Sore throat, discomfort

Hi ya

I'm new to this site and was hoping someone will be able to offer me some reassurance ver symptoms I have been experiencing. To summarise, I think I have always suffered from health anxiety to some extent but over the past 4 years it has got much worse. Every symptom I get becomes an obsession and I get overwhelmed with thoughts that they are something really serious. My symptoms have included palpitations, missed heart beats, dizziness, headaches, feeling that I can't gat breath - each have eventually blown themsleves out if you know what I mean but not before they have caused me weeks of worry which has totally dominated my life while they lasted. For the past four years though I have had a strange throat on and off. Sometimes it's really sore, other times it feels like I can't swallow today it is sore - almost as though I have raw throat. At the moment this throat thing is my main worry and is really getting to me. My GP is brilliant and reassures me (I usually feel much better after seeing him) but I do feel a real pain having to seek this reassurance. I can't get an appointment till mid September and I'm really scared that this throat thing is something serious and I think I will have driven myself mad by the time the appointment comes. Logic tells me that as this things comes and goes and varies in severity it can't be anything really serious but that doesn't really help me cope with the sheer panic that the thought that it could be something serious gives me. So really, I just hoped someone could tell me they have experienced a sore throat as well as this constricting feeling in the throat.

I've tried relaxation, meditation and I do exercise regularly which helps with some of the symptoms but I just need some reassurance.

Thank you.

Ellie

Hi Ellie

You have come to the right place as there are lots of throat sufferers in here, including me!

I know exactly how you feel about swallowing - I haven't eaten solid foods in weeks! However, I have received lots of wonderful advice on here - including seeking out a CBT therapist. If your doctor has eliminated any physical problem maybe you should ask them to refer you so that they can help you to overcome the problem long term instead of seeking reassurance every now and then from your doctor.

I'm not an expert as I have only been suffering since June - but please feel free to PM me if you want to chat about your symptoms, fears etc...

Take care

Helen x

I'm a sufferer too Ellie and have been totally obsessed with my throat for about 9 months now. You only have to search here for my posts to see. It IS getting better but yesterday my throat was almost raw too. Maybe from working it and concentrating so hard on it. Today it's a lot better, totally bizarre but terrifying at the same time!

Mark

Thank you both for taking the time to respond to my post. This throat discomfort is driving me mad - or should I say the worry is. I actually wonder whether I might have a throat infection (or of course something much worse) as it's intermitently really sore and then sometimes just uncomfortable. Its hard to believe it can be muscular.

Thanks again.

Ellie

Hi Ellie


I saw a speech therapist yesterday who explained that the tight throat feeling I get is my anxiety causing my throat to tighten - because she said it is a large muscle and like all muscles they can go into spasm.

Even though I was reassured it is taking me a while to get my head around the fact my problem is psycholgical so I have found a private CBT therapist who isnt that expensive, I will let you know if it is any help so maybe you could look into something like this.

Take care

Helen x

**I saw a speech therapist yesterday who explained that the tight throat feeling I get is my anxiety causing my throat to tighten - because she said it is a large muscle and like all muscles they can go into spasm**

Helen, Was this really new news to you ? I thought we'd covered this comprehensively in past posts and on the website symptoms pages


Ellie :
MORE HORRID SYMPTOMS!!!!
Swallowing / throat problems / Being strangled!
What has suddenly changed, feel awful!
Really frightend of Swallowing,
A strange one, anyone else experienced similar??
throat !!!
Strange Lump in Throat
Throat, improvements, questions
Problems with eating and Swallowing,
update on throat problems
Swallowing fear
Horrible Throat Feelings!
Finally admitted what the problem is!
Another scared one
Strange symptom that comes with anxiety


Meg
www.anxietymanagementltd.com

Your anxiety is the human representation of the pictures that you paint using your many vivid colours of revolving and reoccurring thoughts.
How big is your gallery ?

meg - no it wasnt news to me but I was trying to reassure Ellie. It appears it would be best if I did it in a PM in future!

No, thats great. If it had been completely new, Nic and I would have needed to rethink how the symptoms page was written.

I fully appreciate it does mean more when a professional goes through it with you 1:1 in an appt about your own personal situation than just reading it off a general page.


Meg
www.anxietymanagementltd.com

Your anxiety is the human representation of the pictures that you paint using your many vivid colours of revolving and reoccurring thoughts.
How big is your gallery ?

Sorry Meg I took what you said the wrong way - I thought you were criticising me!

Bygones!

Helen x