I appreciate this thread. I am having the
sensation of a lump in my throat, and
before I started reading your posts I was
imagining the worst. Sometimes I have a
discomfort in my esophagus that's farther
down, behind my breastbone, but usually
it's just below where my adam's apple
would be.
I also have digestive problems (food
allergies, irritable bowel and acid
reflux), a neck injury, and TMJ (jaw
problems) that affects tension in my neck.
It really feels to me like it's *all*
involved in the lump feeling.
I have a harder time swallowing liquids
than solids, and I sometimes have a
feeling that things I swallow are stuck or
are being pushed back up by pressure from
organs below.
More specifics: Dietary triggers are spicy
food, meals that are too large, or food
that makes me phlegmy. Another one is
carrying heavy bags on one shoulder for
too long, which throws my neck out. At one
point I had pain from swallowing that
radiated to a specific spot behind my
right shoulder blade. My chiropractor
adjusted my ribs and it went away.
I do feel like anxiety is a factory, like
the article said -- even when it's not the
primary cause. I'm so glad I found this
site. I will make a doctor's appointment,
and a massage appointment, but meanwhile I
will not worry that I am dying.
