Mark-
18-12-08, 12:57
For the last year or so, I've been suffering from quite acute nervous swallowing, which is also obsessive.
The problem first started last year, I was at home sick, and out of nowhere I somehow focused on my swallowing. I couldn't stop swallowing and in the end resorted to spitting out the excess saliva into the sink. However, when I returned to school, I would usually forget about the problem as I was focused on other things. However, a few more sick days later, and the problem started to creep into my mind at school, nevertheless, it still rarely affected me at school, and at all.
Then, this year, I started at senior school in year 10. And unfortunately the obsessive swallowing problem worked its way into a nervous swallowing problem. It can best be described that I was nervous, so I thought "what if they notice me swallowing" and the obsessive problem quickly transformed into a nervous problem too.
At first, I think I was just nervous, but when I started in my Year 11 Jap class, I was extremely nervous, and it began the nervous swallowing.
The problem has been so bad all year that I never got to know anyone in my year 11 class, and it has stopped me from talking to most people.
For example, whenever I had to read to the class, or do a presenation, or talk to anyone other than good friends, it could result in 2 possible ways.
1. I look off to the side, or as casually I can swallow repeatedly.
2. I try to talk in an uninterrupted block and eventually my throat would feel as if it had to swallow, and my throat would involuntarily make a swallowing motion, forcing me to abruptly stop talking in a very weird pitch as I involuntarily swallowed.
This has been happening for the past year. At home by myself, I often obsessively swallow as well, and unless I forget about it, it is very hard to stop. I usually swallow about every 45 seconds to a minute on a swallowing routine, sometimes less often. Even when I am alone, just talking to myself usually still makes me swallow. When I try to stop swallowing, the saliva just pools in my mouth and I eventually have to swallow or spit it into the sink. I have no swallowing problems in my sleep.
I am going to Japan in 12 days, for a 3 and a half week exchange, staying with a host family. I know that if I don't tackle this problem before I leave then there's no way I'll be able to talk with all the people that I want to while I'm over there, and I'll have a very average trip.
Any suggestions as to how to combat this problem would be greatly appreciated.
The problem first started last year, I was at home sick, and out of nowhere I somehow focused on my swallowing. I couldn't stop swallowing and in the end resorted to spitting out the excess saliva into the sink. However, when I returned to school, I would usually forget about the problem as I was focused on other things. However, a few more sick days later, and the problem started to creep into my mind at school, nevertheless, it still rarely affected me at school, and at all.
Then, this year, I started at senior school in year 10. And unfortunately the obsessive swallowing problem worked its way into a nervous swallowing problem. It can best be described that I was nervous, so I thought "what if they notice me swallowing" and the obsessive problem quickly transformed into a nervous problem too.
At first, I think I was just nervous, but when I started in my Year 11 Jap class, I was extremely nervous, and it began the nervous swallowing.
The problem has been so bad all year that I never got to know anyone in my year 11 class, and it has stopped me from talking to most people.
For example, whenever I had to read to the class, or do a presenation, or talk to anyone other than good friends, it could result in 2 possible ways.
1. I look off to the side, or as casually I can swallow repeatedly.
2. I try to talk in an uninterrupted block and eventually my throat would feel as if it had to swallow, and my throat would involuntarily make a swallowing motion, forcing me to abruptly stop talking in a very weird pitch as I involuntarily swallowed.
This has been happening for the past year. At home by myself, I often obsessively swallow as well, and unless I forget about it, it is very hard to stop. I usually swallow about every 45 seconds to a minute on a swallowing routine, sometimes less often. Even when I am alone, just talking to myself usually still makes me swallow. When I try to stop swallowing, the saliva just pools in my mouth and I eventually have to swallow or spit it into the sink. I have no swallowing problems in my sleep.
I am going to Japan in 12 days, for a 3 and a half week exchange, staying with a host family. I know that if I don't tackle this problem before I leave then there's no way I'll be able to talk with all the people that I want to while I'm over there, and I'll have a very average trip.
Any suggestions as to how to combat this problem would be greatly appreciated.