out of shear panic.  Anyway, he said eat soft food for the next couple days because your throat is a bit irritated.  Understatement - my throat was irritated for almost a week.  

I wish that was the end of my story, but it isn't.  Now, I get triggered every time I feel a solid in my throat.  This has made eating a big challenge.  I can drink liquids ok, but to eat I have to take, microscopic bites of food, prefereably soft food, chew it to oblivion and try to swallow it.  It sounds easy, but it isn't.  It's a process I have to think about in detail, and it's laborious.  It's stressful and tiring and there's no enjoyment no matter the food is.  After a few bites I ahve to stop, or I can't even eat at all.  I've barely eaten in two days.  I'm hungry, but the thought of it, doing it causes me so much anxiety.  I was just trying to eat because I'm so hungry, and I knew I shouldn't have tried because I am on high alert right now, and blam!  Full blown panic attack.  

This is all I want to say for now.  I'm trying to deal with this the best I can.  I hate this happened to me, and I'm so embarassed and ashamed.  Especially for my wife - she has to put with this.