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View Full Version : Curious and new about this lump in throat symtom?



reddevil
07-12-06, 09:20
Hello all,

I have read so many stories on this forum relating to a lump feeling in the throat.
Having suffered with health anxiety for 5 years, I have never experienced this before.

Last Sunday, I swallowed as normal and something did not feel right, it was like there was a lump in
the throat or a lump on my adams apple.

It's Thursday and I still have this problem, does not hurt when I swallow but it is there every time.

I have to say, most of my anxiety symptoms are not there straight away when just waking up, but this is.
When I eat and drink it tends to be better.

Can anybody answer me if this is the lump in the throat problem, which I have read about on this forum
and should I see a doctor as I'm trying to not visit him for a longer period.

It is worrying me as I have never experienced this before.

Red

halfwayhome
07-12-06, 09:48
Everyone experiences different things as symptoms of anxiety. If you are going through an anxius time right now, even if you don't have your anxiety symptoms all the time you can still have your physical symptoms. My throat symptom was more of a choking feeling than a lump so I'm not sure if it's the same thing or not. Best thing, in my opinion, is to not worry about it too much, and if you really feel it might be something, might as well go to your doctor just to make sure it's nothing. More than likely it's anxiety and would go away if you stopped looking for it. :)

“Anyone can give up, it's the easiest thing in the world to do. But to hold it together when everyone else would understand if you fell apart, that's true strength.”

xoxox

anxious
07-12-06, 10:16
Hi Red,

this isin't one of my common anxiety problems, but i have had it from time to time - luckly its never lasted long. You've had a lot of anxiety about mouth/throat worries havent you? My guess is that you are focusing on that part of your body and are over aware, you can actually cause tension which will make your throat feel like that.
I am the same at the moment but with my shoulder/arm/rib area (breast lumps etc my most recent fears). I've actually given myself physical pain my tensing all the time.
Try to distract yourself, the more you can take your mind off it the sensation will ease (suck sweets, chew gum whatever). I actually told myself i wasn't going to get that symptom because i have enough of my own already to cope with.
anx xx


Laughter is a tranquilizer with no side effects

peach
07-12-06, 10:16
hi!,
as you know, im in the same boat as you...
i have been to see my doc approx 7 times in 10 months....im sure she thinks im a hypocondriac by now...goodness, im starting to think it also...very embarassing!!
when i first got my lump..it was at a very stressful time for me and it just appeared one day with flu like symptoms..those flu symptoms went away the next 2 days, but the lump stayed...for the first 3 weeks...it didnt affect my speaking..or vice versa..but it was there constantly...it wasnt sore then.but i also had a bit of dryness....i, like you are holding off going to the doc again, cause i was there only 3 weeks ago about this thing....ive stressed heaps in my time and also never had this symptom before either...i have been advised that since we are ok with eating.. then it is unlikely to be cancer..which is my worry...
take care

yorkylover
07-12-06, 11:38
Hi Red,I dont have it all the time,but I do have it occasionally.It is part of anxiety.

Ellen XX

kazzie
07-12-06, 13:41
Hi Red

I used to have this all the time and as Ellen says its anxiety that causes it. I used to find the more you thought about it the worse it got!!!

Luv Kaz x

rb1978
07-12-06, 15:37
The throat thing is something I get on and off a lot. It does feel like a 'lump' - best way of describing it is that it's like the lump you get when you are choked up with emotion. But as for symptoms being there when you wake up - yes I've experienced that. My big problem recently was anxiety about my ears and I was waking up with it. I don't think I could switch myself off from the anxiety even at night. Anxiety can get you at night - a prime example is teeth grindling in your sleep.

kittykat
07-12-06, 16:53
Hi red,
I've posted about this problem before, i started to suffer from this about 2mths ago, its a horrible feeling so i can sympathise. It still kind of freaks me out even though the doc has told me there's nothing there. It came on really suddenly and i hate to tell u this but mines never completely gone away, although if i focus on it and am really anxious it does get worse.
I have no problems eating or drinking just like you, if your really anxious about it , i would see your doc and he/she can put your mind at rest it's got to be better than the constant worry. Take care

Shirley xx

mick
07-12-06, 23:42
hi red
nowadays every new health symptom i experiance i try to put it down to anxiety and im getting shed loads lately m8! im getting used to it as the way isee it this has been going on for years and im still here so im hoping anxiety will eventually get bored and leave m e me alone and also im getting bored going to the docters i think thers a tipping point in life when you realise that life has dealt us a crap hand at times and its up to us to chuck that hand in and find a better one even though thats hard to do at times
Mick

reddevil
08-12-06, 20:43
Hi,

I went to see my doctor, he said he could see or feel no lumps.

I left the doctors feeling ok but today I have been wondering how could he see down my throat as the lump when I swallow feels like it's on thr adams apple.

Red

rb1978
09-12-06, 11:53
It sounds to be pretty much in the same place I get it - you'd describe it as a lump in your throat but it actually feels to be about halfway down your windpipe. When mine started I was worried to death and it was constant for about a week or so. Within minutes of waking up it was there. During the course of the day I started fretting more and more and ended up on the verge of tears with it. In all I think I had it constantly for about a fortnight and now just get it now and again.

It was reading on here that it could be anxiety related that calmed it down funnily enough. Up to that point no-one could convince me it was anxiety. All I could imagine was an actual lump and therefore cancer.

If your doctor's felt your neck and can't feel anything, I'd take a lot of comfort from that. I know it's difficult to imagine them seeing down your throat but the dr would be able to feel something out of the ordinary if it was something more serious.

The other thing that makes me think your's is v likely to be anxiety is that you mentioned you can eat and drink fine and if anything it tends to be better. I think the thing that indicates something more serious is when you can't eat because your food sticks on the way down and something's physically blocking it. Found this out whilst googling myself into a terrified frenzy when I started with it.

I really do think it's anxiety related but you've done right seeing the Dr.

reddevil
09-12-06, 13:28
<b id="quote">quote:</b id="quote"><table border="0" id="quote"><tr id="quote"><td class="quote" id="quote">It sounds to be pretty much in the same place I get it - you'd describe it as a lump in your throat but it actually feels to be about halfway down your windpipe. When mine started I was worried to death and it was constant for about a week or so. Within minutes of waking up it was there. During the course of the day I started fretting more and more and ended up on the verge of tears with it. In all I think I had it constantly for about a fortnight and now just get it now and again.

It was reading on here that it could be anxiety related that calmed it down funnily enough. Up to that point no-one could convince me it was anxiety. All I could imagine was an actual lump and therefore cancer.

If your doctor's felt your neck and can't feel anything, I'd take a lot of comfort from that. I know it's difficult to imagine them seeing down your throat but the dr would be able to feel something out of the ordinary if it was something more serious.

The other thing that makes me think your's is v likely to be anxiety is that you mentioned you can eat and drink fine and if anything it tends to be better. I think the thing that indicates something more serious is when you can't eat because your food sticks on the way down and something's physically blocking it. Found this out whilst googling myself into a terrified frenzy when I started with it.

I really do think it's anxiety related but you've done right seeing the Dr.

<div align="right">Originally posted by rb1978 - 09 December 2006 : 10:53:38</div id="right">
</td id="quote"></tr id="quote"></table id="quote">

Hi,

Thankyou for your reply, you have helped me feel a little better as I have been so low all day.

What's on my mind is, why do some doctors request for a camera to be put down their throats, is this because they feel lumps etc as my doctor did not mention anything to do with a camera.

Red

reddevil
09-12-06, 19:37
Hi all,

What I do not understand is, why have I never experianced this throat thing in the last five years as I have suffered with anxiety.

red

peach
10-12-06, 00:48
hi red,
i , like you have had heaps of anxiety on and off for years.. and have also never felt this lump thing b4..weird eh?
with regards to my doc...she defiantly said to me that she didnt feel any lump at all.. and did have a good look and feel of my throat..she did it twice actually...she said theres nothing there...she only suggested a camera for me, because she said if it continues to irritate me..then that would be the next step to take...
when i had a stomach infection at the start of this year..she also told me then it was nothing to worry about, but said if it keeps going, then again, she was going to put a camera..well, i dont need to say...but thank god, it didnt get that far..i healed within a month of seeing her..maybe her suggestions egg me on to heal myself..lol....
she is a very good doc- saved my step dads life! so i trust her....
ive also had a crap week...my lump got so sore..that i felt blood in the back of my throat one morn...well, you can imagine my response...but the taste was gone as soon as it came..and i realised..it makes sense..seeing as its been sore for days...today, the soreness has finally subsided...lump still there, but only minimal...i even made it to the gym!!!....and i think that made me feel a little better...
cross fingers eh!!!! im going back to doc this week..if it persists...
im not scared!
im not scared!

lol

reddevil
10-12-06, 09:42
Hi,

Before I left the doctors room I said should I go away and forget about it and if I still have it in two weeks, should i still not worry?

He said yes, just ignore it but I'm asking myself, should I go back and see him, say it is the dreaded C word, which I'm worrying about?

Red

lass
10-12-06, 11:07
Hi Red. I'm pretty sure your doctor knows you well now, and I think you had posted previously about trying not to keep going back to him. If he had any suspicions that your throat was anything at all serious, he would have reacted.

As someone else said, the fact that you are able to eat and drink is a good sign.

This is such a common symptom, loads of people on here get it. My husband even had it once, and he is the most un-anxious person I've ever met. He never believed in psycological symptoms before - I think maybe it was sent to him to help him understand what was to come with me! He's more sympathetic to my "illnesses" than he would have been before.

However, I do appreciate that you can't just "stop worrying" about your symptoms - because none of us can (that's why we're here!). Probably, if we could stop focusing on our symptoms, they would go away.

Is there anything you can do that totally distracts you from how you feel? Even if you can get 1/2 hour without thinking about it, it helps.

I really think you should hold off for as long as you can before going back to see your doctor, unless of course you have any changes to your symptoms. But if you have explained what they are to your doctor and he has said there's nothing wrong, please try to believe him.

By the way, did your doctor just say he couldn't find anything, or did he diagnose what it was (eg globus?). Sometimes I think we need an actual diagnosis rather than just being told there's nothing wrong!

I hope you are feeling better soon.

Caroline

reddevil
10-12-06, 11:47
Hi, your right, I think I will leave the doctors until the new year!

He does know me very well, he did say that people who suffer from health anxiety must struggle and i'm here to help.

I sat down and said I have a lump feeling in my throat (adams apple area) and that it could be anxiety related.

He said after looking in mouth that it was red, checked throat with hands and said no lumps or grows or signs of cancer and it most properly is a bit of globus.

Red

strawberrie
10-12-06, 12:22
hi red, i really think that if your doctor was at all worried he would have sent you off to have it checked. It is just so hard to accept what the doctor says sometimes (well, all the time really [}:)])

One technique ive read about that is helping me is to accept that i actually have a choice over whether or not to follow up on health issues. I have a symptom, my automatic thought is 'cancer', and then i feel like it's my mission to prove that its not cancer. I go to the doctor, he will say its not cancer (i won't accept this and pester him for a referral), i go to the hospital, they say its not cancer (i think, what if they didnt do the tests properly), i go back for more tests, again they tell me its not cancer (i think what if they missed something).

There is no way of proving i dont have cancer, but while i am trying to, i am wasting my life away worrying about test results etc. Instead i could accept that it is possible that the symptom is cancer (because anything is possible), but because i know its very very unlikely, i will choose not to do anything about it. I feel like this gives me a bit more power over my health anxiety because its all my choice.

I dont know if that would help you? I hope that makes sense [^].

mag