I have had this tightness for a week now. I finally believe it is my anxiety. When I close my eyes and concentrate on relaxing my throat, the feeling goes away. Also, when I take an ativan, it also goes away. So maybe now that I know it is anxiety, it might go away. Good luck to you

Thank's, im going to try more relaxing techniques and I will see where that takes it, has your throat ever closed and not been able to breath for a short while? Becasue last night my throat closed or something and I couldn't breath for a bit,
plz rply

My throat has never felt like it was closed, nor did I feel like I stopped breathing. But it does feel really tight. The feeling is like when you get choked up at a sad or happy occassion and your throat constricts. I suffer from anxiety, so I have ativan. I took one last night and the feeling went away. Maybe ask your doctor about it being stress or anxiety. You also know, the more you think about it the worse it gets. At least that is how it is with me

Hi, i've been having similar symptoms, and it also feels like a lump in my throat and i've been to four doctors and all four said that there is nothing wrong with my throat. I'm getting married in a couple of months and I honestly think it's stress and axiety. When I don't think about my throat i'm ok, the minute I think about it, it gets worse.

Hi to all of you....I too have suffered with throat tightness, lump in throat feeling for over two years now...I have had all kinds of tests and even had my tonsils out....I too believe that a lot of it is spasms of the esophagus, which in my case comes on from anxiety and spending too much time worrying about it...I too have panic attacks...I notice when I lie back flat that my throat does feel like it is about to close off. It is a scarey feeling and I know and understand all your anxieties over this...
Vicki

Hi there , I am hoping someone can relax my nerves about this . I have had a tightness in my throat for over a year now . I have had cbc tests done , seen 4 doctors , been to 2 er's , and even a throat specialists , and the best I can get out of them is the almighty stress theory . I know deep down inside I have stress . On the outside I try to make myself believe that there is something else wrong . It terrifies me that when I type in my symptoms online throat cancer , and aids seem to come up frequently . What I am in desperate need of is someone to explain to me what there symptoms were like !! I mean to the very detail . Cause mine are as follow . I feel ( even when I am sitting up ) like someone constantly has there hands around my throat . If I really concentrate on it I swear it almost seems like I can feel my throat swelling ( around the adams apple region ) its almost like a straining feeling . When I swallow it feels like I am trying to swallow totally dried food . I sometimes swear I can feel my pulses every beat in my throat without placing a finger on my throat . My throat specialists suggested two things !! Allergies , and acid reflux . It isnt allergies . I tried that medication for a few days , and if anything it felt worse . I am trying prevacid now for a trial run at acid reflux . I have terrible fear that it is something dreaded . I will admit that when I get worked up it feels worse from stress , but I just have a hard time believing that stress can be the lone cause . Just seems to dramatic to be just stress . Anyone have any of the same problems pleeeease contact me here , or even better by email. Thank you

Sugarshayne,
i have had this lump in the throat feeling for about 6 months now. I too thought it was either throat cancer or thyroid cancer. When I swallow it feels like there is a lump in my throat. I can't wear a turtleneck or scarf around my neck because it makes the feeling worse. Even a necklace or high neck t-shirt makes me feel like someones hands are around my neck trying to strangle me. Funny enough, it doesn't hurt when I am eating or drinking. When I eat my food goes down fine. If I press my finger on my throat it also feels worse. Also I don't feel it as much in the morning or when I am busy doing something. When I don't think about it I don't feel it. At night when I am laying in bed and my mind wanders, I start thinking about it more. At first I thought it was some kind of nut allergy or something. Went to see a throat specialist and he put a camera down there and said everything looked normal. He said I probably had acid reflux and gave me some pills. I didn't take them because I am afraid to take medication for fear of getting cancer later in life so I try to stay away from all meds. I really do think it is stress and anxiety even though I feel like I don't have any stress or nothing to be anxious about. But sub-consciously I am and you are too. If your doctor did all the neccessary tests and can't find anything it most likely is stress. Look at this link about lump in throat. It is called "cricopharyngeal spasm". These are my exact symptoms. Whenever I get into a panic about my throat feeling I read this and makes me feel better. Let me know if they are your symptoms too. Hope this helps....Keep us updated...



Voicedoctor.Net/therapy/cps.Html#cause

:roll: hi yall
i understand completely what you are going thru...I have struggled with this for two years now...No fun and very scarey at times..
I wrote directly to you sugarshayne since you included your email...
I hope we can all learn to relax and take life a little easier...Maybe our lumpy throats will get better!!! :lol:
take care......
Viki

Hi ya'll
i am so glad that I found this site!! I been having the same symptoms for about a year now and like sugarshayne76 wrote "everytime I typed symptoms in site for throat cancer pop up. It got to the point I didn't even wanted to look at any websites anymore out of fear that the worst might be true. I tried the relaxing technic and its true it feels better. If it would be cancer I dont think it would do that. Thanks so much to all of you.

I have to go in to surgery for hysterectomy on the 22 aug and after that I will go see a throat spec. Just to be 100% sure that there is nothing wrong. Since I be home for 6 weeks I will be on this site quiet often.

Take care,
mary
ps I am german so please forgive misspellings :)

I had a bad tight throat a week ago. I woke up in the middle of the night almost choking to death. I was choking on my own saliva it was sooo horrible. I was in bad pain too, it finally went away though thank god!!

Yes, I experience this too. I went to an ent, to be told evrything was ok, except my tonisls were 3 cms long and 2.8cms wide.. Huge. So they were taken out. No cancer was present).

Then it still continued.. I have tried to diagnose myself on numerous occasions ranging from candida, to allergies, to dislocated hyoid bone. Some things have worked, but it goes away when I relax the muscles with tiger balm (on the outside) or have some warm baths. There is a chinese medical condition called "plumstone throat" that can be helped with a patent medicine called "xiao yao wan" that can also help.

My symptoms were: feeling of constriction, sometimes a feeling that my windpipe has grown smaller, slight ear pain, feeling of things moving around in my throat, worse at night, after lots of food, especially when I go to bed. The symptoms will come and go for no apparent reason.. Except maybe underlying anxiety.

I sometimes feel like a total hypochondriac too. I think it is all part of the stress thing... Or it is allergies (i have always had them) combined with stress. This has been really useful to me.. Thanks.

I guess I am in a similar position. I am 37, male, ex smoker (4 years) and have had this feeling of constricted throat now for about 3 or four months. Exact symptoms vary but generally a feeling of constriction or pinching just below my adam's apple, tingling in my neck and chin (comes and goes) sometimes odd pains or pressures around the side of my neck also the odd sensation of a bubble of air escaping from a trapped position just beneath my skin around the lower neck region. Generally if I tip my head back I can "burp" and it is a great relief. Food goes down a treat and eases the situation as does relaxing. Another sporadioc symptom is the feeling that someone had poured small ice crystals in a ring around my mid-low neck - then when you bend your head in a certain way they rub up against the skin - which is sensitive. None of the pains are acute - just annoying.

I have been to the doctors three times (two locums and my own) first locum thought it was an infection as my inner ears were a bit red - but no antibiotics were given. Second locum thought thyroid problems but that has come back all clear. My own doctor thought there was little wrong but I have to go back next week if the sensation is still the same.

It is really very distressing - especially trying to get to sleep when you get that "can't breath" impression but in reality you can. I have never had any allergies but I understand you can get these things later in life anyway so I am open to that possibility

Hi, I have been searching for a few months now to find the answers I need to know. This is the first place though I have found anyone that seems to have my same anxiety over these problems that I am having. Some days I feel like something is in my throat and I need to clear it out but it never happens. Other days I think the problem went away because I feel nothing, and still there are also days that I feel like my neck is being kind of squeezed and is really tight (kind of like right now haha). All I see on the web is cancer sites and it really gets me worked up. But I dont cough anything up ever, I dont feel pain, I dont have any other symptoms like sneezing, runny nose, loss or sleep or appetite. No cough, no chills, no hoarseness, overly tired, or vomiting. So I dont have the flu, I cant have cancer. I have heard of tonsil stones from reading but other then that I cant figure it out. I was talking to a friend who is in school almost finished to be a doctor and he said since I quit the habit of smoking that I did for 3 years that my body creates extra mucus when you do smoke because you get dried out but when you quit your body keeps producing that. I dont think that makes my throat feel tight though. I too think I might also have acid reflux because I burp all the time and they are very acidic! I have a doctor appointment scheduled for next tuesday and I am freaking out. I think I may be just acting like a hypochondriac but who knows. What is anyone's opinion? :?:

Does the feeling go away when you are eating?

I suffered very mildly from some of the symptoms that you have all listed. I sometimes massage my throat or move the wind pipe from side to side to see if there is anything there - lump etc.

But this doesn't happen to me much anymore - if it does I have a drink or maybe a chewy or something light to eat. It is was never there when I ate. I think the best thing to do is remember that it is just anxiety and it will not hurt you! Deep breathing and concerntrating on other things is good.

Hope this helps.

Yes the sensation does ease when I am eating. I went to the doctor again yesterday and he has booked an appointment with an ent specialist (probably be a few weeks). Strangly as soon as I left the doctors most of the symptoms went away and stayed away all of last night. Today they are back in a very mild form - so I am hoping that their dissapearance continues (i'm still keeping the appointment though). The "lump in the throat" feeling had gone completely - though it is slightly back. The only change is that I have been taking some gaviscon (anti heartburn / indigestion syrup) for about a week. I don't know if it is related though.

Best regards

I am not sure what I did to make my tightness/lump in the throat dissapear. I think that I just started to believe that it was anxiety and nothing else!
I still get a dry mouth and a sticky throat, but when I feel the lump begining to come I try to do other stuff rather then sitting there waiting for it to get worse.

I have heard only good things about the linden method and ordered it a couple of weeks ago, delivery should be in 2 weeks - can't wait. I know that charles linden describes in his introduction to the method all the symptoms that I feel - including the lump in the throat. I am very much hoping that this will help me - and believe me if it does everyone will know about it!

It sounds like what most of you have is a condition called "globus hystericus." this is caused by anxiety, and it not harmful, just terribly annoying! I had it years ago, and it sometimes takes that long to go away. I used to flare up worse when it was cold, or when I was nervous about finances, and stressful things like that. It is not throat cancer, so don't fret! The less you think about it, the less you will notice it but it does take it's going away! You can check it out on the web and find out all about it. Good luck everyone!

Hello everyone,
my name is fran I am 28. I have suffered with this feelin 4 about a year now i,ve already had a camera up my nose 2 c down the back of my throat about 6 montha ago things r just gettin worse now so i'm going 2 have camera down throat next week doctors told me it was globas hystericas which basically means he thinks i'm a fruit. I've suffered with bulimia 4 about 7 year which was really bad at one point I would vomit maybe 6 times a day.So that has'nt helped matters I really feel 4 u all. I sometimes get it that bad I open my front door and stand there incase I die it sounds so dramatic but that's how it gets me. Worse if I am alone. I was on anti deppression which made me feel like I was going nuts.

I get that too only I think I do it on my own due to stress and anxiety. I purposely tighten my throat without even thinking about it. It started when I was taking diet pills from the doctor. Since I am off them, it has subsided and sometimes I find myself tightening my throat and so I then try to relax. It now comes and goes. Depends on the stress in my life. I am diagnosed with chronic anxiety anyway.