View Full Version : Throat driving me mad, more so when doing stuff
Hi All,
Have been starting to feel less anxious since I started to withdraw from my anti depressants though all I still have on my mind is how nervous and "despirate" my throat feels, the more I think about it the more I feel like wretching and this only panics me more. How did I ever pick up this silly fear? It's been 3 months now and symptoms have changed from feeling like I've swallowed a pill when swallowing to feeling like someone is pinching me above my adams apple near my tonsils. I keep my teeth clenched and my tongue pushed hard against my mouth roof to prevent the feeling of wretching. I have had a good few days where I've managed to keep it relatively relaxed but only started to try and do a few menial tasks around the house and it's set it off again and I am sitting here typing with a racing heart.
I don't even begin to know how to "forget" about my throat and stop concentrating on something so trivial that feels so absolutely terrifying. Telling myself that my throat hasn't changed in 30 years and it was never like it before now somehow doesn't seem to help me :(.
Has anyone here ever had anything similar and managed to conquer it?
I'm pretty certain it's tied in with my fear of vomit as the end result of wretching is usually vomitting, I guess I've just created my ultimate fear (after a lot of stress at work). I live in hope but need a starting point.
Ideas anyone?
Regards,
Mark
Hi Mark
What you need to remember is that your throat will be okay and it is the anxiety. It could be related to the fact that you dont feel so anxious now how you did before but has reappeared in this way.
Keep telling yourself you are okay and you will be fine, you have done so well and you know you can get through this.
Love Sal xx
Dont mess up the best things in your life, just because at present you are unsure who you are.
Hi Mark
When I was at the height of my anxiety I used to clench my teeth and hold hold my jaw rigid for hours on end without realising until I started using a relaxation tape," Complete relaxation by Glenn Harold" which I purchased from Amazon and it made me a lot more aware of everything, once I started to relax it made me realize how tense I was and istarted becoming far more aware of my bodily functions.
Hope this helps
Take care
Elaine x
Hi Sal and Elaine,
Thank you so much for your support, I will head on over to amazon and see if I can get hold of the relaxation tape you mention Elaine.
I am having another one of the days where my throat is so tense, I can't bare to speak properly as I feel like I want to gag, I am very aware of the "dangly bit" in my throat when I'm speaking with the past months bout of anxiety. I wish I could cough it up and spit the damn thing out! :)
Mark x
Hi Mark, my throat thing started when I learn't how to control my breathing to avoid a panic attack, almost like an alternative panic attack.
It can be really scary and I agree that sometimes I almost become obsessed with thinking about it which does in turn make it worse.
I have written some flash cards using blank postcards, I copied this sites poitive thoughts onto each like "I know these feelings are uncomfortable but they will pass and I will be fine". When my throat is really bad I read these cards out aloud to myself (which works better than saying them in my head almost as if someone with more knowledge than I is saying it). After about three reads each I carry on with what I was doing and without fail within the next hour or so the throat subsides. It might be worth a try for you too?
I have also noticed that because I have been clenching my teeth (again without even noticing) that I get jaw hinge ache, especially first thing. I have to practise to get my mouth open wide. I believe this is called T.M.P.D.S and is another real effect of anxiety. I find a bit of guerning helps for this and the throat thingy, opening my jaw as wide as poss then pushing forward my lower jaw. Seems to stretch the muscles in teh throat and jaw and eases up the pressure a it.
Take care and hope it starts to feel better soon.
Angie
Will someone hint hint look out Pip tight throat thread please for Mark.
Angie TMJ - if youºre doing tis at night your denstist can make you a mouth guard which is really helpful. iF you are clenching alot it can lead to headaches and dizziness.
Try www.jawache.com
Meg
www.overcominganxiety.co.uk
You cannot conquer fear until you have learned what it is you're afraid of. The enemy is ignorance. Vivian Vance
Hi Angie,
Many thanks for your reply. You've pointed something out that I hadn't really considered before. You mention that your throat thing started when you'd learn't how to control your breathing to avoid panic. I've noticed since I've been concentrating on my throat, when anxiety does set in, rather than the initial reaction be my heart racing, it seems to head straight for my throat instead. As soon as this starts to feel "despirate" making me want to cup my hand around it to relieve the feeling, there seems to then be an overspill which then causes my heart to race. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I channel anxiety through my throat first rather than just getting anxious straight away. Thinking back, when I'd enter into anxious mode before trying to control it, my heart rate would increase THEN I would feel another symptom which would usually be nausea/stomach cramping.
On a more positive note, I had a friend over tonight and I actually cooked us something which I didn't think I'd be capable of doing. I managed to do that and only towards the end did I feel slightly uncomfortable thinking "am I going to be calm enough to have the appetite to eat this", my next thought was "yes you ARE, so what if your throat tightens or feels uncomfortable, so what if you wretch, stop thinking about it and EAT man!". I served up, we ate and I felt better for it! After he'd gone, my throat was spasming slightly and felt all nervy and twitchy but I just blanked the thought out and it has calmed down. So tonight has been a pretty big hurdle to clear and I think I it and only just clipped my big toe on the way over it :))).
I'm definitely going to do what you mention about the cards and shout out the positive phrases when things are a bit too scary for my minds comments to control!
Phew, sorry for the waffle but once again, many thanks for your post. You've certainly helped me become more aware of the condition I'm creating for myself and it's mechanism!
Mark
Hi again Mark
I saw a stress and panic therapist last week for the first time and it was his idea to do the cards. The other thing he suggested which takes a bit of practise but has been getting a lot easier and is REALLY working is to stop in their tracks any negative thoughts - say out loud NO not thinking this and think something positive instead. An example of this for me would be oh my throat feels...NO - the weather is lovely today and I am going out today what if an att...NO, what will I have for tea tonight.
It takes a while but my head is improving for not being allowed to think any negative thoughts. Positive thoughts are becoming more the norm.
I am seeing him today and aparantly he is going to hypnotise me whilst I am wearing a headset and microphone, he is going to lead me through my anxiety's and get me to positively inforce about them. The session is taped and I get to take the tape away to listen to over the next two weeks, as often as I can. This self positive reinforcement is supposed to be really powerful in helping someone get over anxiety and panic. I will keep you posted as to how good it is!!!!
Take care Mark - glad you enjoyed your meal.
Angie
nomorepanic
23-03-05, 19:15
<b id="quote">quote:</b id="quote"><table border="0" id="quote"><tr id="quote"><td class="quote" id="quote">Will someone hint hint look out Pip tight throat thread please for Mark.
Meg
www.overcominganxiety.co.uk
You cannot conquer fear until you have learned what it is you're afraid of. The enemy is ignorance. Vivian Vance
<div align="right">Originally posted by Meg - 22 March 2005 : 21:17:06</div id="right">
</td id="quote"></tr id="quote"></table id="quote">
Mark - I took the hint from Meg and here is the post she wanted you to read..
Hope it helps
MORE HORRID SYMPTOMS!!!! (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1957)
Nicola
Hi Angie,
That's great news about the therapist. I've been doing what you've mentioned and when I realise my jaw is clenched and I start to feel anxious I just shout "NO" open my mouth and let a nice deep breath of air in and carry on. I must admit, some days I just think "this is so hard to deal with and feel tired of having to put effort in just to feel ok". I've had this since the end of November last year and have come a long way since then. Sadly I seem to have arrived at a point where it doesn't seem to be getting any worse or any better for that matter. The absolute intense panic of it seems to have died off and left the niggling "hand around throat" feeling and that sticky metallic tasting syliva pretty much most of the time.
I'm really looking forward to hear how the hypnotherapy went! I'm at a point now where I need to do something more proactive to conquer this once and for all. I feel the longer that I'm dwelling on it, the more "burnt into my skull" it becomes.
On another note, this is the second day that I've been completely anti depressant free. I was put on something I'd taken a few years back for depression after a bad time in life and losing 2 grand parents together, it was brilliant for the depression and turned my life around, since then I haven't suffered from depression but the anxiety continues. When put on the drug this time (Cipramil), it just made the anxiety a LOT worse and hadn't settled down after 5 weeks so my GP told me to stop them for 2 days and start a new drug (Efexor). Ohhhhh what I mistake that has been :(. I know you have to give these things at least 4 weeks to have proper effect and settle down but after a week I started to withdraw myself, especially after reading of the withdrawal symptoms from them, I just felt so ill, something I never felt with the Cipramil even in the "kick in" period. Today I am sitting here feeling travel sick when I try and look at anything for too long and the light is really hurting my eyes. God help anyone who has been on a high dose for years as I was on a relatively theraputic dose and only for a week. I guess my seretonin levels were already changed from the 5 weeks of Cipramil so I bet it's a combined come down.
Annnyway, enough of my waffle!
Look forward to hearing from you,
Mark
Hi Nicola,
Thank you SO much for pointing me to that thread! The combined posts pretty much describe my symptoms EXACTLY! The only tiny difference with my symptoms are that I'm afraid of an end result, this being that my throat feels so choked that I wretch (which I have only done twice since November) and then vomit (which I haven't done from wretching and don't intend to!). I really didn't know that my phobia of vomit was a recognised phobia until about 6 months ago! Amazing!
This seems to be the only thing that I'm clinging on to. I am trying to tell myself that vomitting isn't the end of the world and my rational mind is agreeing. I keep having a wee slip now and again and work myself up but I'm still keeping a positive approach and that one day I'll conquer it! I mean..... even if you do wretch, it doesn't mean that a single wretch is going to cause you to vomit does it!
Many thanks,
Mark
nomorepanic
24-03-05, 19:27
Hi Mark
Glad it helped. People are rarely sick - I honestly can't remember the last time I was. You have to view it as a way of the body getting rid of any toxins so it is actually helping you. I know that probably doesn't help you much but I just wanted to let you know that most healthy people are rarely sick so try not to dwell on it too much.
I hope you can start to ratioanlise this soon and believe that you are fine.
Nicola
Hi Nicola,
Thank you for your supportive words! I'm not actually a very "sickly" person which is lucky. I think my fear is that I can actually put my self in risk of wretching which in turn puts me in risk of vomitting. The fear of losing control of my anxiety and getting to the stage that this may happens terrifies me. I then think "what if I carried on wretching and wretching until I couldn't breath". That's the irrational part of me though and I try to keep myself in check and not even go there!
The thought of vomitting as a way of the body releasing toxins is a really "soothing" way to look at it. Those words are a sight for my sore eyes!
Thanks again!
Mark
nomorepanic
24-03-05, 21:31
Mark
I can relate what you are saying to my situation in some ways. I have issues driving in traffic etc and I know that I will be fine but I still worry nonetheless.
When we are sick the body automatically opens up the throat to allow us to be sick so we won't choke etc. It is a natural reaction by the body and it will, believe it or not, take care that you don't choke.
We are only ever sick when we need to get rid of excess toxins. So, for example, after a night on the town drinking, the liver can't cope so we are sick to eject as much as we can from the body - toxins you see!
When you understand why we are sick it helps to understand it more and assures you that you won't just be sick at any time.
Nicola
Thanks for that Nicola, you've lodged that little glimmer of "well I guess that does make sense" in my mind. Especially seeing as I haven't thrown up for years even though, when I'm having a bad period I try and hold it back most days. I *think* things are getting easier, I've just got to brave going out again before I become agrophobic as well!
I'm on day 4 of withdrawal symptoms from efexor which isn't helping but I'm trying to keep a positive edge on things even though it isn't pleasant!
Regards,
Mark
hi Mark,
Hope you managed to get hold of that relaxation tape. It was one of those tapes that made me realise how much my anxiety was causing me to be tense. I used to have an issue with my throat as well. I was convinced that it hurt so much that there must be a lump growing inside it and that pretty soon I wouldn't be able to breath. (silly, I know). The tape helped me loads and I hope it does the same for you.
Sarah :D
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