Help me throat tightness and neck stiffness and head pressure.

[hamesh]

I feel like i'm dying right now, my throat feels like it about to close up on me and i have this weird feeling in my head. I'm 17 and my current worries are, that i have throat cancer that's causing the headache or a brain tumor that causing the throat tightness(I know it sounds ridiculous). I have done well to avoid googling the symptoms but it's really hard sometimes, i just want the pain and discomfort to stop.

These symptoms started when my anxiety was probably at it's lowest for weeks and i wasn't really worrying about any illnesses. I hadn't eaten for 6 hours(drank tons of water though) and was working out, when i noticed that i was beginning to feel shaky and lightheaded. This drove me into panic mode and since then my neck has been stiff on and off and it is accompanied by weird headaches(sometimes scalp aches).

Feeling physical symptoms drive me crazy and i don't know how to get it to stop, i just can't stop thinking about them and the illnesses that might cause them.

Finally, can you feel anxiety symptoms when you're not really worrying?

[smit]

Hi, I feel for you I really do . These symptoms plauged me for a long time. They are definatly just anxiety and the best way to stop them annoying you is to tell yourself that they are not harmfull and that its uncomfortable, but not a problem. When it got real bad (like when I was trying to go to sleep) I would do things like count backwards from 10,000 to stop myelf concentrating on it, failing that I'd eat an ice lolly and try and count letters in a magazine or something. Anything to take my mind off it. Distraction was the key for me, maybe it will help for you?


~ oh and in answer to your question I feel them even when I'm relaxed sometimes , so yes you can

[hamesh]

Smit thanks you alot, that made me feel a bit better.

[Anxious_gal]

Try a wheat bag, put in the microwave but after ever few uses put a glass of water in with it so it doesn't dry up, then put the wheat bag around your neck.

I sometimes wear a scarf and blame the tight sensation on the scarf.
I guess it's a mind trick lol
I so the same when my head feels tight I wear a hat : )

[hamesh]

Now i'm getting the feeling that something's in the back of my throat like i swallowed a whole grape or something and it's stuck in my throat. If this keeps up i might have a full blown panic attack tonight.

[Nikkii28]

Hey.
Sorry to hear you feel so bad, its really an awful feeling to think your dying of something terminal. Basically Ive been told I have inner ear issues and it causes me to feel off balance. Feeling light headed or dizzy is scary and will cause anxiety. When we get scared we tense our muscles and that causes neck/shoulder aches and pains. A few monthes ago I had a stiff neck and heat up the back of my head and face etc, with tingling.
I convinced myself it was some sort of tumour and then panicked more and my head got worse. When i went to the docs she examined me and said it was most definitly not a tumour and when your neck/shoulders are tense that it can cause heat and weird sensations in your head. She suggested I use heat and ibuprofen to let the muscles in my neck relax.
have you tried one of those hot wheat bags on your neck, they do help and are quite relaxing. When muscles tighten they press on nerves and this in turn can cause heat on the scalp.
I have worries about tumours etc but im learning slowly that if you had a tumour, you would get bad headaches and sickness as well as blurry vision. basically we wouldnt have to be on here because we would know something was very wrong and so would the doctors.

feel better soon and im here if you need a chat, as we all are

[neptune296]

Hi! I know what you're going through its really hard to stop worrying when you actually have physical symptoms. Especially ones that cause a lot of discomfort.

A lot of your symptoms could be just from anxiety. Anxiety can cause many powerful and distressing symptoms.

As for your sore throat and irritation it sounds a lot like it could be acid reflux. Especially since you state it started the day you didn't eat much and drank lots of water. This is the worst thing you could do for acid reflux.

Acid reflux is a harmless condition that most of us experience when acid from the stomach splashes up into the esophagus. Its worsened by anxiety and if chronic this can cause severe irritation of the throat and if you look up the symptoms, it can even cause the feeling that something is stuck in your throat. Just a guess but if its not a cold or flu maybe its acid reflux, try taking a tum or two and eat some bread when you're feeling this. If it helps you probably are suffering from acid reflux.

Google "Acid Reflux Mayo Clinic" and check out the symptoms. I find that in my case for most problems knowledge is power and knowledge is comforting knowing what you might be experiencing and knowing its harmless will help a lot.

Feel better soon! You have nothing to worry about!

[hamesh]

I find that when I'm not to myself worrying about what my sickness might be, and around friends and family my symptoms are a lot less intense.

[Jules147]

The neck stiffness is the giveaway here and is causing the headache. Thev throat tightness is another symptom of the same thing - fight or flight response.

Your neck gets stiff to protect your spine where it is most vulnerable in the face of a predator. Have you ever seen a lion catch a zebra on a wildlife programme?

Note how the lion goes for the neck and takes the zebra down.

With this knowledge you should hopefully realise that you are caught in a vicious cycle - the fight/flight response is kicking in in response to itself. The cycle is broken when you realise that it is not in itself a threat or a sign of underlying illness. It is simply a normal, natural survival mechanism that has got out of control. You regain the control over it when you cease to fear it.

[STEPHYUNO]

I agree with many others on here man! I know it can feel so real and overpowering at the time, beleive me, I've been there and still have my moments, but now I just take a few deep breaths( in throuh the nose, hold for few seconds and out through the mouth) let the thoughts slide by and smile at them.

I beleive as someone else suggested anxiety is linked to fight or flight, as we don't need the response as much in modern society, it can become pent up and come out in such ways as you describe. The anxiety then picks on what it knows are your worst fears.

It is then just a natural, primative chemical reaction that you can overcome just by knowing that and developing some other coping strategies.

All the best, Steph