Throat Spasm-Pain-Lumpy feeling

[tizer21]

Hi Everyone. Here's the story...in Oct 2008 i went to the doctors thinking i had mumps. My throat was swolen and i could hardly eat anything. They did blood tests and one came back as me having an underactive thyroid but no mumps or any other virus's. The Thyroid issue was hard to take and i am sure this is where my anxiety really started. My thyroid levels are now normal but ever since Oct 2008 i have had the following symptoms on and off:
Lumpy feeling in left hand side of throat behind tonsil area really annoying.
Tight feeling like indigestion achey pain in throat on an off
A slight dry crispy feeling in the same area as the lumpy feeling(sometimes)
Tingling in neck (like prickley heat) on and off
Tightness in throat, difficulty breathing on and off

I have believed all this time that maybe these symptoms were somehow realted to the thyroid issue as they are in the near vacinity of the thyroid had loads of tests which were all ok....but now i am not so sure it is the thyroid. I have read about Globus and Cricopharyngeal Spasms and how they are related to Anxiety. Has anyone else had the above symptoms? Any help would be greatly recieved. Thanks in advance.

Tizer21

[ali8385]

Hi Tizer,

Hope that you are feeling ok today - I just wanted toi respond as I have had similar to you since Oct '08, please see my previous posted threads.

The throat thing is so annoying isn't it...do you find that it goes or gets much better when you are relaxed? I have been told that it is globus, acid reflux etc. Maybe a spasm?

Ali

[tizer21]

Hi Ali,

Much better today thanks. Yes the doctors and ENT consultant at the hospital said that it was globus spasm or Cricopharyngeal spasm (same thing i think) and that it was nothing to do with my thyroid gland at all. That took some believeing as the two issues are in the same area. I had convinced myself that it was the thyroid.
I guess i have been concentrating on my neck to much. It gets much better when i relax, sometimes it goes completley and sometimes it is still there but not quite as annoying as in the daytime. It always goes away when i go to sleep and is never there in the morning. It Creeps on during the daytime. I suffer with the throat issue more around my time of the month or when i am under pressure or if something goes wrong. I have only just realised that it must be stress/anxiety related by visiting this website.
I had alot go wrong last year, my brother died and i suffered a nervous breakdown. I thought i was going mad and didn't know what was wrong with me until i read a book by Dr. Claire Weeks. It explained everything i was feeling.
It is so horrible and i don't think people who don't suffer from it realise how real the symptoms are. I will have a read of your threads. Thanks for replying, it's good to know i am not the only one who suffers from this.

Tizer21

[ali8385]

Hi Tizer,

Thank you very much for your response. I have to admit that I concentrate on my neck all the time, I also have TMJ so I often feel tension in the area around my jaw and neck anyway but the spasm feeling in my throat happened before TMJ started. I think that TMJ may have occured due to being so anxious about my thoat!

I am trying so hard not to let my thoughts always fall to my throat, neck and TMJ but they often do and make me feel incredinly anxious. This did all start when I was incredibly anxious back in July 2008, I found a lymph note that was tiny (but to me I could feel it) I googled and bang...that was the start of this bought of horrendous health anxiety. Although health anxiety and OCD has always been there I have been able to distract my thoughts to other things previously, sometimes finding it more difficult to thean others, however for the past 18 months it has been hurrendous.

Hope that you are doing well today, and thank you for your prompt response yesterday - much appreciate.

Ali