Strange Throat Sensation

Hi. I'm new to this forum & am hoping to find some reassurance with a symptom I have that's worrying me.

I'm a 38 year old male & in mid-2009 I started feeling a strange 'pricking' sensation in my throat, which turned to an ache, not like a sore throat but a dull pain.

After a few consultations with my GP I was referred for a CT scan, which took place at the end of November 2009, by which time the 'ache' was not really noticeable. The scan showed no abnormalities.

I was sysmptom free until around September 2010 when I started to get an intermittent, shooting ache which appeared to be on the right hand side of my throat, close to to the bottom right of my Adam's Apple, although I have been unable to feel (with fingers) exactly where the ache is ie it's not tender to the touch.

There would be days when I wouldn't experience the ache & on other days I might only feel it once or twice. However, in the past couple of weeks I've been feeling it regularly, sometimes every couple of minutes & on occasions the ache 'tickles' my throat & makes me cough.

To give you a bit of background about myself, I am a generally healthy person, not overweight, a non-smoker but I am a social drinker. My main downfall is that I am a worrier, particularly when it comes to my health. However, as I'm often pointing out to my wife, I know when I feel right & I know when something doesn't feel right. A couple of weeks ago we moved house, which is obviously a stressful thing but I'm very happy & settled in our new home already. Plus, I was experiencing this ache long before we moved.

Once I've registered at the new surgery I think it's best if I talk to a GP about it but I was wondering if anyone else has ever experienced anything like this &/or if anyone has any advice.

I am totally with you on the throat thing. My anxiety started because of the throat sensations. Pain, pinching, anything really. Think about it really carefully. Can you pinpoint the exact location of the pain. Generally not. That is the anxiety and its cleaver working. When you master one pain or symptom then another appears. Take it easy. read around the forums. You will find hundreds of similar stories. It is very reassuring to read others experiences. This has helped me. Good Luck.

Daniela

Hi Daniela.

Many thanks for your kind words, which have provided me with some reassurance. Unfortunately, though, the ache seems more painful & constant than ever today!

I'm really hoping it is just a stress/anxiety thing but I'm registering at my new doctors tomorrow & will make an appointment to chat to a GP about it. If I have another scan (the last was over a year ago) & it shows nothing again, it'll put my mind at rest. I'm just so scared that it's something serious, like cancer & becuase I'm worrying about it I don't feel as though I'm enjoying life as much as I should be at the moment.

I think people who suffer from health anxiety will tend to analyze any bad habits they may have. They will then zero in on possible diseases that can occur from those bad habits.

For example, you mentioned that you are an occasional drinker, and this could be the cause of the symptoms you are having. I bet they are just in your head because you are concentrating on your throat area. I just went through months of worrying about throat cancer because I too have been an occasional drinker. It's really the only vice I have. So, I naturally gravitated to one of the diseases you can get from drinking. My mind also had me thinking that I had some of the same symptoms as you.

It took two doctor visits to my regular doctor, and one to an ear/nose/throat doctor to finally make me feel better. This is going to sound odd coming from someone that suffers from health anxiety, but I am a very logical thinker. I simply could not be satisfied by a doctor telling me that nothing was there. I knew that my regular doctor could only see part way down my throat. So to tell me I was ok did not satisfy me. I wanted to know if there was something further down my throat. That's why I was really happy that the ear/nose/throat doctor sent the scope all the way down my throat for a look see. I needed hard evidence that nothing was down in my throat growing.

Maybe you to should have an ear/nose/throat doctor do the same procedure. I would think there is nothing better than actually going down there for a peek to actually see what's going on.

By the way, I told my regular doctor how much I drink. He said "Do you know how to tell when you drink too much?" I said "No....how?" He said "When you drink more than your doctor....and you don't drink more than me". :D It was his way of telling me I am a light drinker. The ear/nose/throat doctor said since I don't smoke, and only drink occasionally, that my chances of ever getting throat cancer are very slim.

I hope this helps you!

if any of u nee a chat about anything just inbox me and i will try and help u out as much as i can, i know its good to know that there is someone out there u can talk too and i dont mind what it is about, it could be anything and anything we talk about will stay between us and no one else xx