Long term pain in throat (not sore throat)

[Torskus77]

Hi everyone, thank you for taking the time to read my post.

Firstly let me say I have suffered from Health Anxiety in the past, I got over it (to an extent) but it's reared it's ugly head again.

Been having a pain in my throat for months now. It's not what you would class a sore throat, not like when you have a cold, or your tonsils hurt. It's very difficult to explain. Sometimes it feels like someone is poking a knife inside your throat, sometimes it's an achey feeling, sometimes it feels like there is a lump in your throat.

It mainly shows around the adams apple area, usually to the left side, but it does move slightly sometimes. I also feel pain in under my chin (s) :-) I'm slightly over weight. I also feel pain in my neck, at the back, feels like my head is to heavy for it at times.

Been to the doctors many times, he has given me pain killers, tablets for Acid Refux (although I have had no tests for this) it is a possibility, and I do get chest pain sometimes too. It is also like there is a constant tightness in my throat area. After getting fed up of seeing me he has finally referred me to an ENT specialist to have the camera down my throat. He referred me as non urgent though, so it could take months.

The pain is constant 24 hours a day, but does get better and worse at various times. Always feel like I have a constant tightness around my throat. It totally ruined my Christmas, am so worried this is something serious.

I am a smoker, or I was, I gave up New Year (as I said I would to my family) and not gone back on it yet (almost a week!)

I have no idea what this is, the doctor seems less than understanding given my history of anxiety. I explained the pain to him, and he said " no such thing, it's either sore, or something is stuck" I though that was a ridiculous response. At least he referred me, now got months of worrying about this. Am getting married in March (if I am still alive) I really do think like that with everything I do now.

[Fishmanpa]

Torskus,

I understand your worry having had SCC Stage IV (oropharygeal). You don't state any other symptoms and the fact that the symptoms you're experiencing have not gotten worse indicates nothing sinister.

Cancer (which is your fear) does not move or get better and worse. An ENT will confirm what I'm telling you. I'm not a doctor but I do agree with his assessment. This is very highly likely anxiety related/acid reflux.

Treating your anxiety, eating healthy, exercising and loosing weight would be your best course of action against the "dragon" anxiety.

Positive thoughts

[Torskus77]

They have got worse, but not rapidly, overtime they have got slightly worse. However they do feel different at different times.

I'm really sorry, it's only when someone who comes on who has actually suffered what you are worrying about, you realise what a selfish so and so you are being.

One thing I forgot to mention was, it isn't painful to eat, the pain is still there, but swallowing food does not make it any more uncomfortable.

Thank you for the reassuring post, and I hope you are doing well with what you have been through (are still going through ?)

[Fishmanpa]

I'm 8 months post treatment and suffer many quite annoying and painful side effects, however, for now, I'm still NED (no evidence of disease) and alive which sure beats the alternative! ;)

I stand by my opinion. I think it's a bit more reliable than Dr. Google ;) The only way to know 100% is to do a biopsy of a suspicious lesion, area or lymph node. If there's nothing to biopsy, there's nothing to worry about.

I wanted to add: I had no symptoms other than a slightly swollen lymph node on the left side of my neck. I first noticed it with a cold/sinus infection in August of 2012. Nothing out of the ordinary as I've had that dozens of times in my life. No pain, no other symptoms. I didn't begin to worry about it until November when the gland was still there and had grown slightly. It wasn't until a 2nd round of antibiotics didn't do anything that my doctor ordered further testing which eventually revealed the cancer. I felt totally fine otherwise. As I said, a FNAB (fine needle aspiration biopsy) of the suspicious gland confirmed what the CAT scan showed.

I've yet to read of something here that turned out to be sinister.


Positive thoughts

[cattia]

Thoat issues are so, so common with anxiety. I have struggled with them on and off for years. Tight throat, lump in the throat, sore throat, jaw clenching, teeth grinding, it's all part of the picture for me. Obviously I am no doctor but I can promise you from personal experience that these issues really can be cuased by anxiety.

[HAnoway]

Look up Globus Hystericus. It should help :-)

[Torskus77]

Look up Globus Hystericus. It should help :-)


Yes, I have suffered with this before, but this time it seems a different type of thing, it is actual pain (although not very severe) rather than an annoying feeling, and I am getting pain around my neck area.

I keep telling myself there is nothing I can do until I see the ENT specialist, but well when you suffer from Health Anxiety, your brain just doesn't accept this :)

I know it's more than possible all this is linked to anxiety, I grind my teeth in my sleep which could be causing problems too. I also know posting on this forum wont help much, but it's a better bet than google the symptoms (been there done that, diagnosed myself with everything)

[HAnoway]

I had a big panic attack tonight and it helped (for me) to write everything down.

Back to work tomorrow so hoping that'll take my mind off everything!

[Torskus77]

Got my appointment for the ENT specialist today, 2 weeks today, pretty good really, not had to wait that long, although it seems like a life time to me, I appreciate they are very busy and am pleased to be seen so soon.

This is really getting to me now, it never goes away now at any time, it gets worse at times, but it's always there. Sometimes the pain radiates in to my jaw, and the side of my neck, but the pain in the throat near the adams apple is really painful now. It's so hard to describe, it's not sore, it is a proper pain. Doesn't hurt anymore than usual when I eat.

Guess I just have to wait, just wanted to thank everyone for their responses.

[balde79]

How did the ent go??? Im in the same place you were..im up the walls with worry

[xela77]

Hello there!
Torskus77 or anyone else with exactly same symptoms... what was the FINAL diagnosis and method of treatment? How did it go? What was the fix?
Thank you for your reply.

[anxietygirl27]

Hey guys! I thought I'd chime in here with my experience -

Last year, I started having ear pain on my right side, along with pain basically between my ear and my throat. This was ALSO accompanied by throats pain that was deep but not a sore throats to the right of my Adam's apple, sometimes down to my collar bone. My main fear is lymphoma so all this couples with a couple lymph nodes = freaking out.

I went to multiple doctors, every time they said I had fluid in the ear and that it would go away. Finally I made an ENT appt and within two minutes he looked at me and said it was all TMJ! By the time this all was resolved, it was fall, and it went away. It's back again this year unfortunately which leads me to believe that allergies make my tmj worse due to inflammation.

If your doc says it's muscle tension, maybe try a tmj specific massage??

I hope this all helps!