Tight Throat (Page 13)

wow -this site has made me feel so much better. i suffer from a lump sensation in my throat at random times during the year that can last days,weeks or months. At first i wasnt sure what caused the sensation but noticed it appeared when i was apprehensive about something or distressed in some way. I, like most of you was terrified by sll the throat cancer info that appeared when i typed in my symptoms online however i have suffered with this sensation on and off for over five years and im not dead so its not cancer.
what we have all describe is very similar and guaranteed that it is caused by anxiety. the worst part is the sensation feeds on its self, ie you get the feeling from stress however the feeling makes yuo stressed so the feeling gets worse!!

the best thing we can do is chill out and try not to imagine all the horrible things we think might happen cause they wont!!

Noone ever died of just a panic attack...
good luck to everyone -take it easy and enjoy life

xxxx

Thank God I found this site, I too have had all the symptoms that everyone is talking about, all the fears as well, I have had this problem for about six weeks now, I have been to the doctors, naturopath, chinese medicine with no real relief, I am going to see a naturopathic medical doctor tomorrow until reading the entries on this site, I was convinced I must have some cancerous growth in my throat slowly closing it off, I feel a bit better now, I still need to have some medical evidence that there is no growth there for my mind to be completely at rest, this is a real challenge for me because I get so anxious about any type of intrusive diagnostic procedures, so the doctor will have their work cut out for finding a procedure i feel comfortable with.
Thank you everyone for sharing, it makes me feel more normal and not like a real freak alone in the world.

xxx

So to make a LONG story short...I have been to every heart doctor and had EVERY test one can have (EKG,Echo, Halter, Xrays, full bloodwork) due to chest pains I was having. Figured out it is most likely a combination of pretty bad GERD and a neck injury that has radiated pain down my left side. Yet still after all this, I'm not 100% convinced that I am totally fine though 4 doctors have sworn it to me.

Anyways to the point...Lately I have been experiencing shortness of breath randomly and when I exert force or exercise my throat gets super tight and its hard to swallow. I try not to panic during it, but it is no fun to have this sensation. As soon as I get off the machine or stop exerting force, it stops.

I am 27, VERY healthy, LOW cholesterol, smoke socially here and there a while ago, VERY fit and all my blood work came back perfectly.

Am I having hidden anxiety that creeps in especially when I am at the gym because the idea of the gym freaks me out about my heart?

Hmmmmm

?????

how in the world do i deal with this i have had an anxiety disorder and having panic attacks with heart beating so fast i feel like im going to die then now for 4 days
with my neck feels like a vice grip on it im allergic to nuts and eat something with peanuts in it 4 days ago took so much benidril
went to ER only to send me home they say i was having and antiflatic reaction ok how long does this crap last its 4 days after and i feel so dam strssed now so is it my panic attacks or is my neck seriously messed up from breaking my neck as a child so i have read everybody ad thats for letting me read im just at a lost for whats wrong with me i feel like im going crazy

Hi everyone, I have also started experiencing this tightening of the outside of my throat about 2 months ago. It's just a severe tightening feeling in the front of my entire throat, like it's turning into hard clay? I also have a hard time swallowing when this happens. It just comes and goes, I never know when it will start. I have been under extreme pressure, stress, and anxiety in my life for the past 2 years, and even more over the last 8 months. I can understand what all of you are talking about. I don't think the Doc's understand it and how we feel from the tightening and the emotional upset is causes on top of everything else. I do have Zanax which relaxes me for anxiety, but it's just a bandaid for the moment. I also listen to ocean tapes at night when I go to sleep. For those of you with breathing problems at night, or fear of not being able to breathe, try the breathe strips for the nose, they totally work and open up your nostril passages. Good luck everyone.. let's all try to relax..

hi guys, I can so relate and sorry to say that Im so glad that Im not alone. It is definatly a freakish feeling! Im wondering something...some of us seem to have Ashtma or Allergies in common with this problem (as well as anxiety issues!) , so Im wondering if it could be a side effect of long time steriod/inhaler use or if it is a side effect from the new powder inhalers. I didnt have this problem unil I started taking the powder form of inhaler, what do you guys think?

I just read the side effects on my serevent meds, they do include throat irritation. I know that we feel like it is more than just irritation, but it would explain why alot of us ashtma and allergy people have this problem if we are using this same meds. By the way dont you just HATE it when you tell your doctor or an emerg dr about your symtoms and they AUTOMATICALLY think it is our anxiety talking, just because we have anxiety doesnt mean we cant possiably have REAl medical issues, its like insulting our intelligence.

I deal with the same issue when I am holding onto unexpressed feelings. Take some time to figure out what things you need to say that you aren't saying.

i suffer with the same thing i went to see my doc he said my throat looked fine and i got anxiety i get it bad sometimes i cnt controll it i go sleep i then its like somats up or if i think before i go sleep i jump in my sleep and get hot flushes rushing up me and the room goes funny for abit the it takes me abit to calm my self down how can i stop these from happening any ideas of things to do or take

Wow, I didn't know there were so many people out there that have the same problem as me. I'm getting a little teary reading all of these posts because they sound so familiar! I have anxiety and I get the lump in the throat/swollen throat sensation when I have a panic attack, which is usually at night. Restaurants and movie theaters trigger it too. It has got to be the worst symptom of anxiety. I actually ENVY the people who just get stricken with fear and sweaty palms for 30 minutes!

What gets me really worried is my family history. My dad has asthma and GERD and takes meds for both. His throat closed off one day because his throat was so irritated from the acid. He had to be rushed to the ER. He's also had asthma attacks in front of me. It makes me wonder if I inherited both diseases and that is what's causing my throat symptoms. I have to keep reminding myself that it hasn't killed me and it won't kill me this time. I'm 80% sure that its nothing but all in my head.

My throat also feels like its closing had this now for about 7 years relaxation techniques seems to help sometimes when its not so bad. What triggered this to become so much worse for me was a episode from csi where a persons throat closes completely. *** this will not happen *** i have suffered from this for years been taken to hospital in ambulances many times only for them to tell me there's nothing wrong apart from anxiety.

About a year ago I stated getting wierd symptoms in my right leg and my back. I freaked out, because these sensations were so foreign to me and over the next few months I bullied my doctors into giving me all sorts of tests � first I feared cancer, then I started thinking neurological disorders. I was in a constant state of panic from august to october and developed all kinds of symptoms. Chest cramps, leg chills, breathing issues, muscle twitches, you name it. It took two GPs and two neurologists to convince me that my problem was anxiety and nothing else.

Then, just when I was starting to get better the problems with mu mouth and throat started. At fist my jaw felt unnaturally overworked and almost went into a cramp. Then my trhoat started closing up to the point where I almost couldn't talk. Now it's six months later and the problems remain. Sometimes it's the jaw and the neck, sometimes it's the throat closing up, sometimes it's the speech that feels obstructed. Very seldom it's nothing. My anxiety is not what it used to be, but It's hard to not get scared when you feel you cannot talk. Anybody else having speech problems because of this?

Okay - read a lot of these posts and it sounds like we just have some anxiety manifesting into a physical symptom (namely the throat). I know what the common sense Dr. would order.....

Let's all start relaxing ASAP. Take a snoozer or read a novel in a hammock, swim in the ocean, eat fresh healthy food, drink plenty of nice water, etc. Before we know it, that lump in our throats will have cleared out. Capiche? (sp?)

Also, I've heard that volunteering or charity work will help keep the mind from too much inward thinking. So let's chip in just a bit for those less fortunate.

I also have these bubbly feelings in my throat and all the way down to my sternum (the bone between the breasts). I feel like I can't breathe esp when lying down. It is awful. I was getting it every now and then and now it is almost all the time. The Doc just gave me xanax as I had been on that for 20 yrs and then I couldn't get it as I moved to another state. Taking it again but I am very anxious and going thru an awful marriage. Was also told to do Yoga as Yoga relaxes the blood vessels. That Hmmmmm repetetive thing is what relaxes them. Good to know. I'm so glad I found this site.

Hello to all you other "tight-throats";

This may come a little late for many of you, but I've been a "tight throat" sufferer for 2 years now. I've had the tests done and have been told I had everything from acid reflux, throat cancer, saliva gland infection, you name it. It first came to me at work; then I noticed it while driving in traffic, and then during my workouts. I couldn't understand what was going on.
I'm sure you've noticed the common denominator amongst the majority of the posts here: the "stress" or "anxiety" factor. That was my gut feeling 2 years ago, and still today I believe this is the key. Only now am I discovering that 2 years ago I was in the early stages of adrenal fatigue when the "tight throat" first appeared on the scene (and also hypothyroidism). I wish back then I had known the havoc stress and anxiety wreak on the human body--specifically the endocrine system. You can be certain if your "stress glands" are working too hard keeping up with your anxieties, the other glands in your body are being taxed too (hence my thyroid gland going crazy). BE PROACTIVE about locating and dealing with the sources of stress in your life. If this has gone on for a while, there's a possibility your stress has damaged your adrenal glands (two glands that sit above your kidneys). I'm not a doctor, but over the past couple of years I've done a TON of reading and I've come to learn how my body reacts to stress (whether active or residual) and I'm discovering it is related to the amount of cortisol ("stress" horomone) being produced by your adrenals. Question is, are you getting too much/too little cortisol?
A simple, "at home", inexpensive saliva test is the best way to determine if you are suffereing from adrenal fatigue. You don't have to go anywhere--the results are mailed to you.
Better yet, get them to check all your glands in the test.
If your adrenals are suffering, this can be an extremely beneficial aid: first thing when you get out of bed, take 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of HIMALAYAN salt (NOT sea salt) dissolved in a glass of warm water. This "wakes up" your cortisol and you should feel more energy. (I do it every day.)
Again, I am not a doctor. But I do know that my body's ability in dealing with stress has been impaired (in fact, if I think about it, I can even bring on the "tight throat" sensation) and if this information helps anyone, then I'm happy.
You might think I'm crazy to be saying this, but I'm glad that the "tight throat" showed up in my life. I can't be certain, but I think God may have allowed it to show me the harm I was doing to myself worrying about things that were beyond my control. Try to view it as a warning flag in your life and be prepared to make some changes.
The "tight throat" has been showing up less and less, by the way. It still comes around sometimes, especially when I'm not sleeping well or my digetion gets out of whack. But not so much anymore, as I have been really proactive about healing my glands, balancing my horomones, taking quality supplements, sticking to a good sleep schedule, not over-doing my workouts, and removing/dealing with the sources of anxiety in my life.

Hi people I have too had these symptoms but I know a lot about this condition I had it very bad I found it hard going out of the door sometimes its still hard and my throat is tight but I dont give in you should take some water it really helps when your mouth is dry and your throat is tight water does something to the muscle so the tightness goes away but you should always remember that it goes away if your out and get problems it will go after a few minutes or try something physical if you would like to chat then leave an email address or something it can help at first i started going out with my coat fastened to the top and a big wooly hat. I will help if I can. I have never taken any pills

hello all, i have been feeling like i'm being choke for a week now, at frist i thought that i was getting strip throat but it doesn't hurt it just feels really tight my chest hurts a little sometimes, today i realized that maybe it could be anxiety i noticed that when i woke up this morning i was fine but as soon as i got to work and was rushing to get things done my chest was feeling heavey and my throat felt tight again...i am really gald i found this site it actually made me feel better..

Hello everyone, I m going to tell you how to make this problem much better with something very simple.
Get some bubble gum (it must be bubble gum like bubbaloo) start chewing be sure the gum goes to the back of the mouth right behind the mandibular molar where the soft tissue is located, and under the tongue as well. Symptoms will get better after an hour of chewing you can keep at it after gum has lost its flavor as the hard consistency is better for our purposes.
You can also massage your jaw bone underneath your tongue either from the outside or inside with your index finger (wash hands) in general explore tender areas inside your mouth, I find the ligaments on the back of mouth when I stick my tongue out to be tender when I get this sensation. Make sure you have a pillow that supports your neck when sleeping. Place a pillow underneath you lower back when spending time in front of the computer for extended periods.
Read Alan Watts out of your mind series to get a better perspective on life.
Do not worry as you are on your way to get better.
I wish you all the best.

One small question on this, is intense never ending thirst Included in this or not?

Intense thirst could be a symptom of diabetes,check with your doctor.
I forgot to mention that massaging your neck with cream grabbing your neck with your thumb and index finger and stroking the muscles up and down with little pressure also helps to reduce the feeling of tightness and make sure to take foods with vitamin B12(soy milk)as it has a key role in the normal functioning of the brain and nervous system. Make sure to spend time outside the house focusing your vision in very small details (could be a leaf insect or any other natural object under natural sun light)to feed your senses with true high definition objects and also to increase serotonin production in your brain.
I m sure all of you will get better.