Globus Hystericus Or A Throat Problem

[peach]

hi,


i have acid reflux and had very similar symptoms to you. acid reflux doesnt have to have heartburn with it, as i dont get heartburn.

doc gave me tabs for my throat 'lump' and soon after taking them, it went away...

[peach]

sorry, forgot to say also....it took about 4-5 weeks on the tablets for my throat to heal up.


and, i too occasionally start to choke, the weird thing is its not when im eating or drinking...its like i choke on my own phlem....


and then i cant breath properly for a few secs, till i try to calm, and slowly get my breathing back, brings tears to my eyes, and now makes me scared of choking, when i wasnt previously.....
i also feel sick lots of the time...docs always just say, 'yes, its possible for it to make you feel like that....'..ughhhh....

[yorkshireguy]

sorry, forgot to say also....it took about 4-5 weeks on the tablets for my throat to heal up.


and, i too occasionally start to choke, the weird thing is its not when im eating or drinking...its like i choke on my own phlem....


and then i cant breath properly for a few secs, till i try to calm, and slowly get my breathing back, brings tears to my eyes, and now makes me scared of choking, when i wasnt previously.....
i also feel sick lots of the time...docs always just say, 'yes, its possible for it to make you feel like that....'..ughhhh....

Hi Peach, Thanks for the advice.......................The thing is i am also fine eating and drinking most of the time, it's worse at night but like you sometimes i feel like i am choking on my own phelgm.

I took some Gaviscon tablets earlier and that didn't do anything, the thing is obviously my doctor probably thinks this symptoms is down to anxiety..........i disagree because it feels like something is there and i think it could be down to something else........it's a shame that my doctor won't investigate it further because if he thought i had reflux he could have given me something for it.

I don't get heartburn at all, i saw that you mentioned that you can get reflux without the heartburn, i'm not sure whether it is reflux.

Do you think i should keep taking Gaviscon tablets?........i don't want to keep taking them if i don't need to take them, i'm just wondering if i was suffering from acid reflux how long would these tablets take to get rid of it?

Personally it feels like there is constant phelgm/mucus stuck in my throat and it never goes away, it worries me because i don't know whether you can actually choke to death from acid reflux or choke to death on your own phelgm/mucus.

[sagey]

I'm very surprised the Doctor didn't examine your throat, did he even feel the glands in your neck? Is your nose always stuffed up so you breathe through your mouth when sleeping? I've read recently about mucous inducing foods - can't remember what they are, I think it was on a sinusitis site, anyway, some people can modify their diet to ease congestion so maybe you can look at this aspect if the doctor can't help further. Good luck.

[peach]

hi!


still sounds to me like it could be reflux.

like i said, i havent had any heartburn/indegestion etc either...

i hada choice how to fix my throat prob (which i still have mildly, but no 'lump' feeling anymore, just phlem, constant clearing throat)...

anyway, i said to my doc, could you prescribe me acid reflux meds, and ill try them, if they dont work, then ill go to a ent specialist and get the camera down the throat thingie....

so i took pariet daily for about 6 weeks till i really noticed the 'lump' disapeared...i kept taking the tablets for a few more months just to make sure, and have been off them now for a few months... so for me it worked..but it does take a little time for the symptoms to go away on the meds....just ask your oc for a script, if it does nothing for your symptoms after about 6 weeks, then ill recommend you see a ent specialist...

good luck, and let us know how you go with it....

if you see my really old posts on this, i was fretting like no tomorrow, scared it might be throat cancer...but im still alive...you will be fine im sure

[Horse]

Hi Yorshireguy.

Just thought I would comment on your unfortunate throat symptom.

Yes, I've been there, and to a certain extent, still am.

The lump in the throat feeling is very very real and convincing to say the least. Normally, the cause is due to a muscle or muscles tightening (due to nerves) in the throat area, be it left or right side or in the middle. This is most noticable during swallowing and although not really painfull, it is very annoying and somewhat alarming to the sufferer. The reason for the muscle restriction is invariably due to anxiety, stress or bad nerves, which basically are all the same thing. One of the most suseptable areas as far as sounding the 'alarm bells' are concerned when we are panicky, is the throat.

If you check out this website, and others that concentrate on helping people with anxiety, you will more than likely find a list of anxiety symptoms that will affect the sufferer. Let's look at these in detail.

1. Lump in the throat.
Caused by as stated above.

2. Difficulty in swallowing.
Again normally due to muscle tightness owing to anxiety.

3. Excess mucus or salliva.
Believed to be produced during times of stress and anxiety.

4. Dry mouth or throat.
Again, a symptom of anxiety. Either too much or too little saliva.

5. Feeling of choking or inablity to breath.
Again, due to muscle constriction owing to panic etc.

Don't forget also that whatever symptom will normally produce panic, because we are already anxious to begin with. Therefore our state of panic will tense our muscles even more and produce a more severe and very real sensation tenfold. Hense the reason for relaxation.

One thing you can do is say to your doctor that you would like a Barium Swallow Exam. This is where you swallow a Barium Meal while they take xrays of your throat to see if there is any obstruction. OK, it's not that great, but then it's not too bad either. It's similar to swallowing a very thick milk shake and normally tastes of banana. The process normally takes about 15 minutes. At least you will then know for sure what's going on rather than ponce about with getting nervous going to a doctor who even barely examins you. Don't forget, the doctor is there for our benefit and we have a right to proper health care.

I firmly believe that while you are panicking (like the rest of us) you are making yourself more aware of your symptom and therefore causing a catch 22 situation. If you can afford to, get one done privately. Enquire at a private hospital how much. If you can afford it, go for it. You will get seen much quicker and I bet, treated with a little more kindness.

Take care.

Kevin.

[yorkshireguy]

I'm very surprised the Doctor didn't examine your throat, did he even feel the glands in your neck? Is your nose always stuffed up so you breathe through your mouth when sleeping? I've read recently about mucous inducing foods - can't remember what they are, I think it was on a sinusitis site, anyway, some people can modify their diet to ease congestion so maybe you can look at this aspect if the doctor can't help further. Good luck.

I was hoping that the doctor would examine my throat but they didn't..........my glands feel ok, my nose is not stuffed up.

My main concern is whether you can actually choke on acid/mucus/phelgm and die?

[yorkshireguy]

Hi Yorshireguy.

Just thought I would comment on your unfortunate throat symptom.

Yes, I've been there, and to a certain extent, still am.

The lump in the throat feeling is very very real and convincing to say the least. Normally, the cause is due to a muscle or muscles tightening (due to nerves) in the throat area, be it left or right side or in the middle. This is most noticable during swallowing and although not really painfull, it is very annoying and somewhat alarming to the sufferer. The reason for the muscle restriction is invariably due to anxiety, stress or bad nerves, which basically are all the same thing. One of the most suseptable areas as far as sounding the 'alarm bells' are concerned when we are panicky, is the throat.

If you check out this website, and others that concentrate on helping people with anxiety, you will more than likely find a list of anxiety symptoms that will affect the sufferer. Let's look at these in detail.

1. Lump in the throat.
Caused by as stated above.

2. Difficulty in swallowing.
Again normally due to muscle tightness owing to anxiety.

3. Excess mucus or salliva.
Believed to be produced during times of stress and anxiety.

4. Dry mouth or throat.
Again, a symptom of anxiety. Either too much or too little saliva.

5. Feeling of choking or inablity to breath.
Again, due to muscle constriction owing to panic etc.

Don't forget also that whatever symptom will normally produce panic, because we are already anxious to begin with. Therefore our state of panic will tense our muscles even more and produce a more severe and very real sensation tenfold. Hense the reason for relaxation.

One thing you can do is say to your doctor that you would like a Barium Swallow Exam. This is where you swallow a Barium Meal while they take xrays of your throat to see if there is any obstruction. OK, it's not that great, but then it's not too bad either. It's similar to swallowing a very thick milk shake and normally tastes of banana. The process normally takes about 15 minutes. At least you will then know for sure what's going on rather than ponce about with getting nervous going to a doctor who even barely examins you. Don't forget, the doctor is there for our benefit and we have a right to proper health care.

I firmly believe that while you are panicking (like the rest of us) you are making yourself more aware of your symptom and therefore causing a catch 22 situation. If you can afford to, get one done privately. Enquire at a private hospital how much. If you can afford it, go for it. You will get seen much quicker and I bet, treated with a little more kindness.

Take care.

Kevin.

Hi Kevin..............This is how my throat symptoms are, basically it feels like something is there all the time, i have to keep clearing my throat alot, it relly feels like there is a load of mucus or phelgm or something there, it's always there from the moment i wake up until i go to bed.

It's so frustrating...............it's worrying me as well thinking that at any moment i could choke to death.......I can swallow food and drink ok, however sometimes when i'm not eating or drinking i feel like something has come up the throat and it makes me choke but i clear it after a few seconds with abit of difficulty.

My throat also gets sore quite a bit................also i don't know if this throat problem is causing my stomach problems, the thing is i am getting stomach ache alot of the time and i feel sick quite alot of the time as well so i'm not sure if the throat thing is causing these symptoms as well or whether the stomach thing and feeling sick alot of the time is something seperate.

It's sooooo annoying, it makes me feel like.............................................. ..................... aaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

It's uncomfortable and i don't get any relief from it at all, i don't know whether it could be down to anxiety or something serious............I guess one of my main worries is whether i could choke to death or whether anything serious could happen with it to put my life in danger?

[joy]

why didnt you insist the GP examined you or referred you to a specialist??

Joy

[yorkshireguy]

why didnt you insist the GP examined you or referred you to a specialist??

Joy

I think the doctor just presumed that this throat situation is down to anxiety......hence them not doing any examination or referring me to a specialist, even if i had requested a referral i think that the doctor probably would have refused, so what can i do? i've got no choice put to put up with it and it is worrying me.