When Something Just Feels “Off”
Kim Chambers had a feeling that something wasn’t right. It started small – she noticed she had to chew things smaller and could not swallow normally. “I ignored it,” she says with a small laugh. “I’ve got too much to do, just have to keep moving.”
But in the summer of 2016, that changed. During an ordinary dinner, a small piece of chicken became lodged in her throat. “That was the moment I knew something was really wrong,” she recalls. “I knew I had to find somebody.”
A Rare Diagnosis and a First Step Toward Relief
Kim’s search for answers led her to Dr. Rebecca Howell, a fellowship-trained laryngologist at UC Health and director of the UC Health Voice and Swallowing Center. After a thorough evaluation and imaging, Dr. Howell diagnosed her with an esophageal web, a rare disorder that affects the esophagus and makes swallowing difficult, especially solid foods.
Dr. Howell performed a procedure to gently stretch and open the muscles in Kim’s esophagus, also called an esophageal dilation, or a throat stretch, an approach that brought her instant relief.
“Kim did really well, as expected, after her first stretch. However, I always tell patients that this can be recurrent and in Kim’s case…it really was,” said Dr. Howell.
“I went through the procedure and didn’t think anything else of it,” Kim says. “For eight years, I was fine.”
When Symptoms Return
Then, in early 2024, the symptoms returned – and this time, they were worse. “I couldn’t swallow liquids,” Kim said. “I’d just hold it in my mouth and hope it would go down.”
As her condition worsened, Kim lost 80 pounds and became dangerously dehydrated. “I stopped eating. I stopped sleeping. I honestly didn’t think I’d make it.”
The condition was isolating, leading to significant impacts on Kim’s mental health.
“I just shut down. I got tired of putting on a brave face. I was just so fiercely tired. I just laid around.” After hitting her lowest point, Kim made a big decision to take a small step towards joy.
“One day, I looked in the mirror, and I just thought, ‘Do something crazy.’ So, I colored my hair blue.” That simple act became a symbol of her turning point. “It made me smile again,” she says. “It reminded me that I was still me – and that I was still here.”
Kim chose to reach back out to Dr. Howell for guidance on a path forward – a plan to reclaim her quality of life.
A Team That Never Gives Up
“I am always happy to see my patients back, but not when they have suffered for so long. Kim was in dire straits when I saw her, and I kept reassuring her that it was the esophagus narrowing again. And that this was very treatable—she does not have to just live with it! My heart broke for Kim that I had to convince her that this was a detour in life’s journey, not the end of it.”
Even in her darkest moments, Dr. Howell and her team never gave up. When Kim’s insurance initially denied coverage for a repeat procedure, they fought for her care. “They appealed. They called. They made sure I got what I needed,” Kim says. “Dr. Howell didn’t give up on me. I’ve never listened to anybody. I’m hard-headed and opinionated, but I listen to Dr. Howell. She told me, ‘We’re going to fix this,’ and I believed her.”
The care and compassion found at UC Health made all the difference.
Dr. Howell performed another esophageal dilation – a minimally invasive stretch designed to restore Kim’s ability to swallow – and stayed closely involved in her recovery. Slowly, Kim began to heal, both physically and emotionally.
