I feel as if i'm going out of my mind. Is it a normal part of panic/anxiety disorder to not be able to eat? I have had such difficulty swallowing as i feel i'm going to choke on everything i eat. I feel a tight lump sensation in my throat at all times. It even feels as if i could swallow my own tongue sometimes, even though i know this is not possible. Is anyone else experiencing this?
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globus hystericus?
3/29/07 5:31pm
I have had similar symptoms, with no medical explanation. Currently being treated with traditional chinese medicine (TCM) as diagnoised, plum stone throat.
10/27/08 12:18pm
hi im 20 years old female and I have had a really bad two years of it i got panic attacks last year around april,wore too high of a nicotine patch and took a tab wit caffine in it when trying to give up smoking and brought on feeling of panic and ever since i got them. then last december i got a mouthguard for grinding my teeth because of stress....as usually took docs ages to diagnose my tmj. i spent my 20th birthday in a and e because was too sore to chew..pain in ear! i was made a mouth guard to wear at night to stop the pain but i got a bad sore scratchy throat from wearing it. went to doc....gave me anti biotics....went to a and e wit it said was viral....went back again said it was acid reflux.....not knowing what was causing my really bad sore throat must of made me nervous. would only eat yoghurt because was told it was thrush from the mouthguard.went to town one day to go to shop when i got into the car...not thinking about much.i got this lump in my throat...scared the life out of me.convinced myself i could not breathe....i later fell asleep exhausted from my panic attacks. over the next month and a bit i tried eating and could not swallow anything would get stuck etc....lump constantly there. caused loads of panic attacks...back and forwards too a and e convinced myself my throat was closing over thought I was allergic to something...would only eat cereal then became so bad couldnt swallow it. i lost a stone and a half. i went too ent one day and they put a camera up my nose and down my throat and when he got to the bottom of my throat and asked me to swallow i was in so much pain my muscle which i no now closed in on it as i did. it was so thin too. he was the only nice doc too me. all the rest were nasty and thought i was nuts or looking attention. even my own family and boyfriend started to doubt me,which was very upsetting. but that day in ent that doc finally said something named the muscle in my throat and told my that it was very tight and he didnt no why. my mum was so angry though as they wouldn't keep me in for test, i was wasnt away to nothing...surviving on a bit of custard and water a day. my blood pressure was starting to drop a bit to...had to drink sugar water too keep my blood sugar up. i then had to pay private for a barium swallow as they wouldnt keep me in to do it. It came back normal, i went to see my gp and she said it was too do with anxiety gave me tabs but i wouldnt take them im determined to beat this myself not through drugs that i might become dependent on. So 8months on i still have it...some days are worse than others....i just dont panic about it any more because i no what it is...i would get nervous eating foods i havent eating since it happens cause i fear im allergric too something. im going to cbt....cognitive behavioral theraphy which has helped alot.
a few tips i have are...try and keep your mind occupied, try not to think about it...watch t.v....read a paper while eating...takes your mind of the lump...drink plenty of water...when u swallow and feel scared cause its tight take a drink of water you will soon realise that your throats ok just the glob playing up. I hope some day it will go away. im going to take up yoga to see if i can decrease my anxiety levels and stress. im so glad i came across this.......i just wish doctors knew more about this so that when someone goes to them with this problem they can explain it and prove to them thats what they have, many ones i was going to i was getting all different diagnosis.
good luck to everyone and i hope you all well feel better and reasured....thats all i needed was reasurance and was never gave it and made me more anxious....
5/30/09 6:35pm
Hi there, I am a 32 year old femal who just finished reading this and cannot believe what I am reading. I to went through EXACTLY what you are going through and my heart goes out to you! This happened to me approx. four years ago. It was by far the worst experience of my life. I feel for you because I know what it's like to feel like that but not to be able to get treatment for it. I had a one year old and a five year old at the time and thought that every day was my last. Doctors were unsure, test after test and it just went on and on. My final appointment with an ENT told me that my throat muscles were tight and stuck almost closed. This apparently was caused from severe acid reflux. I was put on pantaloc and it took five months before I started to feel better. My episode lasted for almost eight months. There were times for a bit where I would start to feel it in my throat and than it would go away. I can now say that it is gone completely! Once when I was camping I got that almost same sensation and it was becuase i was allergice to the poplar burning on the fire but some reactine cured that. I thought there was no one else out there who felt this. Good luck and I hope it goes away for you to. Keep strong and remember....you are not crazy!!!! ( I was told many a times it was anxiety and depression but refused to listen) If I could be of any help, let me know!!!!!
6/21/09 8:54am
hi there, i also cannot believe what i'm reading. I have been going thru the same symptoms for the last 4 1/2 months and im ready to give up. They found that i have a hiatal hernia and that it was probably caused by acid reflux but they are not sure because by the time i saw the gastro i had been on medication for 3 weeks, so the endoscopy was normal. I also went thru 2 weeks of nt being able to swallow anything not even saliva, i lost 20 lbs, now the opposit has happened the only releif i get is from swallow solids, liquids still allow me to feel the throat spasm, i am thinking of trying acupuncture and chinese medicine, i don't know what else to do, i was also thinking of trying hystetrax and that's how i found this site.
good luck to you all, and thank god there are places like this where we can all vent.
MARY
8/ 5/09 10:54am
Hello,
I have been experiencing the same symptoms for about 4 years. Its is worse in the evenings but other than that it is constant. I dont have trouble eating or swollowing. Its just a constant pressure on the front of my throat. It feels like when you 'choke up' before crying. I have tried anti-anxiety meds including xanax, tried ignoring it, looked into thyroid nodules, etc. with no luck. I went to an allergist yesterday to see if that was it. He thinks it may be some kind of reflux...not the typical gerd but something similiar. He gave me a med called Aciphex. I hope it works. They are also going to do some xrays to see if there are any growths on my vertebrae behind my throat. Hmmm?
Soooo...my specific question for you is did you have the cant eat thing or was it just that lump throat feeling? I am wondering if there is a difference between all the posts between those with the pressure feeling verses the pressure feeling with fear of choking on food.
Thanks for any suggestions you have.
8/ 8/09 2:09pm
I have the same symptoms. My throat feels tight with a lump, very dry also. But I don't have trouble eating or drinking, it actually feels normal when I am eating and drinking. I had a upper scope done this week and was given the bravo pill to measure the acid in my esophagus, will get results this week. I have been dealing with this for a month and it is driving me crazy so I feel for you all that have been dealing with it longer.
8/16/09 3:39pm
I've read over most of the posts and my situation seems more like yours than any of the others but still not quite what I experiencre -- as a matter of fact, what's beginning to happen again this very minute. Scary. My Rheumatologist believes I have Sjorgen's Syndrome and I'm scheduled for a salivary gland biopsy on Wednesday to confirm it. The saliva producing medication prescribed does greatly increase saliva production in my mouth for about an hour's time. Last night was the worst episode to date, out of almost 2 years of slowly escalating episodes, both in frequency and duration. I have other bothersome symptoms that fit the SS diagnosis also. Dry sinuses, eyes, skin, stomach, and rectum. The latter one leading me to believe I'd suddenly started becoming constipated after 58 years of regularity and ease bowel movement. Really look in detail at your body and how it's been acting and reacting. You may have other symptoms that aren't bothersome but are commensal with some sort of disorder. Good luck -- I could use a bit of it myself. Peace.
8/19/09 8:04pm
Hi, I am a 33 year old female (other than the problem I list here, I am VERY HEALTHY)
I have had a throat problem constantly for 6 years. I describe my symptom specifically as PAIN! Tension, tightness, achy and sometimes sharp associated with talking (I am a teacher). I also get the sensation of "Choking up" when I am stressed or angry. Have bilateral, symmetrical vocal cord nodules that everyone tells me is NOT the problem. Cartilage around the cords is "cherry red". Overly enlarged tonsils (had tonsillitis every month as a kid). Been to countless ENT's, allergists, GI doctors etc.
Finally, today my general practitioner said I have "Globus". Never heard of it but have now been looking it up & came across this site. I have never had a problem swallowing to the point of not wanting to eat. Never lost weight. Can't say that I feel a "lump in my throat", it just feels PAINFUL when I talk and gets tight and tense during stressful or upsetting situations. Impossible to sit down at family functions with everyone talking b/c it hurts too much to contribute!!! Anxiety builds just knowing a party or holiday dinner is coming up.
Tried every reflux med, nerve medications etc.
Just started Xanax last week & it is hard to say if its helping the neck tension. Definitely no pain relief during talking. Negative for anything else like thyroid problems, motility issues, Sjogren's, autoimmune diseases, vocal paresis, spasmodic dysphonia etc. Neck CT scan and chest x-ray was negative.
Family getting tired of hearing me complain. Don't know how much longer I can hold on at my teaching career.
Having 2nd Videostroboscopy (last one was years ago) this friday.
Does ANY of this make sense to anyone!?!?!?! Help.
8/23/09 5:25pm
Dear friend,
I am a mother of 3 and also suffer from anxiety,lump sensation in throat, and TMJ. It has been a quite a difficult journey. Prayers has gotten me through and all my docts have been great. I take 20mg Lexapro for anxiety,neurotin for my throat, and Ellivil for my TMJ. The lump sensation in my throat is actually damaged nerves from being soooo sick through my pregnancies. There is hope. If you need to talk more you can email me at KayciWeaver@yahoo.com.
8/23/09 5:48pm
It sounds like damaged nerves in your throat. I went through all the docts also. Try Neurotin. I have a feeling it will help. Contact me if you need to talk. KayciWeaver@yahoo.com Take care
8/23/09 5:48pm
It sounds like damaged nerves in your throat. I went through all the docts also. Try Neurotin. I have a feeling it will help. Contact me if you need to talk. KayciWeaver@yahoo.com Take care
8/29/09 7:38pm
I am also a teacher and can relate to what you have written. I hope that my last 3 weeks of throat ache and tightness doesn't extend to 6 years! This must be terrible for you. I am sure it is a combination of work stress and over-use of vocal cords (which is unavoidable when you are teaching).
My problem started with laryngitis. I only took a day off work. I should have rested my voice for longer but relief teachers were in short supply, and being a martyr, I went back to work and struggled with a bad throat and limited voice. My sore throat seems to have gone but I'm left with excruciating pain from a tight throat. It's worse in the late afternoon and keeps me awake at night. The pain is awful. Like many have already described, I can eat but sometimes it's too painful to swallow my own saliva. The pain gets so bad that it continues along my ear canals and up to my temples and across my forehead.
From reading these other blogs I feel confident that it is not a physical problem. I am an anxious person by nature and have returned to teaching after 7 months of paid long service leave. What a shock it was to be thrown back into the classroom and all that teaching entails when you want to do the job well!
So I ask myself, what now?
I need to monitor my stress level and learn to shut off from the impossible expectations of this job. It's hard when you look at your colleagues who all seem to be getting on with the job. I am now 53 and have pressed on through all manner of teaching stresses. I feel that it's all catching up with me now. I shouldn't compare myself with young staff who seem to be coping. Who's to say they won't burn out down the track.
My concern is that by returning to work I am abusing my vocal cords and wondered if there are benefits in resting my voice to see if this will get rid on the 'globus Hystericus'
I am applying heat bag to the back of my neck and shoulders and have asked my partner to do a deep massage of this area.
These blogs have also helped me realise that I suffer from panic and anxiety. This is something I need to address. It is probably the root to this throat ailment. I need to learn the art of relaxation and find ways to enjoy my life. It's a complex matter and I'm sure this throat condition is telling me 'enough is enough'.
8/29/09 7:39pm
I am also a teacher and can relate to what you have written. I hope that my last 3 weeks of throat ache and tightness doesn't extend to 6 years! This must be terrible for you. I am sure it is a combination of work stress and over-use of vocal cords (which is unavoidable when you are teaching).
My problem started with laryngitis. I only took a day off work. I should have rested my voice for longer but relief teachers were in short supply, and being a martyr, I went back to work and struggled with a bad throat and limited voice. My sore throat seems to have gone but I'm left with excruciating pain from a tight throat. It's worse in the late afternoon and keeps me awake at night. The pain is awful. Like many have already described, I can eat but sometimes it's too painful to swallow my own saliva. The pain gets so bad that it continues along my ear canals and up to my temples and across my forehead.
From reading these other blogs I feel confident that it is not a physical problem. I am an anxious person by nature and have returned to teaching after 7 months of paid long service leave. What a shock it was to be thrown back into the classroom and all that teaching entails when you want to do the job well!
So I ask myself, what now?
I need to monitor my stress level and learn to shut off from the impossible expectations of this job. It's hard when you look at your colleagues who all seem to be getting on with the job. I am now 53 and have pressed on through all manner of teaching stresses. I feel that it's all catching up with me now. I shouldn't compare myself with young staff who seem to be coping. Who's to say they won't burn out down the track.
My concern is that by returning to work I am abusing my vocal cords and wondered if there are benefits in resting my voice to see if this will get rid on the 'globus Hystericus'
I am applying heat bag to the back of my neck and shoulders and have asked my partner to do a deep massage of this area.
These blogs have also helped me realise that I suffer from panic and anxiety. This is something I need to address. It is probably the root to this throat ailment. I need to learn the art of relaxation and find ways to enjoy my life. It's a complex matter and I'm sure this throat condition is telling me 'enough is enough'.
8/31/09 5:59pm
WOW! You are the first person who describes me exactly! I have been looking for someone for 6 years! I started with sore throats (2003), then laryngitis on/off. By September 2004, I had no sore throat, just throat PAIN. Now, 6 yrs later I have severe pain every second of my life. I am never pain free. There are times when the pain is less severe (like a 7 out of 10), but the second I talk the pain is back 9 or 10 out of 10. I always feel the tightness you describe. I am also an anxious person. I am now on Xanax and Lexapro (for muscle spasms and anxiety) and 2 anti-inflammatory meds. I am taking Speech Therapy 2 times a week. If you want to talk more you can e-mail me at Danieller6876@excite.com.
8/31/09 6:29pm
I am happy to say that I am over this after only 3 weeks (touch wood). I think that the 3 most contributing factors to my recovery were
1. Reading these blogs and feeling I wasn't alone. Any long term fears about cancer would only have made it worse.
2. Some one suggested sucking Fishermens Friend. Not the tastiest lozenges but it helped take my mind off the pain and gave me the sense that I was taking care of my throat pain.
3. Getting a deep shoulder massage felt so good at the time. It didn't give immediate relief to my throat ache but it gave me a good night's rest and I felt so much better in the morning.
Being the weekend also helped. I had stuff to do but nothing too high pressure. I think that taking sickies often makes you dwell on the pain. Having pleasant, low-key activities on the weekend was good.
I'd never want to suggest to anyone that they should not pursue medical advice but I'm sure if I'd gone down the road of ENTs, barium swallow, and endless other appointments it might have screwed with my head even more. Having said that I know that I'd benefit from some counseling. Cognitive therapy has been recommended. It's a decision of either burying my head in the sand and forever plodding on with an unhappy state of mind or doing something constructive and allowing myself to make the best of the time I have on this planet.
This weird experience with my throat has made me think that I need to stop and listen to my body. In my case I need to relax, not take life so seriously, go with the flow and look at the positives. eg Glass half full rather than ALWAYS half empty.
9/ 1/09 7:42am
9/ 1/09 8:32am
It's something we have here in Australia. It's a throat lozenge. It has a strong menthol taste and comes with an aniseed flavour. It's not to everybody's taste but feels good in your throat. I also read that chewing gum helped to lubricate the throat and helped calm the constant pain but I'm not a big fan of gum.
11/ 9/09 12:45am
wow this happened to me aswell. im 15 and first doctor i went to he told me to relax. second doctor gave me anti-biotics. third doctor was an ears nose and throat doctor. He also stuck something down my nose to see what was in my throat. he said fungus.
He gave me medication but they have not really helped. My parents are getting sick of my complaints but this is really hard to live with. I hope you get better
4/12/10 4:09pm
Hi, i have been told that i have "globus" after endosocopy, i was told that its caused by severe acid reflux but exacerbated by stress. I am stressed but dont feel like i have anxiety or panic attacks, i have a new job, and have been working really hard, under difficult conditions for about 10 months but I exercise, i socialise and i have a massage/sauna /nails done - the usual - and now i have some new people on my team that are working with me and it hasnt improved so how can it be stress?
Dr told me to eat regularly, smaller meals, avoid spicey foods take omazaprole.
But after taking omazaprole intermittantly nothing is improving, it sometimes feels like burning but mostly i just feel like ive got a really scratchy something in my throat at the back. sometimes when i havea big meal i feel a bit like its repeating on me so maybe i should take gaviscon after eating or something.
It does get me down though.
Mel
6/15/10 11:05pm
Too bad you're anonymous... I wish I could add you as my friend ... somewhere... I have the same stupid symptoms wich led to losing 20 pounds, the only way I can get myself to eat now is by drinking... therefore I became an alcoholic. Doctors don't understand and I'm thinking more and more to end this... I'm afraid !
10/12/10 12:17pm
Don't know if you are still suffering from this or not as you posted last year. I have globus, though it has improved somewhat. The most relief I have had has been from a very good massage. The muscles in our bodies get so tense they cause all sorts of problems, and I believe that globus starts from this. I did not know this until recently, when I found a new therapist who had experienced similar problems. She worked really hard on me and I am going back for more. My own stress management will ultimately be the cure, but this helps tremendously.
Best wishes
10/13/10 5:45am
Hi Dawn,
Thanks for replying even though the post is a year old. I am still suffering. In fact before I went back to work (I am a teacher and I was off all summer) I experienced massive throat spasms that were uncontrollable and affected my ability to speak and swallow. It was so frightening. After I went back to work I guess the anxiety wore off and the spasms subsided. My ENT (who I couldn't get an appointment with for weeks and by then the spasms had stopped) said it was cricopharyngeal spasms. Gave me valium and it has helped.
What types of massages does your therapist do? What kind of therapist do you see? I go to a Voice Therapist once a week to teach me to slow down when I talk and deep breathe. I also see an Osteopathic Rehabilitation specialist who gives me moist heat over my throat and does deep tissue massage.
Finally, 2 weeks ago I had a FEEST test (even though I had one ~5 yrs ago) and the ENT said he is sure most of my problem is acid reflux. I told him I had been on many different acid reflux meds and nothing helped. He thinks I wasn't taking them correctly and for a long enough time.
Sorry for the long response. Helps to vent and no one around understands. I am very glad that you are doing better. Keep up the great work. God Bless.
Danielle
10/13/10 12:37pm
Hi Danielle
Sorry to hear you are still suffering. I really do feel for anyone who is experiencing this - it truly is a nightmare. First I apologise that this is a long reply but it will lead to the answers to your questions!
Has it definitely been confirmed that you have acid reflux?
My throat problem all started around this time last year. I was going through a lot of stress and had hit post menopause. My doc gave me a proton pump inhibitor because I was feeling nauseaus which I only took for a few days as I had read that these can cause even more damage, especially if that is not the problem. (She did not get me tested first, just dished out the pills at my expense).
We did talk about me going back onto anti depressants (I have suffered with anxiety and depression on and off since I was a teenager but it was never treated until I came to Canada 8 years ago and was put onto Celexa). I did not want to go on them again because I felt they had run their course and were not helping me. Plus my father-in-law is a retired pharmacist and my husband knows what some of these medications can do. Not that I am rubbishing meds at all, but I know that many doctors will just dish out pills like they are going out of fashion without really carrying out their due dilligence.
I am now 52 with 2 young children 14 & 10 (had them late after my second marriage). We emigrated from the UK to Canada 9 years ago and life has certainly had its challenges. Where do you live by the way?
Anyway, she sent me for a sinus xray and ENT exam as, along with the throat sensations, I was continually very dry, hoarse and stuffed up in my nose, making breathing very uncomfortable. Also, I developed what appears to be post nasal drip, or the sensation of it. Ugh! I also had/still have this weird clicking sensation at the back of my nose when I talk......and what did all these exams reveal .... absolutely nothing!
Oh and the ultra sound on my thyroid did actually reveal multiple nodules, but nothing large enough to worry about and the blood tests were ok. Although every time I have been to a doctor with anxiety and depression the first thing they have said is "maybe it is your thyroid".
Anyway, I also insisted on a barium x-ray which confirmed that I did not have acid reflux either. Despite all this reassurance, I think I had become a total hypochondriac and convinced I had some sort of cancer.
Anyway, at the beginning of this year another doctor put me onto one of the valium family pills and some new anti-depressants. I knew I definitely had to take something at this point as I thought I was going insane. The valium certainly put me to sleep (which I had not been doing properly for months). They also reduced the anxiety and panic attacks, but they only mask the underlying problem, whether it be mental or physical. Plus, they are addictive, which frightened the heck out of me.
I am now off the Valium! But for sure they did help me tremendously.
Well, I have started to notice that some of these sensations happen when I turn my neck certain ways or move my arms or when I sit at the computer or bend. Also if I get particularly stressed like shouting at the children! I have regularly gone to massage therapy as I do suffer with my back from time to time. I explained my symptoms to two therapists here but they only gave my neck and head/face area minor attention. Three weeks ago, I tried a new one. As soon as I explained my symptoms, the first thing she asked about was - yes my thyroid. Told her negative. She had her thyroid burned out several years ago - similar symptoms - she has Graves Disease. She was wonderful. She worked really hard on my shoulders, neck, throat and face. She said I was terribly tense and tight. She did alot of stretching and working on pressure points. I have some TMJ issues (I clench and grind my teeth). She did some cranial sacral massage on my skull (it is a light placing of hands and fingers technique through feeling vibrations).
There are so many muscles and nerves in our neck, face and throat, that I think my anxiety just made everything go into some sort of spasm and reaction. I did not feel immediate relief, but after a couple of days, I could breath better, my nose started to run the right way (some times), and my throat spasms have subsided dramatically. It has not toally disappeared by any means, and I am going back again for more. I know that as long as I am not managing my own stress, then it will always be there, but the massage I am sure helps. I have accepted that this is the way I feel right now, and it will take time to go away.
It certainly sounds like you should try some of this. The vocal therapy and deep tissue massage should help along side. Freeing up that tension is very important. Try and find someone who will listen to you, and pay attention to these areas, and someone who practices cranial therapy.
Once again I apologise for the long story. You are not on your own, though you feel like you are and unfortunately, fear and worry makes everything so much worse. There is light at the end of the tunnel.
I hope this helps.
Best wishes,
Dawn.
10/13/10 3:56pm
Hi Dawn,
Please do not apologize for the long response! It helps to "speak" to someone who understands what I am going through. To answer your questions I live in New York and it has not been confirmed that I have acid reflux.
I was told by numerous MD's that it is "definitely" acid reflux but every test I have (pH probe monitor, motility tests etc) show that I do NOT have acid reflux. However, this most recent ENT I saw (few weeks ago for the FEEST) says that in all his years of practice (20+) he has never seen vocal cords as red and swollen as mine without it being caused by acid reflux. He also stated that I may not have any acid reflux symptoms as described by most patients. ~20% of people he says do not have any acid reflux symptoms. I am doubtful that this is my problem though because I was on SO MANY different acid reflux meds in years past. I would love for it to be acid reflux and fixed with a pill but I do not think it will work. I am following up with my main ENT to speak to him about the findings of the FEEST performed by the other ENT who diagnosed me with acid reflux.
I am so thankful to hear that some of your symptoms have subsided and are tolerable currently. Since you live in Canada I guess I can't use your therapist LOL! I think my Osteopathic Rehabilitation doctor is doing some of the same things with my neck and throat that your therapist is doing for you. I know that it have with stress but it does NOT help the pain.
Listening to your story makes me feel less alone. I guess there is hope for me but mostly I just manage with the pain. I have had this problem for 8 years and sometimes its unbearable and sometimes its bearable.
Thanks for replying!! Helps so much.....
Danielle
10/18/10 12:40am
I've read many of the posts and have had this issue for over a decade before I discovered that Calciumm AND Magnesium Deficiency is the reason I had a lump in my throat. Calcium is known as the calming mineral and magnesium is necessary for calcium to absorb. Get "Solgar" brand (in glass amber bottle with a gold label) Calcium Magnesium plus Boron 250 count tablets (Calcium 1000 mg/Magnesium 400 mg/Borom 3 mg) all combined and take as directed (3 daily)...Lack of minerals will create soft muscle issues...extreme tightness in the neck or traps (on either side of neck) muscles...and this dreaded lump in the throat (also thyroid disorders can be a cause of the lump or difficulty swallowing) But try the Cal/Mag combo pill...Also will move the bowels (remember the constipation commerical for Milk of Magnesia?) Well...These minerals are a must have and deficiency can result in many different symptoms. Once I began to get my levels back up then this lump, acid reflux and constipation issues began to disipate and finally no lump in my throat anymore. (I also thought I was going crazy...used to poke at the front of my neck where my thyroid is/right where the swallowinging makes the tube come together at the tightest point and could never swallow what was there. The endoscopy showed nothing...I even told the doc to wipe the excess mucus from that area...but they didn't cause they didn't know what I was talking about. SO Try it...what have You got to lose except a lump in Your throat; compacted bowels and a neck that doesn't fell like someone is constantly squeezing the blood out of Your head!
From Someone who cares and knows what a doctor doesn't know~
Good Luck and God Bless You all!
10/18/10 12:52am
I've read many of the posts and have had this issue for over a decade before I discovered that Calcium AND Magnesium Deficiency is the reason I had a lump in my throat. Calcium is known as the calming mineral and magnesium is necessary for calcium to absorb. Get "Solgar" brand (in glass amber bottle with a gold label) Calcium Magnesium plus Boron 250 count tablets (Calcium 1000 mg/Magnesium 400 mg/Borom 3 mg) all combined and take as directed (3 daily)...Lack of minerals will create soft muscle issues...extreme tightness in the neck and/or traps (on either side of neck) muscles...and this dreaded lump in the throat (also thyroid disorders can be a cause of the lump or difficulty swallowing) But try the Cal/Mag combo pill described above...Also will move the bowels (remember the constipation commerical for Milk of Magnesia?) Well...These minerals are a must have and deficiency can result in many different symptoms. Once I began to get my levels back up then this lump, acid reflux and constipation issues began to disipate and finally no lump in my throat anymore. (I also thought I was going crazy...used to poke at the front of my neck where my thyroid is/right where the swallowing makes the tube come together at the tightest point and could never swallow what was there. The endoscopy showed nothing...I even told the doc to wipe the excess mucus from that area...but they didn't cause they didn't know what I was talking about. SO Try it...what have You got to lose except a lump in Your throat; compacted bowels and a neck that doesn't feel like someone is constantly squeezing the blood out of Your head! Calcium also helps to regulate blood pressure too! Rememer You must combine with magnesium for proper absorption.
From Someone who cares and knows what a doctor doesn't know~
Good Luck and God Bless You all!
10/18/10 1:11am
I've read many of the posts and have had this issue for over a decade before I discovered that Calcium AND Magnesium Deficiency is the reason I had a lump in my throat.
Calcium is known as the calming mineral and magnesium is necessary for calcium to absorb. Get "Solgar" brand (in glass amber bottle with a gold label) Calcium Magnesium plus Boron 250 count tablets (Calcium 1000 mg/Magnesium 400 mg/Borom 3 mg) all combined and take as directed (3 daily)...Lack of minerals will create soft muscle issues...extreme tightness in the neck and/or traps (on either side of neck) muscles...and this dreaded lump in the throat (also thyroid disorders can be a cause of the lump or difficulty swallowing).
But try the Cal/Mag combo pill described above...Also will move the bowels (remember the constipation commerical for Milk of Magnesia? Magnesium moves bowels) Well...These minerals combined are a must have and deficiency can result in many different symptoms.
Once I began to get my levels back up then this lump, acid reflux and constipation issues began to disipate and finally no lump in my throat anymore. (I also thought I was going crazy...used to poke at the front of my neck where my thyroid is/right where the swallowing makes the tube come together at the tightest point and could never swallow what was stuck there. The endoscopy showed nothing...I even told the doc to wipe the excess mucus from that area during the endoscopy...but they didn't cause they said nothing was there (and they didn't know what I was talking about).
SO Try it...what have You got to lose except a lump in Your throat; compacted bowels and you'll eventially have a neck that doesn't feel like someone is constantly squeezing the blood out of Your head!
Calcium also helps to regulate blood pressure too!
Rememer You must combine with magnesium for proper absorption.
Also IMPORTANT to drink at least half of Your body weight in ounces of water (example: weigh 120 lbs; drink 60 oz of water) everyday (but no more water at least a couple of hours before bed cause it tends to create the acid reflux issue when You lay down).
From Someone who cares and knows what a doctor doesn't know~
Good Luck and God Bless You all!
10/18/10 6:00am
Thank you! Thank you! I am going to buy this TODAY! Can I get it at CVS or Rite-Aid or do I need to go to GNC or Vitamin World?
What is so interesting is that I never spoke about constipation but I only experience a bowel movement ~1/week.
Thanks again! I am very excited and hopeful. Ask Jesus to let this be the one :)
5/ 2/11 1:23pm
Hi Danielle,
I am having the same problem as yours for almost two months.
Have you tried cal/mag yet? Do they help? Please let me know at Linh.Le@Ametek.com Thanks for your input in advance.
Levo
5/ 2/11 3:50pm
Hi Levo,
I have not tried calcium/magnesium. In fact I forgot all about it. I was given Valium by my ENT to help with the throat spasms and it does help a little. Xanax never helped. I will try the Ca/Mg though (I truly just forgot that someone on this site told me about it-Thanks for reminding me). If you are willing to try prescription meds though, the Valium is the only medication that I have tried (and I have been suffering for MANY yrs) that gives me some relief.
5/ 2/11 4:06pm
6/14/11 3:28am
i know it has been a while but i am going through this right now and i feel like i am dying every day. it has altered my my mental status. i can not live like this. the feeling everyone has when they panic and go to the hospital is every day for me. clicking in my throat is unbearable. i just dont know what to do i can not live like this. i just cant. doctors are no help. i would give anything...........how are you doing?
4/22/07 10:57am
HI,
Boy do I know what you are going through! I had it for seven months, was not able to eat any solid foods and was totally miserable! I went into Cognative Behavioral Therapy and realized that it was entirely anxiety driven. The hard part for me was trusting that I wouldn't choke if I ate again. It took a while but I came out ok, and you can too. Go to therapy immediately! It will do wonders...you might be able to care for it without meds, just the therapy (which I did)..everyone is different. Best of luck!
Linda
6/ 2/08 3:22pm
I swallowed a chicken bone 9 days ago- seen on x ray, but couldnt find when scoped. drs. say its just scratched and i may have the globus thing, but i can't eat or sleep, feels as if i'm choking - like the bone moves, chest pains, and solid foods have a hard time going down, i've been eating bananas, and bread and butter trying to push it down but this causes extreme pain. I don't know what to do, i think the bone is still there.
7/ 1/08 12:28am
Debra,
If you swallowed a chicken bone and it can be seen on x-ray, please, please take your xrays and go to another ENT!! If you feel it, then it is probably still there and the ENT that went fishing in your throat with the laryngoscope probably did not see it.
On January 23rd 1998, I swallowed a toothpick that was in the last sip of a diet coke can and my life as I knew it came to a screeching halt. The toothpick was caught in my vallecula (the space located between the base of the tongue and the epiglottis). In a panic, I tried to force it down my throat and swallowed very hard many times. Unfortunately, it punctured the lining of the tissue and was stuck in the wall of my esophogas. I did not know what it was at the time, only that it felt like I swallowed a needle. Many dr's later I was accused of being bulemic (abrasions on my throat that were not explainable), of suffering from globas hystericus (no, I actually heard it hit the can before it went down my throat), acid reflux and just flat out crazy. 2 psych evaluations later, both said I was NOT crazy and I really had something in my throat. Time, however, was not on my side. Because wood is non radio-opaque (unable to be detected by xray) it was never seen on an xray. Wood is very porous and our bodies are 90% water, by the time an MRI was done, the wood could no longer be detected as it had absorbed too much water and took on the density of the surrounding tissue. No dr's wanted to help me because I "might be involved" in a lawsuit. There was no lawsuit only constant pain and even more when I swallowed. It felt like I had been stabbed with an ice pick and had the end broken off in my throat. I just wanted the pain to end, to feel the "relief" of it finally being gone along with the terror I lived with day and night. The feeling of isolation knowing that after researching medical articles that I was the only one.....no other documented case like mine was ever found. No dr's believed me or wanted to for that matter. Because they had never heard of it, that meant it didn't happen...
Many, many times I prayed for it to be a bone, for someone to find it and believe me. Almost 6mns and 2 dozen drs later, I had one that actually removed half of it, kindly left the other half in and said he found nothing!! He said he "removed some tissue" and that I should feel "remarkable better, but we didnt find a foreign object". I woke up from surgery to hear the nurse tell me "we didnt find a toothpick". That is when I finally knew what was in my throat. The other half migrated to the back of my tongue where it has resided for the last 9 yrs. My body tries to push it out, but it is right behind my gag muscle so, when it tries to come out it makes me gag and that stops the process. About 2yrs ago, I woke up to one half of my mouth and throat terribly red and irritated. I had sharp pain from my jawline to inside my ear. The roof of my mouth and the back of my throat had abrasions. After 5 days, I was applying orajel (hurricane spray is much better) to try to find some relief and I spit out the orajel and found a small splinter in the sink. I retrieved it and quite frankly, it looked like a large splinter taken out of a finger. But, FINALLY something to show and validate what I was talking about. This is only a small sliver of what is still in there. I was hoping after this long that it would disintegrate or dissolve, but the wood looked in tact. It is now taped to a flash card with the date.
Debra, please go to another ENT. You might be lucky and have it abcess and then they will be able to find it. I prayed for that too, but it didnt happen. Please know that you are not alone, you will not die but might wish for it at times. Stay strong and perservere, DONT GIVE UP!! I will keep you in my prayers and hopefully you will find the relief that I have dreamed about so many times in the last 10yrs. If need someone to talk to, you may email me at Kelliem10@hotmail.com.
p.s.
OK, this message is for anyone else reading this other than Debra: Don't freak out when you read this because you do not have anything in your throat!! It's not in your chest and it doesnt come and go. It is there 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The only analogy I can think of is this: think of a grain of sand in your eye. You stop whatever you are doing and go "I've got something in my eye", you feel it with every blink and you know it's not supposed to be there. When you swallow something that stays in your throat, you know it...simply put. You're going to be OK...I promise, I'm living proof. My career was ruined, my state of mind was in question, and my spirit was lifeless. You don't need anxiety pills, because that will be your next problem....trying to get off them when they don't work anymore. I've got that t-shirt too....Best of luck to you all. And don't drink out of soda cans or bottles.
Take care, Kellie
1/24/10 2:41pm
I have the same problem called globus hysterious,My daighter thought from the beginning this is what it was.Had all the usual tests to eliminate any thing else.Was put on low dose of valium and zoloff .Helped for so long.This started after the passing of my husband.Then in the early fall it began again and it seems just as bad.Ihe cause is usually stress and anxiety.Many times issues that you have buried and not dealt with.It is something that can control your life.At furst I did have problems swallong certain foods, especially dry foods.If I chew gum or suck on candy it goes away only to returnIt can drive one crazy as it brings on other emotions.I know it is brought on by emotions and need to deal with the emotions but have no idea what they are.
2/22/10 1:02pm
On my 3rd visit to the doctor last week I have been diagnosed with globus hystericus. I have had this for almost 3 months so far. I am a very healthy 32 year old and it had been getting me down not knowing what was wrong...plus I had convinced myself that I probably had some life threatening illness. The relief of knowing has already helped a little as I am less stressed out. My doctor has been very good and very sympathethetic. He explained to me how he could rule out any ‘scary' illnesses like cancer etc and he explained to me the feelings I have in my throat, why it's there and how I can help it. He also explained that really there is no quick fix ‘cure' but that it will eventually go but realistically could take months. His reassurance and understanding has gone a long way in helping me feel more positive about beating this without having to take any medicines.
I had a period of anxiety and panic attacks about 5 years ago and took Prozac for this along with using other methods to dispel anxiety. So I know I am prone to some anxiety. I lost my Mum 7 months ago and thought I was slowly getting on ok. It seem I am on some levels but not on others. What the doctor was telling me about anxiety and stress began to make a lot of sense.
The feelings I have are lump in the throat, strained throat and neck ache, dry feeling in my throat and the feeling that I have swallowed smoothing sharp or hard and it has stuck so that I can feel it in my back. Sometimes my chest feel tight and on some occasions I feel like I cannot swallow properly or breathe leading me to panic a little. I have not had any problem eating and as confirmed by my doctor usually eating and drinking soothes the feelings.
I'm sure it's different for everyone but from recommendations and from talking to my doctor these are some things I have found that help, I thought I'd share them:
No/limited caffine
Drink water to keep rehydrated - little and often
A hot relaxing bath - I do this before I go to bed every night. The heat/steam makes me feel like I can breathe better, I'm sure that's psychological, but the bath does make me relax.
More sleep/rest if you can get it - I know some people find sleeping more difficult because they are worrying that's where the hot relaxing bath can help
Sleeping with my head raised a little on a few pillows
Gentle exercise - I enjoy going on walks with my friends and both the exercise and their company has helped. Yoga is also really good. Any other distractions or hobbies that allow you to wind down.
Talking about it and how you feel - I am lucky to have some great family and friends around who don't mind too much about my complaining! And now they understand what it is too they either distract me or reassure me by reminding me to relax about it. I would recommend a counselor if you feel you can't talk to anyone else.
I am not a big fan of constant doctors visits, having tests done, being poked and prodded or taking medicines ( it would only stress me out more) so for now I am determined to do my best without. Slowly I am having more good days than bad days.
Some of you out there seem to have been struggling an awful long time with this, thank you for all of your advice on here. I wish everyone all the luck in world in feeling better
3/10/10 7:42pm
Oh my goodness!! I am 36 years old and today, for the first time in my life, I have had trouble swallowing my food, even my own saliva. I feel like I'm going to choke or swallow my tongue!! I have been trying all day long to get food down. I think I'm loosing my mind. I have to concentrate and make a wierd grimace just to get something down. A good handful of times I have just spit it back out. I can swallow liquids, but it feels difficult after to many swallows. I love food! I love to eat. If anything I think I eat a little more than I should, but I'm at a very healthy, normal weight. What is wrong with me???? How could something so second nature, something I don't even think about doing just disapear all of a sudden???
4/25/07 3:36pm
Hi Aydinmuh,
I know what you are suffering, Ito have experienced globus hystericus for the past 18 months,at first I felt lumps in my throat and could not eat any solid food (everything liquidised.) this lasted about 6 months then went overnight and I started eating again.since then the lumps in my throat become painful and felt like sharp objects,(splinters of glass or needles ).I had every test there is and told it is all stress related.I am stilllooking for relief as no medical help seems available,I even had a course of C.B.T.without success.
good luck.
Regards Barbara.
11/25/07 12:27am
Dear all,
In two years ago, I had same problem and at the same i counldn't talk. I had tried many methods including took TCM, CBT, and hynosis therapy. all these treatments were usefulless. That suffering brought me suicide idea as I thought I had no hope.
Finally, I found a psychiatrist who prescribed a kind of anti-depresant / treat of panic disordor drug called Lexapro (escitalopram). After one monlth I took that drug, I got a lot of relief, now, I still take that drug everyday. yet, i have already resume my normal daily life, I can work as brfore, enjoy life with my family / friends.
dear friends, don't frustrated, that illness can be cured. we still can enjoy our life.
4/24/08 6:45pm
Hi Rita, I too am experiencing the lump feeling in my throat/neck and also the feeling is under my jawbone. I had MRI done a couple years ago and it was negative. Doctor says is stress related. He put me on Lexapro, it worked. After a few weeks i didnt feel the lump anymore. But i dont like taking medications so i got off of it. I stayed ok for a couple of years but now the feeling it back! I got some advice from a local health store here and they say its stress/anxiety related also. They have some stuff called "Calm". I think i will try it for a while and see. It's all natural so it wont hurt to try it. ALSO .... I found some information about another natural remedy on the internet. It's called Hystetrax .... it's supposed specifcally for Globus Hystericus! Here is the website http://www.hystetrax.com/about.html ........... if you or ANYONE reading this has ever heard of this or has tryed it PLEASE let me know, or please give me some advice about it !! Thanks, Gina
11/17/09 12:19pm
hi there
have you tried calm. does it work. if so please let me know because i dont want to be on xanax everyday. email me at ntlperitore@gmail.com
3/22/11 8:50am
hi i swollowed a chicken bone 2 and a half months ago and the docters have told me its just a scratch they told me im going crazy they wont listen i cant go about my everyday things i can hardly talk they give me a bunch of pills they dont help can you please help me i dont know wat to do thank you.
3/25/11 12:31pm
hi Teresa, did you go to the hospital/clinic and took out the bone? make sure that the scratch has been fully recovered. If there is no problem, then I think you may be suffering from the psychological effect and induced the globus hystericus. don't worry, it can be cured. welcome to share your condition to me.
5/ 4/07 10:52pm
5/ 7/07 5:41pm
Hi Aydinmuh.
After 6 months of not eating solids my daughter-in-law persuaded me to try to eat a piece of my favorate cake,which very slowly and much effort I did.That night I lay in bed thinking for hours if I could do this then why can`t I eat.The next morning I nervously started eating and within days I was eating normally although I still have terrible pains in my throat when I eat they are not there.
C.B.T.ect.did not seem to help me it seemed to come from myself,I only hope the pains in my throat will do the same.
good luck.Barbara.
5/ 8/07 12:58pm
5/11/07 12:10pm
My rare attacks happen while sleeping at night. I ocassionally, have the sensation that I have accidentally swallowed an object, ususally something sharp/hard. I then have a heart-pounding panic attack, I jump out of bed, run to the bathroom, and try to remove the imagined object. This is so wierd!!!
7/31/10 2:20am
My 10 year old daughter panics that she may have put something into her mouth and she is going to choke and die. She is eating no solid foods. She says food gets caught in her throat.I feed her protein shakes. she has lost 7 lbs already. I am at my wits end. I am looking into a psychologist( for us both!) as all the specialists we have seen say this is in her head. She is constantantly afraid of dying and gasps for breathe all day long except when she is playing with her friends.
I am going to try the cayenne pepper losenges and the Fisherman's friends. I hope this works. I can't imagine living like this for any amount of years. Any further advice whould be great!
6/ 3/07 10:56am
What you're going through is almost as awful as the anxiety that has triggered it. I literally could not swallow and lost 14 pounds in 18 days when I began a very stressful job. Things did resolve, although I have occasional flares of the same symptoms, along with chronic insomnia, which have prompted me to try anti-depressants 2 years later. I'm in my 50's, and never knew I had a problem with anxiety prior to this. I also have GERD, but my problems with this are nothing compared to walking around in a state of sheer, unremitting panic. Try starting either/both therapy and medicine. Life is too short to tolerate this kind of misery.
6/ 5/07 2:40am
hi aydinmuh,
I know what you are going through. i am a student nurse and everyone keps telling me that it is stress and then they go on about how the human body works. obviously i know all of this through my training but to be honest, it does not make it any easier. My one big worry is that there does not seem to be a definate type of medicine that seems to work. i have had this swallowing problem for 2 weeks just and i am going out of my mind. it does get worse when iam stresssed. the doc has put me on beta blockers and then another doc put meon omeprazole, so far neither has worked.i am not put off food, i feel better when i eat as this reassures me im not choking.apparently this is quite a common illness.i know i had stress before but this has made my life much more difficut. hopefully we will be free of it soon. goodluck.
6/14/07 11:54am
I have had globus hystericus for years and can sympathize. It does get worse with stress and can also be associated with GERD (gastrointestinal problems, such as acid reflux). I'm not sure if you know this, but caffeine is the enemy for globus hystericus and if you drink coffee, eat chocolate, sodas, etc. it will exacerbate the condition. I have recently tried Globutab. Go to www.globutab.com
It seems to be helping, but to cure it you have to take the pills for a month. If it cures me, I'll be eternally grateful to the creator of it. It's worth a try. I have been on everything from antidepressants (even though I swore I wasn't depressed, Regalan (to relax the muscles) and Prilosec for Gerd and others. Nothing did the trick. All the psychologists and doctors who said it would disappear on antidepressants were wrong and then I had side effects from the pills. I also felt I would choke, but mostly when I ate meat, which is a problem since the condition can also be related to an iron defiency (one more thing for you doctor to check). If none of this helps, the lump could be caused by hypothyroidism and sometimes people who have this seen to have a predisposition to getting thyroid problems. So check this one out. My best of luck to you! - Gloria
1/30/08 9:45pm
Hello Gloria Ann Smith:
I was wondering if you had tried the globutab for the recommended time period, and if it had helped. I am earnestly seeking a remedy for my own situation, and have been taking a benzo to deal with the anxiety issue. I want to be off this drug and want to find something more healthy to take. I would greatly appreciate your response.
9/ 3/11 8:13am
They worked OK... no real cure. Active Herb company sells a pill for Globus that I think is slightly better. It's like an expectorant. Not drinking coffee helps. And of course I have Asperger's Syndrome which is associated with Generalized Anxiety Disorder. I take no meds for it. Refuse to take antidepressants, sleeping pills etc. like other Aspies do. The best thing if your Globus is not related to GERD or anemia, is to find ways to calm yourself and avoid stress. I make it a point to avoid Toxic people and laugh every day. Also, you can train your mind to eat and ignore it. (get over the fear of choking). Mental discipline is a must in not letting it control your life.
Good luck to you. I know it's difficult.
9/ 4/11 6:20pm
Gloria,
thanks for your reply. I'm pretty sure mine is due to acid reflux into my larynx-voice box about 2.5 weeks ago. I know I felt acid reguritate into my throat while sleeping and it woke me up. Also I have eaten spicy foods late at night then gone to bed. I have a bad history of eating the wrong foods at the wrong times and think it has finally caught up with me. This is what my general practioneer says and I have an apt with the ears nose throat doc next week.
good luck to you,
Mike
6/25/07 2:20pm
Hi my doc has told me i have Globus,it is horrible.I have found swallowing difficult,i had a blood test to check for other problems all ok.The swallowing has improved greatly,but some times it wakes me at night with a dry throat, & i get this sensation that my throat is closing ,i know that is not the case.It also happens when i drive ,not all the time,it comes & goes ,really makes me fell so low.
Regards Ian.
6/25/07 8:20pm
I have panic disorder too. Just the past year I have started feeling like I have trouble breathing. I had a chest x-ray and an asthma test done. All normal. Now I also feel this tight feeling in my chest alot and a choking feeling. I hate it so much. I take ativan when it really scares me. This calms me down some but not entirely. Wish I never had this. Wish noboby had it.
9/ 3/07 1:50pm
5/14/08 3:23pm
I am not the only one!?!?!?!?! Although the thought of others experiencing this is not what I would want, at least I know I am not crazy. I've been on a benzo for 7 years because on paper, I am "normal." No one has ever mentioned global hystericus until a friend of mine was told she had it! So here I am today, May 14, 2008 looking it up and find all of you. I am so sorry you have this. It is a horrible thing to live with. The benzo helps with the anxiety, but that horrid, raw, choking sensation is almost too much to bear.
7/18/07 1:50am
7/21/07 4:21pm
I feel somewhat relieved when I read these posts and know that there are other people experiencing the same symptoms I have had for about 2 months now. It is driving me crazy. I have had and ENT exam-nothing there, an endoscopy-nothing there and yet i still am not convinced that there isn't something stuck in my throat. My symptoms of pressure and heaviness in my chest seem to get worse as the day goes on.It actually feels better when I eat and drink.I have always been a somewhat anxious person but have never experienced anything like this.I am now taking xanax which seems to take the edge off but does not make it go away. I hope to someday get relief and enjoy my life as I once had. Without the constant worry.
6/29/08 6:14pm
I have been seeking an answer for this problem since April this year. I have an endoscopy, barium pill swallow, MRI, thyroid check - nothing!!! It is so frustrating. I feel like I am choking all the time. I have even tried to make myself throw up - nothing there. Now my doctor is saying to keep the idea of globus on the back burner and keep searching. Oh yeah, I've been on 3 rounds of carafte, prevacid,nexium, anti-biotics, 2 rounds of steroids. Unfortunately, the diagnosis of globus does seem to fit, but since there really isn't a cure, I feel like I'm losing hope. I am a person who is probably described as "high-anxiety" - but I've always been that way, so why any difference now???? I guess that I will talk to my doctor about some kind of anti-depressent even though the only reason I am depressed is because I constantly feel sick (choking). I am trying to relieve some stress, doing deep breathing, etc. I had a good day Saturday, but Friday and today (Sunday) are almost unbearable. Thanks for letting me vent. Maybe I'll get some answers soon. - R
8/13/07 9:31pm
8/13/07 9:35pm
I'm adding on from the post before this one... because its the same person.
Anyways I get panic attacks from this and its driving me crazy. In a few days I'm going to a doctor about my panic attacks but I really really really really want this feeling to go away. I wish I didnt have to go through this its making me so stressed. I wish humans didnt have to eat to survive.
8/20/07 11:44pm
Hello all, two days after my 40th Bday I had my 1st panic attack ever at a restraunt 100s of miles from home. I thought I was having a flippn' heart attack. I am very active..I race Mt Bikes, work out at the gym, run and don't smoke. Currently I'm in training for an Xterra game in Tahoe. I went to the closest Hospital where it took me about 3 hours to catch my breath. After all the poking and prodding of needles, xrays and an ekg it was determined nothing is wrong with me and I was having a panic attack. Every since then I have experienced what has now been identified as Globus. What the hell is this?? I understand every persons comment and feel your pain. However...I will not let this run my life. I found the following help....when I run or bike for hours I forget all about it and eat like a champ, Xannax does help me but I only take 1 a day so I wait until 11am-1pm to take. Having a couple of beers before dinner eases the anxiety of choking and food goes down pretty good. Sex...I found that having sex when I'm feeling the feeling.....you know what I'm talking about....makes me stop thinking about it and I go back to dinner. The feeling absolutely sucks but it is manageable....see your Doctor. Protein shakes with raw egg whites, yogurt drinks and eating whenever your feeling good stops the weight and energy loss. Also stop drinking coffee and soda. I'm a lifetime coffee drinker and switched to green tea and I drink a lot of water.
Stop thinking about....see your Doc....if he's no help find another.....LIVE YOUR LIFE!!
8/25/07 7:08pm
My 11-year-old daughter has this & by reading this column & seeing what you all are going through, I am really relieved to know what's really going on. I think she has panic disorder. The therapist thought it was an eating disorder, but she really wants to eat, she just can't. She's scared she's going to choke. I wish everyone luck & success in beating this & I hope my daughter gets better. It started about a month ago with panic attacks & hasn't gotten a whole lot better...
8/29/07 3:55pm
I just found out i probably have globus.I have had it for about 3mths but then again i remember this same feeling like 3 1/2yrs ago.I thought i was going crazy because it felt like i had food stuck in my troat.Actually my troat feels better when i eat and drink.After reading this i do notice that at nite it does get worst,then there are days when i dont feel a thing.
I do live a stressful life soooo mayb it has to do wit that.I guess ill jus keep reading on it...
PARKSLOPE
9/ 5/07 7:06pm
Yes, I have had this condition for several years and it goes away with the proper level of an antidepressant. It is apparently connected with depression and/or stress. It caused me so much stress I thought I was going out of my mind until I mentioned it to my OB/GYN !! I had been treated years ago for depression and eventually thought I could come off my antidepressant. Big mistake!! Within several months the globus started and it would not go away. I had no idea what it was until my ob/gyn said it is a tightening of the esophagus that sometimes happens with depression. I have been back on an antidepressant ever since. Sometimes I have to switch antidepressants or up the dosage if the globus starts again. I think my tolerance level of the medication changes over time and the dosage needs to be adjusted or I need to try another medication. I've been on (individually) Nortriptyline, prozac, zoloft, and now lexapro. Each one of them worked for several years until my tolerence level made them less effective and I had to switch to a different one. I think I will probably always need to be on an antidepressant. They take away the globus and make my life so much better! Talk to a doctor. Good Luck!
10/ 3/07 5:52pm
I have globus hystericus and too know what you are going through! My doctor prescribed me 2mg Valium and it worked like a charm. After a few weeks, I realized that my anxiety was not disapating and wanted something more consistent (I was taking Valium on an "as needed" basis and found I would take 10-14 mg per day at one point.) and he then prescribed 10mg Prozac and that was even better. I went off of the Prozac after 6 months and am back to Valium on an "as needed" basis, but I only need to take it about once every 2 weeks. I should have seen a therapist, and probably still should... but short term - try Valium!
10/14/07 8:25pm
Apparently it is a common manifestation of panic disorder (and unfortunately makes the panic worse). I have had to go on a liquid diet for 2 months...just terrified to eat. My throat literally would swell up and I couldn't swallow vitamins or solid food, I obsessed about it day and night, the only thing that seemed to help AT ALL was a Xanax. Had all the usual tests, endoscopy (nothing), laryngoscope (nothing), thrush (negative), etc. etc. You feel like there's a hole there at the base of your throat or that it's narrowing. I'm not sure why this happens but I am reading how common this is with those of us with panic disorder.
10/14/07 8:33pm
I tried Elavil for this but the Elavil causes dry mouth which makes all this 100 times worse!!!! Also, I am trying to quit smoking but it seems like when I cut back the tightening feeling is worse. Drinking bits of water helps when I calm down enough to swallow. I also found that when I am anxious about eating, my throat pops (like bones popping) when I swallow...when I have my panic completely under control, I relax and can swallow normally. It is SO IRRITATING to have that kind of mental power over something like your throat! But I will manage to get through this somehow. I'm glad you're all here!!!!!
10/15/07 5:03pm
First of all I didn't know what I have been experiencing was called "Globus hystericus." I have been suffering off and on due to some added stress in my life. I have noticed that when I don't eat small meals "every" 2 1/2 to 3 hours, I get this globus feeling. I also noticed that when I am really tired as well as stressed, the Globus is stronger. I was given meds for GERD (Protonix, Nexium & Zantac), but they didn't help if I didn't get rest and/or exercise. The only thing that helps me is prayer/mediation on Jesus Christ, exercise AND get lots of rest (at least 8 to 9 hours per day). I don't rest enough and haven't for years and I guess it's caught up with me. So, for those who are tired of taking drugs, you might want to try getting some exercise into your daily life along with at least 8 to 9 hours of sleep. And don't forget to meditate (breathing relaxation exercises work wonders). God bless you all
10/18/07 5:32am
Hi, I'm so glad I stumbled on this site and found out that I'm not the only one with globus - it's been almost 2 months now...
After a couple of embarrassing trips to the emergency department (once because i felt like i couldn't breathe, and the other because i couldn't sleep and still had the choking feeling in my throat) where the doctors basically told me "it's globus, it'll go away, go home" and the globus didn't go away i felt so lost and annoyed.
I've had a barium swallow since which, as expected, showed up nothing - but that doesn't stop the feeling of my throat choking...
I'm so glad that there's other people out there with this who are getting on with their lives :) it's really encouraging, thanks guys!
10/20/07 10:34pm
a month ago i start feeling a choking sensation and pain in my throat,i stop smoking 3 months ago,so i was sure now it is when i am going to get cancer i was so scare to go to the doctor but i felt worse and worse every day, after 3 doctor visits and 3 weeks of antibiotics my regular doctor told me don't worry it is not cancer it's globus I'am a worrier Is this going to go away or do i have to learn to live thinking that a have something stuck in my throat
10/29/07 8:29pm
Everything's going to be alright - bob marley It's all in your mind. You've created something for yourself and you can just as easily get rid of it. Don't be affraid of it. Indifference and apathy will kill it's power over you. Worrying and tests after tests will only feed the monster. Go lawn bowling. Take in a film. Get your mind somewhere else as often as possible, but don't say to yourself you must do this or that. This gives it power also and puts you in a stressful situation where you guage your actions as success or failure, thus causing the beast to reappear. It's a catch 22.
I've lived with panic disorder and anxiety attacks for 6 years now. It's part of my life. I've accepted it with open arms. i welcome it. all of it. In the begining I feared it and it all got worse and worse. The first reaction is usually why me? especially when you find out that GH like panic disorder and anxiety attacks will come and go most of your life. Then I put it all in perspective. I have a good life. I have food, water, a warm place to sleep and a great life. Things could be a lot worse because none of this, including GH is life threatening. None of it! The sooner I accepted it as part of my life, the faster I was on my way to making it powerless over me. Granted in early extreme times I was on Prozac and Xanax, but I accepted those too and knew that they are a huge help in recovering. If you have GH and you are having trouble eating, because it has that kind of grip on your life, you definately should consider prozac or a mood stabilzer plus xanax. You'll get your appetite back within a few weeks and they will help you. I promise. I've been there off and on for 6 years. Good luck, know you're not alone. Slow down when things get stressful. Take time to recognize all the great things in your life. then get busy enjoying them again.
I've lived with panic disorder and anxiety attacks for 6 years now. It's part of my life. I've accepted it with open arms. i welcome it. all of it. In the begining I feared it and it all got worse and worse. The first reaction is usually why me? especially when you find out that GH like panic disorder and anxiety attacks will come and go most of your life. Then I put it all in perspective. I have a good life. I have food, water, a warm place to sleep and a great life. Things could be a lot worse because none of this, including GH is life threatening. None of it! The sooner I accepted it as part of my life, the faster I was on my way to making it powerless over me. Granted in early extreme times I was on Prozac and Xanax, but I accepted those too and knew that they are a huge help in recovering. If you have GH and you are having trouble eating, because it has that kind of grip on your life, you definately should consider prozac or a mood stabilzer plus xanax. You'll get your appetite back within a few weeks and they will help you. I promise. I've been there off and on for 6 years. Good luck, know you're not alone. Slow down when things get stressful. Take time to recognize all the great things in your life. then get busy enjoying them again.
1/ 7/08 1:37pm
Hi, I am 38 years old and I just starting having these symptons 2 weeks ago. The strange thing is that I have had swallowing problems for about 8 years, but never to this extreme. I have had very little stress in my life and I am pretty happy. However, I started getting a terrible choking sensation that won't go away. It is like I have a giant cotton ball or a huge ball of mucus in my throat. I have been to the ER and the doctor 4 times in 2 weeks. All tests have come back negative. Did you actually feel like you had something in your throat and could choke on your own spit???
11/ 3/07 1:42pm
Interesting! My wife seems a bit different; she doesn't have panic attacks, she isn't depressed, but she is close to menopause. Every 20 seconds she feels a throat tightening, and sometimes there's an accompanying hot flash from her head to her toes. It would get worse when trying to sleep, and if something startled her, the spasm was intense.
She says her symptoms get stronger if she soaks in the bathtub (raised body temp??). So far the best help has been from alprazolam and Lyrica.
How old are all of you fellow sufferers? Any of you past menopause? One doc says it might go away once menopause is finished. Thanks.
11/17/07 12:43pm
Yes! I have had mine for almost 3 years!
Daily-continually! The only thing that
gave me ANY relief was 6 mg daily of
the most potent Xanax (an anti-anxiety
medication that gets into the body fast!)
I don't recommend this because it is
highly addictive and you just want more
and more and more-it starts to control
you and your life! I firmly believe it is
because of anxiety!!!!!!!!!!! I never had
a problem until I was diagnosed with
a mole that turned out to be melanoma.
(I am fine.) My best friend died of
breast cancer (age 41) at the same time.
I then got encephalitis-severe headaches,dizziness, blurriness-the past
three years have been hell! I have
tried everything and I am so ashamed
to admit even felt suicidal! I have
amazingly not gone into therapy! I am
ashamed. I have never been a drinker
but started to relax-it I found out has
a very relaxing effect and helped me to
sleep, but drinking is against my religion
and out of guilt. I stopped. Read the
the book "You can heal your life" by
Louse Hay. You can get it at Barnes
and Noble in the self help section. It
It is amazing! I now have ordered other
of her products. Her website is www.
hayhouse.com. I finally just decided to
"play it straight" and eat and almost
challenged the "lump" to go ahead and
destroy me. I get out of bed and go
on with my routine. I am now having
some better days with on going im-
provement. Louise swears this is
caused by fear! You are so afraid of
the lump and choking that you become
obsessed with it and it becomes your
captor! Say enough! This will never
kill you I promise-no matter had bad
and scary it feels. It is your sub-
conscious mind and nervous system
playing tricks and after awhile it does
become a habit to be frightened.
Say "bring it on" eat everything and
just keep going no matter what! I
can only say this because I am living
it too! What the brain creates, the
brain can cure. You might want to
try cognitive or even hyno-therapy.
But I still believe YOU can stop this
dead in it's tracks. Kill the fear. Talk
to people, go on-line, get educated
and don't let doctors, or ANYONE tell
you you're crazy! They couldn't deal
with it for 5 minutes! If you're religious
go there as well. Please let me know
how you're doing. The good news is
that if and when you DO conquer this,
I promise-nothing will ever scare you
again! Good Luck. MF
6/ 3/08 6:06pm
Yes, I was just diagnosed with this Globus condition. I went to a GP and said that I have a lump sensation in my throat and the first question she asked me, even before she examined me was "do you have depression or anxiety". Of course I said yes. She then did an exam of my throat and neck and said everything looked normal. After that she talked to me about GAD- General anxiety disorder in which you lack seratonin in your brain, a chemical imbalance. She then perscribed me with an antidepressant called Paxil. I am going to try it and i have also booked an app't with a psycologist. But I live with this everyday, and have to fight it. The only time I have relief is when I am really busy from first thing in the morning. If I sit around in the morning and think about it, then it gets bad. Also it goes away at night when I sleep because I do not feel it first thing in the morning. It also goes away when I eat or drink.
Anyway, I am going to continue to see my Dr. and counsellor as well as maybe try the antidepressants.
Kathy
11/29/07 12:34am
Hi everyone,
I have a history of panic attacks/ depression, and had been on anti-depressants with much success, but stopped taking it more than a year ago. I was doing great until a recent freak choking episode, and have been experiencing the symptoms of Globus for the last month. It all started with almost choking on a piece of peeled apple. I always take my time while eating, but for some reason I swallowed a piece of the apple too soon, without chewing it, and I guess it was kind of big. Oh boy! I thought I was choking! I felt it moving around in my throat after being stuck for a while, then I tried tiny sips of water. Nothing was helping. Two hours later, at 2 am, I called 911 because I was panicking still, and the operator said it was up to me, they could come get me or I could go to the emergency room. I drove there with my mom, and of course felt sort of stupid after the registrar girls at the ER said "Well, you're breathing and smiling... but it's up to you if you want to stay." I left, feeling kinda silly and stupid, especially cause I dragged my very tired mother along with me. BUT the problem did not go away. I ate nothing the following day, only drank water. Then slowly I started to eat tiny amounts of food with lots of butter to ease the pain. I was convinced that the apple was still there, lodged in my throat. Days went by and I was actually eating more food then than I've been eating for the last week. I finally went to my doctor because it wasn't getting much better and she thought it was just stress - she knows I have a history of anxiety/ panic and she said "It's probably Globus again." I'd had a similar bout of Globus before, which had to do with eating types of bread. Come to think of it, I don't think my Globus ever totally went away, because sometimes it would kick in, for example, being unable to chew and having to spit out whatever is in my mouth, as if I cannot control my tongue or I'm going to swallow it or something crazy like that. ANYWAY, that same night I called her in a frenzy because I felt like there was food stuck in my throat, and that's when she suggested an Esophagram. The following day I went to pick up my blood test results - all normal, and then I went straight to my ENT. I don't have insurance and wanted to check with a specialist before spending $150 on an esophagram. He looked at my throat with a mirror and said it was very red/irritated, but that he didn't see any mucous, which meant there's no food stuck there. He told me it's acid reflux/GERD, which I had been experiencing from the stress of the choking/ food stuck in throat feeling. Told me to take Mylanta and come back in a couple weeks if not better. I wasn't satisfied, but he IS a Head/Neck Surgeon as well, not just an ENT, so maybe I should trust him I thought. Well, on Thanksgiving night, I went to the ER again and stayed this time. I had been eating soups and oatmeal, milk, yoghurt and lots of butter, trying to get nutrition into my system. I've lost a lot of weight, because I've had no bread or meat in a week now - it is painful to swallow food that has texture, and I noticed my throat, and my stomach get very tense when I do eat, I get sharp pains, and feel things on my back (food going down) as well as my shoulders. Then I start burping. Well, the ER did NOTHING for me except charge me $300 and tell me to see a "Specialist". DUH! So I called my ENT again and finally saw him today. He didn't even check my throat, said I should get an Esophagram, but I am convinced that he thinks it's "all in my head". Well maybe it is, but it is making me miserable. So now I am debating whether I should go to that esophagram appointment tomorrow morning. THIS SUCKS!!! But at least I know I am not alone. If I need to, I will go back on Zoloft, although I'd rather not. I was experiencing hair loss with that and it never really grew back the same way. I am a female in my early thirties and I used to have gorgeous, thick hair. So what to do???
All I know is that this Globus business has got to go! Quickly! I am hopeful. :-)
11/29/07 12:43am
Just wanted to add that I actually saved my Dad's life some months ago, when he was choking for real on some chicken. I had to do the Heimlich on him. That was so SCARY! And I am sure it did not help me, having gone through that, to almost choke on a piece of apple myself. Talk about panic! There's always a TRIGGER for these stupid, annoying symptoms of anxiety, and Globus is no exception!
12/13/07 1:47pm
Hi, I'm 36 yrs old, and I've been going through the same thing for the past 3 weeks. I had an endoscopy done the day before Thanksgiving, because I felt that something was stuck in my throat, but the only found a small esophageal stricture at the end of my throat, which they dilated. The day after Thanksgiving, I had to go to the ER, because I felt alot of chest pressure and SOB. They just gave me Xanax and Donnatol, which made me sleep the whole day. They told me I was having Esophageal Spasms. I also had a hysterscopy,laporoscopy, and D&C on 11/26, which added to my stress. I went through it, even though I still felt that lump in my throat and the feeling that my food doesn't get disgested quick enough. A week later my gynecologist hospitalized me for weight loss & dysphagia. They couldn't find anything wrong with me and they said that I was suffering from anxiety or panic disorder. They did a barrium xray, cat scan, and mammotry test and they all came back normal. They prescribed me Paxil, Xanax, Donnatal, and Omperazole. The Paxil made me feel like I was going out of mind, like panicky, insomnia, agitated, etc. The Xanax and donnatal gave a racing heartbeat and SOB. So, I stopped taking those medications. Recently, I saw my GI physician, and he prescribed me Theophylline to open up my breathing, which I still feel the same. He told me to try it for a week, but he insists that it's anxiety. I've told him that this only happens when I eat solids. I guess I'm not convinced that it's anxiety. I thought I was the only person going through this, but I found this web site, with people having similar symptoms. The doctor told me if I continue, he was going to send me to a bigger hospital or a psychiatrist.
4/22/08 6:52pm
Hello Dolly,
No you are not alone everything you have had I had to I had all those tests and nothing but some
gasteritis was found. Some of the symptoms have gone away but I have a lot of burps and it feels
like heartburn now and I have a constant tightness in my throat. I have a lot of phlemn I am always trying to clear my throat it never goes away. When I eat I have to drink tons of water and I feel it move down slowly. Sometimes I feel like I hesitate when I swallow and I am going to choke and my face and cheeks tens up so I stop eating I dont know if the swallowing problems are causing my anxiety or the other way around all I know is that I have physical symptoms like burps, heartburn, phlemn, stomach pain once in a while I think those are spasms. I have taken Nexium and it didnt work and I am scared to take anything else because of the side effects. I struggled with anxiety for many years I took xanex.
When all this happened I was under a lot of stress but my anxiety used to make me short of breath were I would hypervenalate. But it is hard for me to beleive this is from that. Oh and a little FYI while all these hospital visits and tests were being done I caught MRSA a very deadly if not treated staph infection from the hospital which one I dont know but after researching it thats one of the main places you can catch it and it is highly contagious and hard to get rid of and I have some how got it 3 times like I needed this one more thingto stress about always cleaning so my kids dont catch it.
Good Luck,
Melissa
12/23/07 5:02pm
hi i have had this feeling of a lump in my throat for a couple of months now, ended up in accident and emergency department once and was made to feel really stupid. was told i had globus hystericus, waiting for tests to confirm this i just wish the horrible feeling would go away! The feeling has now caused a few panic attacks which make throat worse, it seems silly but i have to keep checking that i can still swallow and drink loads each day and night.
1/ 7/08 6:55pm
hi there. I recently had an allergic reaction to a hazelnut which closed off my throat. That was 4 months ago. I have been on Prednisone and a double dose of antihystamines ever since. Every time I almost get off the prednisone, the lump comes back and I can't eat solid food. I have seen an ENT, allergist, had an UGI, everything says this should be gone... my doc wonders if it could be globus hystericus due to the stress of the life threatening allergy. After reading this, I realize it may be true. I can't think of anything else and I've lost 10 pounds. I'm always checking to make sure I can still swallow. It is currently back and the Prednisone is not responding. So I haven't eaten anything solid for a week now. Has anyone out there with any allergies ever experienced anything like this?
1/ 8/08 12:43pm
I had the same thing happen to me. I had a reaction to almonds which caused my throat to swell and I was given predisone at the hospital. The next day I felt better but I felt like something was in my throat. This has gone on for 2 weeks and I had all the tests that came back negative for any type of esophagus problem, thyroid, etc. Now I am on Effexor XR for Anxiety. I have not previously had a problem with anxiety so I am not too comfortable staying on this medicine long. I have been on it for 4 days and I am doing better about not having a panic attack, but I still feel like I have a giant cotton ball in my throat. I have also lost 10 lbs and I haven't ate solid food for over 9 days.
1/ 9/08 7:52pm
Thank you for answering. It does help to know other people are going through this too. I have started to decrease the Prednisone now and finally get off that. My doctor doesn't want to put me on any anti-depressants yet and has suggested doing relaxation tecniques and starting Yoga. I feel that I just really have to wrap my mind around the fact that I can make it go away as soon as I stop being scared of it. Good luck and I hope it gets better for you.
1/16/08 1:52am
Of course my first impression was the big one. I was a smoker so that's the one to worry about. Well, after 4 days of this terrible feeling, I made a panicky call to an ENT and was seen that afternoon. After discribing all my symptoms he was convinced it was Globus. He looked down my throat said there was nothing abnormal. I (being a big a super worrier) wanted the full scope put down there to look. He again said it wasn't necessary and perscribed Prilosec..... I'm to take it for a month and revisit. It's been 2 days now and nothing changed yet. I still feel the lump. I did however see somewhere that 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar after meals and @ bedtime helps. I've just tried that too. Will keep in touch
1/25/08 9:10am
I've been feeling a similar sensation lately. Its as if i've swallowed something and it hasn't gone down properly. I have been very anxious lately with palpitations and a butterlies in the tummy feeling. I was also suffering constantly with heartburn so i was really worried that there was something sinister going on in my oesophagus. However i read recently about 'globus hystericus' and wonder if thats whats wrong with me. I can swallow ok but feel a dreadful pressure at the bottom of my throat.
2/ 3/08 7:19am
i had globus too..for 2 years i ate liquid food.then i just forced myself to swollow solid food ..after losing 50 pounds i was angry and didnt care if i choked i took my power back..little bits at first then more..have a glass of water to wash it all down..dear and anxiety are old ..realize that and do it anyways..just eat little pieces of food then increase..good luck...dont let fear and anxiety control you..they are the boogie man that doesnt exsist..
3/23/08 9:41am
I suffer from anxiety/panic attacks on off and have done for years. Every so often i get a new anxiety symptom pop up. Last year i had you what have. I also had a sensation of a lump in my throat even when not eating, and couldnt seem to talk either.
I obsessed over it. Hours on google, looking up related conditions, worrying, on my mind subconsiously all the time too propabably. My dodctor said is was just anxiety, nothing wrong physically.
It went away after about a month or so. I dont know why, but it hasnt been back since.
Now my latest symptom is palpitations! Another fun one to get through... ;)
Good luck anyway - it'll go on its own eventually. Until then just go easy on your self and eat buttery baked potatoes (w cheese/mayo) very small mouthfuls, healthy homemade soups in a mug (with a straw?), quiche, other soft foods. Please dont worry - just accept that its like that for now, but wont be forever!
3/26/08 11:14am
Hey,i feel the same way.I have felt like this since Dec.Going on 4 months now.I have been to Doctors after Doctors.Plus,i work for a Doctor.NOone can tell me whats going on besides acid reflux.Its taking over my whole Life.I'm only 27 years old & i feel like i'm falling apart.I have had all kinds of tests done.Everyone thinks its in my head.My Doctor put me on Valium.I'm not crazy.I have 2 kids,i cant take care of because i feel like i can't function!!!My husband is not supportive with this at all.I know i have anxiety issues.All i do is pray & hope one day i will wake up & it will be gone.I also have a hard time swallowing/ even my own saliva is diffucult.Its changed me as a person to feel bad like this all the time.
3/29/08 11:35am
Last summer,while on vacation with extended family I was hit with panic attacks and globus. I had the lump in my throat, felt like I had to swallow constantly and felt the need to clear my throat. Nothing helped. It was very scary! I couldn't eat solid foods and really didn't want to drink either. It was a long vacation and drive home. I called my doctor and he prescribed Ativan to relax me until I could get some tests done. I had an upper GI done - normal. My doctor said it was anxiety disorder and prescribed Paxil cr. It is a wonder drug. The globus eventually disappeared, after about 6 weeks. The panic attacks also disappeared. When I am stressed I feel a slight lump in the throat starting. But since I know what it is, I don't panic and I talk myself down. If it doesn't go away I have Ativan I can take , as needed. That helps a lot. I have suffered with panic for 13 years off and on, but had never had globus until lately. New symptoms sometimes pop up with anxiety disorders. Other solutions to try are yoga, listening to meditation and relaxation tapes, exercize, abstain from alcohol and caffeine, get lots of sleep, deep breathing, seeing a therapist.
3/29/08 2:53pm
I have had panic disorder since a very young age, and I am 48 now. I always seem to have a "main" symptom that dominates more than the others. First it was feeling like I couldn't breathe, then dizziness, etc. I have had globus on and off throughout the years, and it seems like it has returned for some reason out of the blue. I don't have as much of a problem with food and liquids as I do with my own saliva. Sometimes I go to swallow and can't, and that is when the panic sets in. I try and try for what seems like thirty seconds and then I feel like I will stop breathing. The palps set in and I run for the water. I keep mints and gum with me at all times, and if for some reason I am out I panic and have to go to the nearest store to buy more. Now I am concentrating on it all the time, and feel like I have to clear my throat before every swallow and I find myself "trying" to swallow constantly. The only thing that helps sometimes is to push against my throat. One time I had a tooth pulled and I felt like I couldn't swallow and they told me to do that, and it helped. My therapist calls it the "foot in your shoe dilemma." If you think about how your foot feels in your shoe, sandal, etc. you can feel the sole of your foot. If you concentrate on it, you can always feel it. If you are not aware, then you can't really feel it there. Once you start concentrating on one thing, you are going to become hyper aware and that will become your new symptom. When I had bad palps I would take my pulse every minute and if it felt like it was going just a little bit faster, I would panic and it would make it worse. I had to force myself to stop feeling my neck and taking my pulse. Eating sugar has helped my palps so much, and drinking caffeine (even though I never drank a lot) makes the globus worse. Even as I sit here and write this, I am having trouble swallowing because it's all I can think about. Usually if I am watching TV or working I don't notice it as much. I am on a low dose of xanax, but that doesn't seem to help that much with the globus but I guess I stay a bit calmer and try not to react as much. It's a scary feeling when you go to swallow and you just can't. I'm lucky I don't have a problem with swallowing food like some of you do. Good luck to everyone, and if you have any suggestions...please post them!
Jody
3/29/08 3:00pm
4/ 8/08 8:28pm
I am a 24 male, and 2 1/2 weeks ago had my first panic attack and wasn't sure what it was that was happening. I thought I was having a heart attack, and almost called 911, but was able to calm myself down. After about 2 or 3 hours I seemed to be okay, also the next day I didn't have any more panic attacks. after that it all seemed to get worse by the day. Now I always feel that lump/tightness in my throat below my adams apple pretty much constantly. At first it would come and go, but it seems to get worse everyday. I went to my doctor and was prescribed paxil cr and lorazapam. the lorazapam helps, but is highly addictive and makes you very tired. After 2 weeks I went back to the MD after the lorazapam was gone and the lumpy feeling was still there. I am now taking xanax and ambian for sleep since i wake up in the middle of the night with dry throat and have to keep drinking water. I havn't talked to my doctor to see if I might have Globus because today is the only day That i started looking it up. I too thought I was the only one going through this, so it is good to know that there are other people out there who can relate. now that i know that this isnt life threatening I am believing that I can cure this by changing my thinking and to quit dwelling on it even though it is hard at times since it is very uncomfortable. I hate taking meds and will get off of the paxil and xanax soon. Just know that we are all in this together and we will conquer this. God bless you all.
4/20/08 5:09am
I had no idea other people were getting the same feelings in the throat. I just thought it was me going crazy. My husbad also doesn't understand, although he is trying. I've only had mine now for about 4 months. My first time was in Bali for 2 weeks. Second day we were there, I could feel this sort of tightness in my throat and it just got worse from that day on. I had the hotel doctor to see me on 3 separate occassions and he put me on antibiotics, ant-inflammatory and steirods all of which did nothing. I have been referred to see a ENT (ear,nose and throat) Specialist, just to be sure nothing else is going on. Now that I realize there are other people with this and there is help out there I won't have to think I'm crazy any more. Will keep in touch
4/15/08 6:36am
I can relate to most of the symptoms described. I have had my globus for 5.5 years now and still no signs it will ever go away. I have gone through the panic attacks, and cured myself of them. I lost 4 stone in 3 months because I thought I couldnt swallow, now like the other people describe it actually feels better when eating and drinking. I caused terrible spasms in my throat by focussing on it so much. Mine came on so suddenly after my mother was diagnosed as terminally ill with cancer. I tried the drugs and all sorts of expensive therapy and tests you name them I had them all. I now accept that it is my burden, but I have not given up on the thought that one dy it may go as suddenly as it started. I had dreams also that I was choking, I suffered bad throats as a teenager and had my tonsils out at 16. So all these things seem related. It started one night out of the blue with a huge panic attack, and the rest is history.
I moved to NZ four years ago from the UK and I have done a lot here, but I cannot shake this dry painful throat, always wanting to swallow, and stopping myself from doing that.
Drugs made me feel suicidal, so I stopped those after 6 months. Now I always look for a cure, not all the time but just when it gets me down. I know some people get rid of it, as my mother had told me that when her mother died she got it, drugs cured her in 2 weeks, my friend got better of it , so maybe one day mine will go.
The weird thing is that my husband aslo got it for a short time after I had had mine for 6 months or so, he found it so hard to understand how I felt, then he got it. His got better after a few months, but now he has had a taste of it he can understand how sick of it you can be. I have forgotten what it is like not to have it now. Maybe I will find a cure, because it doesnt scare me anymore, I just get frustrated with it. I am 52 and going through the change, flushes etc, I still hope it has something to do with that , then at least one day it will go away.
I am going to try those globutab, there was a link on here for them, hope they help as they say they guarantee a cure, thats the first time anyone has ever said that. Keep your fingers crossed for me, as after 5 years I deserve a cure. Love to you all, I have suffered with you and no doctors understand what it is like.
5/ 7/08 8:22pm
I am just about to finish my finals here at college, and this entire week I've felt this same feeling all of you are describing. I almost choked trying to slowly eat small bites of crackers just now. It's been scary and I've been drinking a lot of smoothies and eating soup and what not. Liquids go down fine, and I have found that washing the bites of crackers in my mouth down with water help the process. It still definitely feels like something is lodged in my throat. I am hoping and hoping that once my last final is over everything will calm down, because these symptoms just started this week. I also am planning on a massage, I read somewhere else that helps a lot. Good luck to you all, good knowing I'm not the only one with this "im gonna choke + die" feeling anytime I try and eat. :)
5/27/08 3:53pm
From childhood, I, too, had the sensation that some things I ate were so very hard to swallow - mashed potatoes especially! You would think they would slide down but it was as if they were stuck in my throat for a long time --I believe anxiety affects people in many different ways and this is one. You should first speak with your doctor about this feeling to rule out anything else that could be causing the feeling. With that said, if your test(s) come back normal, you may want to ask for an anti-anxiety med to help you, especially with eating. I am now taking generic Xanax (alprazolam) and it has helped me tremendously. I am actually getting fingernails slowly instead of bloody nubs! God Bless!
6/ 6/08 2:07pm
Hi everyone,
I also feel like I have a lump stuck in my esophagus. It feels swollen and tight and like food is going to get stuck. I feel it even when I swallow saliva. It is constant now. I just went to my doc and he thinks it is globus hystericus from my generalized anxiety disorder. He wants me to try Xanax .5 three times per day. I don't want to (I just weaned off it recently) but he thinks I really should so I am going to try it.
He said if I don't feel relief by Monday after a weekend course of regular Xanax he is going to send me to the ENT and have them take a look. I was just at the ENT and he said take Prilosec, but now I can't because it interferes with Xanax from what I've read and my doc said not to so we can focus on one therapy at a time.
I am terrified that I have esophageal cancer or throat cancer from 15 years of drinking, smoking and substance abuse. The doctor doesn't seem too concerned about that.
I am a definite worrier and this is driving me crazy. I took a Xanax .5 a few hours ago but it really didn't help the problem. I don't know what to do. I'm so scared of cancer.
I may have GERD because I do burp a lot and there is some mucus in my throat, but I don't have heartburn with it. I don't know what to take or do other than this Xanax. I really want to follow doctor's orders but I also want to do the right thing for myself. I feel like I could crawl in a hole and die. I am sick of worrying about cancer but I can't help it because I can always feel this sensation.
Angie
6/12/08 11:36pm
I'm so glad I decided to play with Google tonight! It makes me feel a lot better knowing there's a name, I'm not crazy, and other people are in this with me.
I was diagnosed with GAD at 18 (25 now), and I took Paxil until the age of 24. I got sick of being controlled by the pills, and their effectiveness was starting to wear off. So I did the hardest thing I've ever done and came off Paxil. Worst two weeks of my life. That was September '07, and I was doing fine without meds until February '08. I started having attacks periodically, without triggers, and this throat thing was part of it (and I never recall it happening during the attacks when I was younger).
Now this happens, on average, twice daily (often while driving - lucky me), and sometimes it's severe to the point that I need to abandon whatever it is I'm doing and go calm down (oddly enough, I've found chewing gum helps). I do notice that caffiene and sugar exacerbate it, so I try to limit my intake. But that's not fail-safe. When I go a day without this happening, I'm the happiest person in the world. I've been freaking out and thinking about seeing an ENT (my tonsils are huge, so that makes it even worse, and I have allergies which make it near impossible to breathe through my nose this time of year), and stressing about swallowing my pride (no pun intended) and going to a psychiatrist to get back on meds.
But...now that I have some answers, and can be pretty certain this is anxiety-related... I'm going to make some phone calls tomorrow, find myself a psychiatrist, and take my life back...darnit!
6/18/08 4:12pm
I'm 26 year old male whom has been taking it day by day like most of you. I see that alot of you have had attacks and such after friend or family is diagnosed with illness (cancer, what not). There are sooo many people on here who have given great ideas, mine started when I took a headache way out of proportion. I went months with fullness of ears, head pressure would move from head to ear to behind eye, felt like my eye was going to shoot out of my head. I finally went to the ER for MRI with the dreads of a tumor. All came clear and once the diagnosis of a clean bill of health came I have not had those symptoms (other than headpain) since.
But that is what started my anxiety, I found this thread because I feel like a piece of hair is stuck in my throat when I worry, it tingles to the tip of my tounge sometimes.
I have learned that there are a few ways to get your mind right:\
Sadly I saw this mentioned, alcohol...yes there is NO pain...but could lead to future problems.
Working out, I saw this too and it will focus your mind on the task at hand and you feel great when you leave the gym...seriously!
A Doc's diagnosis will put the stomach at ease...but pricey.
Me and my wife LOVE the beach, people take time for yourself!!! I go to the beach and have NO worries, my stressfull job is gone and I'm a compulsive cleaner, neat freak. No worries bout doing yard work/ cleaning house. When I go on vacation...I feel so good, life stops...slows down. It seemed to drop 2nd gear already from 21 to now, breathe and know that it is all realated. Headaches that come from adrenale gland shooting of charts making you all with GERD flare up, stomach acid is churning making all these symptoms scare you even more. As they say, '' IT's A VICIOUS CYCLE''.
I pray you all find peace and live this short life to the fullest you can!
6/22/08 8:59pm
I can't tell you how much reading all of this has made me feel like I'm not losing my mind. I haven't been diagnosed with Globus but maybe this is what I have. I have struggled with panic attacks lately and chest pain and arm pain sent me to the ER recently. Heart tests were all good but they found a small mass on chest - they don't think it is cancer but I have to have another CT scan in August to see if there have been any changes. I am a HUGE worrier and I automatically asume the worst. I am 33 years old, in relatively good health, two beautiful children, and a wonderful life - except for this. I too feel the lump in my throat, I've had the heart palputations, I've been short of breath, and even at night when I start to go to sleep I feel like my whole body is vibrating on the inside. It is absolutely HORRIBLE and I am SO SORRY that any of you have to go through this. I also walk around most days just trying to convince myself that I am not going to die every minute. My prayer is that we will all overcome this and that it won't take away anymore precious days that we have left on this earth. Thank you all for your willingness to share your struggles because it has truly made me feel like I am not alone!! God Bless you all and maybe one day we will have the victory over this!!
Jules
6/23/08 12:53am
Hi all,
For the last month or so I too have been having the strange tightness/"lump" in my throat that I am discovering might be Globus. It all started when I was eating a brownie...my mouth got itchy and then my throat started tightening. I freaked out that I might be having an allergic reaction, so I took Benadryl right away. The itchiness stopped...but the throat tightness has remained and has not gotten any better. I have never had any food allergies, but I was so worried about the POSSIBILITY of food allergies that I went to an allergist and had tests done. No food allergies showed up on my arm with the skin tests, but they took blood to run more tests and I'm still waiting for those results. In the meantime, I am scared to eat anything! As soon as I start thinking about my throat I can feel it get tighter...when I am busy exercising or out with friends I can hardly notice it, but at any moment when I am by myself it can get really bad. Sounds weird, but alcohol actually makes it feel better too...maybe because it relaxes me? I've gone to the ER, where they looked at me and told me I was fine. I've gone to an Ear Nose and Throat doctor, who told me I probably have seasonal allergies but that my throat looks fine. The allergist put me on antibiotics thinking it might be some kind of infection, as well as Prednisone to stop any breathing difficulties. My normal doctor just recently put me on Celexa because she attributed it to anxiety, but I had such bad side effects that I had to stop taking it after only 2 days. I'm not depressed, but I have been a "worrier" my whole life. Do any of you have similar experiences? At this point I am not eating any wheat products because ever since that brownie, any wheat product I put into my body causes me to freak out, which makes my throat worse, etc until I start panicking. I feel like it is almost a sudden obsession - I can't stop thinking about my throat. I KNOW that when I'm not thinking about it, it feels slightly better, but I can't help not thinking about it. It's driving me nuts! Do any of you out there have any advice for me? I'd really like to stay AWAY from the anti-depressant drugs, because Celexa REALLY messed me up and apparently that's one of the mildest ones out there and I was on the lightest dose possible (10 mg). Any other remedies work for any of you? HELP!
Erica
6/23/08 10:50pm
I am suffering with the same kind of anyxiety as you are also. My Dr. just recently diagnosed me with it. right now I am living off of yoggurt and anything that is east to swallow like tomatoe soup etc. and I even feel like I am choking on that. I even go into panic attacks while eating this stuff sometimes... I am always wondering if I will ever be "normal" again. If you would like to chat sometime... here is my yahoo email and IM.
skyisthelimit2007@yahoo.com
7/ 7/08 9:00pm
I was 13 when it started. I ate a butterfinger and I guess it went down the wrong way. But I thought I was choking. I felt like I was choking. I took a drink and I could still breathe but I could feel that poking sensation still lingering. A couple days went by and I couldn't eat. I was afraid to choke. I could not sleep, it felt horrible because the pain was still there everytime I swallowed and all I did was think about it and think about it. I mean how could you not? One night it got really bad and I felt like I couldn't handle it anymore, I went to the hospital and they took an X Ray and told me nothing was there. I said "THERE HAS TO BE!" "I FEEL IT!" They reassured me nothing was there.
About 3 weeks later I went back to the hospital because the problem still persisted. I wasn't eating anything except mashed potatoes and drinking liquid bevarages. They took another XRay this time with barium. I swallowed it. They took the XRAY and once again reassured me your fine nothing is there. "THEN WHY DO I FEEL LIKE THIS?" They thought it was all in my mind.
I went to a nose ears and throat doctor. They stuck a tube through my nose to see if anything was in my throat. They told me nothing was there. Maybe you have acid reflux? I believed them.
The problem was still there. A few months went by and I was getting thinner and thinner because I was deathly afraid to eat. People told me it was all in my head. I couldn't believe them because it felt so real. It's hard to explain to anyone who doesn't believe you.
I lastly saw my family doctor and I told her my symptoms and she flat out told me I have "Globus" She explained it to me and she told me it in fact was all up in my head. There was nothing there. This can be related to stress, depression, panic disorders. She gave me some pills. I took them for about 2 months they worked. I didn't feel anything in my throat.
I then turned 14 and the problem seemed to subside for a good 3 years. But came back when I turned 17. A taquito must of went down the wrong way or something because I felt like it was there. I felt like I was choking. And it's really hard to believe that it was all in my head, because the pain and the panic was clearly visible.
And now I have it still. I'm afraid to eat. I only eat bananas, pancakes, carnation instant breakfast, oatmeal (although it's hard to still swallow) and that is about it. It's horrible... I often feel ridiculous, people don't seem to think i'm sane.
But once I take deep breaths and realize it's all in my head I'm usually fine.
I just hate this disease. I don't want it anymore. It's crazy that this many people have it and they still don't have known reasons for this disease.
I'm glad I'm not alone though, I thought I was going insane.
But I guess the best advice would be: To be careful, breathe deeply, think about something pleasent? and I usually pace around the floor; it usually calms me down. Drink lots of water!
7/22/08 1:54am
Today it is the first time I looked on the internet to find out about :"globus". I had no ideea that I was about to found so many people with the same thing. I have all the symptoms that everybody complains about for one year now, except that I gained weight, like all the things that I feel in my throat every day were not enough. Today it was soo bad that as soon as I left from work, while I was driving back home I cried. I cried even more once I was home. I do have acid reflux, hiatal hernia and heart burn which I found on a web site, it might be one of the main causes, (beside stress) that triger this stupid thing. I am on prescription pills for the past three years for this. I am not depressed, I don't suffer from anxiety so I don't know why it hit me? I am soo full of live, of happines and I allways put a positive spin on life and any situation, but now it all changed. I've been trying to put all the symptoms on the back of my mind, but it's not quite working. I don't really think that it's all in our heads. When you feel like somebody is choking you 24/7 it's hard not to think about it. This stupid disease got me where I have days that I want to go into the bathroom in fron of the mirror, cut my throat open and take out what ever it's inside so I can go on with my life. I am the kind of person that if I am seek with something, I want to find out what it is as quick as posible to get the right treatment so I can take care of it and go on with my life. I'm also not the kind of person to go to the doctor over and over which I actually did for the past year tring to find out what's wrong with me. If I get seek usually it happens ones every 10 or more years. But like I said, I take care of it and I go forward. But this stupid globus, is eating my energy little by little. I feel drained. I can't belive that there are so many people suffering from this and the doctors are still telling each and every one: "it's in your head". By now they should have realized that it's a serious problem. Unless they get it to see how it is to go day by day with it, they not going to belive it. As far as taking anxity pills, I refuse to do that. That's gotta be another way, another treatment. All I know is that I want it gone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
8/ 1/08 2:02pm
Hi all,
I have studied Chinese Medicine, (Acupuncture & herbology) for about a year now. During my first semester in school, we were introduced to "Plum Pit Qi" The feeling of something in the throat..patient may express pain, difficulty swallowing, or difficulty lying down.
Though there may not be anything substancial in the throat area, we believe the body's qi (energy, vitality) is stuck in the throat. This can be caused by emotions, anxiety, and whatever else to be honest, every case has its different causes.
What I do know are the countless success stories I've heard for patients coming and experiencing much relief in their Globus Hystericus.
For those of you suffering, I encourage you to give acupuncture a try.
There is relief.
7/13/09 5:34am
I am a 42 year old female who is already on antidepressants for many years.
My doctor diagnosed bronchial spasm/asthma after my 2nd visit. I was so breathless and scared. The lump in the base of my throat was there, but not the main symptom until after 3 lots of antibiotics for whooping cough. Also, ventolin was of little or no help.
This is now about the 6th week of constantly clearing my throat to no avail. I do feel like Im choking at times, esp when I get really anxious about it. Thinking back, I'm sure I've experienced this before but not as severe.
I am also itchy on the skin on my throat & down to collar bones. I haven't seen anyone else say this. ???? Also, I have been coughing incessantly but it doesn't help, it just gives me a bad headache. It almost feels like something in my throat is vibrating or rattling at the end of the "out breath".
I have suffered depression, anxiety & panic attacks over many years.
Out of desperation I tried massage & was surprised that I didn't cough too much during the massage. That didn't make sense until I tried acupuncture/cupping therapy. The guy I saw really knew his stuff & when the bronchitis type symptoms subsided & he asked a few questions he said it sounds like "plum stone throat".... that's how I found this website. He gave me 2 TCMs - Ban Xia Hou Po Tang and Sheng Mai San... fingers crossed.
Thank god I'm not alone. I have even had suicidal thoughts in the past week of which I'm now ashamed seeing how long others have suffered.
I suspect that my intense worry stems from watching my dear Mum die of the Bulbar Palsy version of Motor Neurone Disease. The sicker she got, the more she choked for purely physical reasons. It was horrible feeling so helpless. Ironicly, today just happens to be Mum's birthday.
I will seek another medical opinion as my Dr has been a bit dismissive and will not prescribe any "drugs of addiction". Also, I do have a hiatus hernia.
Thankyou everyone for your comments. It does help.
Lisa
8/18/08 12:26am
I have had this problem for almost two years now and originally my doctor thought that I had a food allergy. It all started for me after I had a root canal. I remember sitting at my desk at work thinking about how my throat seemed to be closing off. Immediately my mind turned to stories about allergic reactions to food like peanut butter, wheat etc. About that time a few weeks before, 400 or so people were laid off in my office and I knew it was a matter of time before the rest of us would be laid off too. It really seems to be anxiety, depression or combination of these two plus perhaps more factors. On a Saturday a little over a year ago, I really thought I was going to suffocate due to the sensation of this lump, and throat tightening. I for some reason decided to take a Benedryl tablet and by the time I got to the emergency room, it started to clear up. They ran all sorts of tests on me and found nothing wrong. After two more trips to the ER they still found nothing. Eventually, my doctor put me on 5 mg of Diazepam three times a day as needed. It worked fine for me but I hated going back to the doctor every three months to get my prescription re-filled so now I am winging it from day to day when it appears. Sometimes it disappears for weeks or shows up several times in a week. I am glad this website is here since it has helped me greatly just to see what others have written here and has for the most part been very comforting to know we can make it and maybe kick Globus out of our lives for good eventually.
9/ 1/08 1:27am
hello everyone, i havent been diagnosed with this horrible disease but i go to the doctor tuesday to find out what is wrong with me. the past year i have been feeling odd. it started first with hives in the winter. it went away then came back this past winter. went away again then about march i had what they said was a anxiety attack. this lasted for 1 month then started to take claritin and it went away about 1 week ago i had another attack and then i have had this lump in my throat ever since. i have been on the internet looking for 3 days now and found this and i have hope now. i have read every message here and it all sounds like i have felt this past week. the lump is there and will not go away i eat and drink fine but after i do it i feel it again. it gets worse at night it seems to me and just wish it would go away i cannot sleep anymore and i feel like im going crazy. all of your posted have gave me hope and i would like to thank all of u
9/ 8/08 6:32am
Hi i had globus for more than seven years now.
I just recently heard about globus for the first time, i couldnt find any information about so i just created a forum for it here:
http://glob-hys.webs.com/globushystericusboard.htm
10/ 7/08 1:36am
I am also suffering from this globus lump in the throat feeling for the past several weeks. I hope I don't have to suffer from this for long. I hate it. It is driving me nuts. And I am always obsessing over my throat.
It all started when I was in HK and I ate something and it got lodged in my throat.. my whole body just frozed in fear, and I felt like I couldn't swallow. I quickly drank water and it helped. However, ever since then I became so careful with swallowing. Then after the trip, I started having globus.
Saw the GP today and he says its either anxiety of allergies. I've literally visited 5-6 doctors within the past 2-3 weeks. I am so tired of all of this. To be honest I think it is anxiety, since I use to have a twitchy right eye, now that "anxiety" symptom is gone and now it has become this globus. I am under a lot of stress and anxiety so this sounds quite logically to me.
I've been taking Nexium its day #5 today, and so far the feeling of my throat hasn't gone away (in case it is silent acid reflux). I am giving this drug a few more days and then I will get off of it since it is probably not a good thing if I am on it for too long. I am also starting an anti-histamine and giving that a try for 1 week. As well I am using neilmed sinus rinse.
I hope there will be relief for everyone from this weird illness.
10/ 8/08 2:34pm
Hello-
I've had globus now for almost 1 year. Mine came after a night of terrible vomiting. I was so sick that I was dry heaving for hours.. 36 hours later I was fine, except for this odd sensation in my throat..
Since then I've been to many doctors and other healthcare professionals. Including internal medicine doctors, Ear-Nose-Throat specialists, Gastroenterologists, Chiropractors and Accupuncturists. I had an MRI done to rule out a mass. They found that I had inflammed lymph nodes. We did some blood tests to ensure that I didn't have some form of lymphoma and decided a biopsy wasn't necessary.
The inflammed lymph nodes show that SOMETHING is happening in my throat that is eliciting an inflammatory response. The lympnode is doing what it is supposed to do when injury/illness is present around it-- it takes and disposes of the damaged cells, in layman's terms.
So the question now becomes, WHAT is causing this inflammation? And that remains the question to this day. The most popular diagnosis is GERD. My symptoms coincide with those of GERD- globus sensation, gurgling in the throat, etc. However, it is a bit too odd that this all came about the day after the most extreme vomiting I have ever experienced (and I MEAN extreme, it hurt a lot).
So my doctors put me on Nexium. It did not help me. Then we tried Zegerid, it was not much better either. Then we tried a drug called Regalan (metoclopramide). Low and behold, it works! Regalan 3x/day 5mg doses. I took it for the the first week and was amazed. I felt so much better. I was able to get on with my life again. I still didn't feel normal, but it was easily tolerable.
However, Regalan has some issues. It can cause extrapyramidal side effects such as tardive dyskinesia. Although very rare, it warrants NOT staying on the drug for the rest of your life. So I gradually reduced it from 3x/day to 2x to 1x to 0x. I took no pills for about 4 months and felt pretty good. Then the globus came back to me, and I have started taking Regalan again.
So, honestly I was NOT sold on the GERD diagnosis for a long time. However, the Regalan, a GERD drug, worked for me. And it worked well. So my advice would be if you can't find any other reason for your globus, and your docs have put you on Nexium and other proton pump inhibitors without success, see if you can get put on high doses of Regalan. It is a cheap drug, and I think most would be happy to give it a shot.
I can't really comment on the anxiety portion of globus, other than to say it frustrates the hell out of me. I don't have anxiety. I never have had anxiety. My globus does not stem from anxiety. It either stems from some sort of muscular injury from the vomiting, or GERD which may have been induced from the vomiting of that fateful night.
Good luck to you all. Try Regalan if you can.
grdaniel@indiana.edu for questions.
12/12/08 11:40pm
i have been suffering from globus hystericus off and on for years.....trouble is, i'm also a smoker, so every time i feel this sensation it starts me off on another anxiety attack and unfortunately the symptoms don't get better.
The only thing that makes it better is hearing from the doctor that nothing is wrong with me!
1/ 2/09 2:53am
yea i feel as when im eating or drinking i get the same reaction its come to a point i cant even leave my house with out a drink cause it feels like i need one and my saliva gets really thick and i gag!! im also a reallllly nervous person and when i drink liqor or something i get nervous of what might happen and i start to panic and i go into this rage of loosing my mind i hate it so much and i also think about the weirdest things like dieing and thinking what does the after life feel like and loosing won of my close friends or family member. and my friends and family laugh at me as if im a retard they say its all in my head i think i would no what is in my head and what is going on!
1/ 4/09 5:34am
I have globus for about six months now... It did only go away for one week but now it's constantly, terrible! I was so scared for oesophagus cancer cause the lump seemed to be stucked in my oesophagus too...
In my troath it's constantly, the feeling in my oesophagus comes when I'm too focused on it. I saw alot of doctors. First I did see an ENT en she looked with a tube in my troath, nothing there so she told me not to worry... I wonder that an ENT can see a part of the oesophagus too with such tube? Does anybody know that?
Anyway, I had a scan of my tyroid too and it seemed to be swollen a little but nothing worse, blood and thyroid levels were normal so nothing wrong there either...
So, in my case, one docter says: what you feel it your swollen tyroid, the other doctor said: no, you don't feel your tyroid, is caused by anxiety...
Hope it will be gone one day!
Wish you all the best, any advice is very welcome!
1/10/09 8:48pm
Globus Hystericus
I suffer from this about once a year for the past 5 years. It is always combined with panic attacks and anxiety. The underlying problem, in my case, is Candida Albican. Whenever I go back to the diet rich in sugar, bread, alcohol, white rice, sodas and whatever else feeds the candida, I get a systemic Candidiasis. It all started when I had colon cancer in 2003 and had 2 feet or my colon removed. I don't know if it was the massive amounts of antibiotics or the shortened intestine, all I do know is that if I let it get out of control, it's a 3 month cleanse and probiotic flooding for weeks before I start feeling better. It takes that long because I won't use drugs to kill it, only herbs and probiotics. And the die off of the yeast can be quite painful if you try to do the cleanse too fast! But man....when the fog lifts, it's all worth while! Other things that are symptoms for me are; anger, depression, thrush, lethargy and sleeplessness. I'm a 50 year old man, I never thought I could get, what I foolishly considered, a woman's problem such as Candida! God bless you all and keep fighting!
2/14/09 8:48am
Dear friends i suffer the same thing for almost two months ,sorry for my english.
I find some interesting sites on the net like this http://homepage.mac.com/changcy/globus.htm
http://www.nexiumresearch.com/cricopharyngeal_spasm.html
Iam from south america and hear the doctors dont have tho much information about that and thing i must be crazy mayve in us or europe the doctors have the enought knoledwe to now about this hell dicease.
If something sufering to pleghm stiking in the troath mayve this site can help.
have promised to help with this if I found something. Found something I have! This is huge news for people that suffer from that phlegm problem
How to Solve excessive phlegm...
I am not a member of the medical community. But, take that as you may, I have a story that may be of interest to you...
I have known my husband for 22 years and, of course, I have also known my father-in-law for that same period of time. One of the things that was a constant problem for my father-in-law, Tom Sr., was excessive phlegm. For as long as I have known him, he was constantly clearing his throat. And not just one time, but many, many times in a row. One time I counted and he cleared his throat over 20 times to try and get rid of the excess phlegm that was in the back of his throat. My husband and I found some products last year that have worked wonders on our health and we thought he could benefit, as well, so we asked him to start taking the products. Within a month, the throat clearing had completely stopped. The excess phlegm got a bit worse at first, but in time it was totally gone. I have not heard him clear his throat in that manner (it drove me absolutely crazy) for almost a year. Turns out, Tom had a systemic candida overgrowth that was causing the phlegm. When he got the candida overgrowth under control, the excess phlegm was gone!!
If you have ever, even once, taken antibiotics, corti-steroids like prednisone, birth control pills, chemotherapy or oral acne medications then you may have a candida concern!
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Candida, what is it?
Candida albicans is a common yeast found in our digestive system and throat, when we are exposed to anti-biotics, birth control pills, corti-steroids, or prednisone the good bacteria which normally keep candida under control in our systems are killed off and the candida can overgrow. When the candida yeast gets out of control, it morphs into a mycelial fungal form, becomes invasive and grows rhizoids which then burrow into our intestinal wall. These rhizoids leave microscopic holes in the intestinal wall which allows toxins in the form of undigested food particles, bacteria and yeast into our blood stream. When this condition occurs the overgrowth is called Candidiasis or a systemic yeast infection. One indication of a systemic yeast infection is oral thrush or a white coated tongue. The toxins that the yeast puts into our system are responsible for the varying conditions that each individual experiences.
This overgrowth of yeast, I believe also causes excess phlegm and a host of other problems. You could probably get by dealing with candida if excess phlegm was the only problem, but the kicker is that excess phlegm is probably just the tip of the iceberg. You may be suffering from many other symptoms that are related to Yeast and just not realize it. Things like fatigue, painful joints, recurrent vaginal yeast infections (if you are a woman, of course), eye pain, chronic sinusitis, headaches, and more. For a comprehensive list look at this list of Yeast Symptoms. I have supplied a list of things that I was able to solve with the fantastic product I will discuss below. Finding out that I had a candida problem solved so many problems for me! From things as benign as eye pain to water retention and the inability to lose weight.
If you want a quick and suprisingly reliable test - try this surprisingly accurate saliva test.
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"The majority of people who have Candida Albicans (Yeast) do not even realize they have it until they become seriously ill. It is estimated that over half of the worlds population has a moderate to serious Candida condition, due to the over use of antibiotics/drugs, bad diet and other causes. There are many programs, books and products on the market, all promising either control or relief from Candida and its symptoms. I have searched the net, researched with colleges and pulled together the most comprehensive, straightforward & up to date information possible. We will show you in these pages why Nystatin, Diflucan and other Fluconazoles do more harm than good, how to recognize the problem, arrest it and of course get rid of it!" - from Healthy Christian Living
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A yeast overgrowth will not go away on its own, in fact this insidious fungus grows stronger and stronger with each passing year. I believe that I have unsuspectingly had an overgrowth for at least 20 years. I have suffered miserably with the inability to lose weight, food sensitivities and the like. If I had known of systemic yeast 20 years ago, I would have done everything in my ability to get rid of it when it would have been easier. However, I have found a way that even long time candida sufferers can be free of this nasty fungal infection. You need to cleanse it from your body and I found a wonderful product that helps you do just that. The product is called ThreeLac and, with guidance, I can help you through the process of possibly ridding yourself of excess phlegm and other symptoms once and for all. Learn More about Systemic Yeast Infections.
If excessive phlegm is an indicator of a systemic yeast infection for you, can you afford to not take a look at these products? Bookmark this page so you can find me easily tomorrow and take the saliva test in the morning. If you test positive, these amazing products may help you eliminate the candida, solve your excess phlegm and avoid the problems that a systemic yeast infection may develop into! You deserve to know if candida is a concern for you!!
The site its www.stopyeast.com.
Ihope be helpfull tho yours a hope this nigtnare ending soon.
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2/14/09 8:55am
Yu can goin tho http://www.bastianvoice.com/video.htm
in that you can find some videos that can help the people.
3/14/09 4:07pm
Hi
Does anyone else also have a feeling of something stuck further down, not just in the throat, but in the esophagus? I've had globus feelings on and off for the last year, but in the last month or so, it feels as if something is stuck further down, although I have no real trouble eating or drinking. (and by the way, one thing to check is your thyroid. Part of my axiety was caused by my thyroid being off just a little, thyroid meds have helped tremedously)
KC
4/18/09 8:10pm
I have been having this issue for 5 months now and its starting to drive me crazy! I know its anxiety driven. It wasn't too bad at first but I am now 8 weeks pregnant and have been having morning sickness everyday non stop around the clock. I was told this could also happen due to acid reflux. I need a solution quick! I haven't eaten anything for real in a long time. Someone help!
8/ 5/09 3:18pm
I've been having that "lump-in-the-throat" feeling for two and a half years now and have found out from my doctor that it was because of GERD. Since April of this year, I've been put on Nexium. Now the strangest thing is, I've been having gag reflexes for no apparent reason. My stomach would feel completely fine but I would feel this tightness in my throat and suddenly gag for a second or two as if I'd throw up. Does anyone have this kind of problem too? Any insight on relieving this symptom?
10/19/09 10:29am
I just started experiencing the same feeling of having a very tight and painful larynx. Over a few days the sensation also radiated up into my ears and down my esophagus. Simulaneously I was being treated for anxiety. I'm an 'empty nester', turning 50 soon, and think I can solve everybody's problems (which I know I can't, but still want to try). I went back to my doctor who told me I was describing classic symptoms of globus hystericus. I was switched to a different anti-anxiety medication (citalopram) and they added in alprazolan for breakthrough moments of anxiousness until the citalopram goes into full effect. It is a terrible feeling, but do believe this diaganosis to be right on 100%, because if I get upset about a situation, the pain only increases. As I settle down and get myself calmed down the sensation improves. I would also suggest relaxation techniques, yoga, meditation, exercise to relieve stress, and massages.
10/26/09 6:38pm
I had the same problem, Its like someone gently squeezing a tie round my neck but its tight halfway in my throat and makes me feel sick too, did all the test, Im OK.
the feeling is 1 inch below my ears at the side and goes down to adams apple.
It is however a muscle spasm between your stomach and your throat, making you feel like you have a lump or something in throat, This is not cancer in throat, cancers are never felt in the throat thats why they get so big before there found.
All you have is stress throat, it can come and go, sometimes tighter than other times.
but its neck stress and you need to clam it.
One thing that works 100% for me is quinine tablets, a great muscle relaxant,
you get this amazing product in some TONIC water too, take the gas out and drink it flat.
but the doctor should give you a prescription take it for a 3 days to 5 days and you should be fine then stop, as quinine is addictive.
Should calm it down and only use Quinine prescription when you get severe attacks.
If you cant get it from doc Just drink lots tonic water, will say contains quinine on label, Thats why gin and tonic is so relaxing. Gin causes depression so just have tonic water. only use one or the other the doctors prescription for savire attack and just for tightness drink tonic water for a few days. You will feel calm and the spasm will go away. Try to realize its caused by stress and you have nothing to worry about this will make you at ease, step 1 is to relax now you know what it is thats 75% of your anxiety over, which will lead to your condition to go away.
11/12/09 12:29am
Physical therapy cured my "globus hystericus" after I had an endoscopy to see if I had Shotsky's ring. Turns out, the muscle tension in my back, neck and shoulders made my neck weak and my neck muscles began to "recruit" the muscles in the front of my neck to support my head, hence leading to muscle tension in the front of my throat.
Good luck. Look at all the options before assigning this sensation to anxiety alone.
Claudia
12/ 1/09 12:25pm
I am so glad to have found this site. I have suffered anxiety for many many years. Recently I have been suffering the weird sensations in the throat, tightening when waking up in the night. Then I seemed to develop post nasal drip. My family had coughs and colds, and mine did not develop into a full blown cold, just underlying sore throat. The drip made me want to gag. Dr. said it was acid reflux. My throat changes from being sore, very dry and sticky and the back of my nose stings and gets very dry. I feel that when I talk something is affecting the back of my nose (or adenoids). I sleep for about 3-4 hours each night and am totally exhausted. I too have worried about throat/esophagus cancer, as I dd not know I had acid reflux, very rarely had heartburn, except when pregnant, though my bowel movements have been very very loose recently. I have hit menopause, so don't know whether that is having an effect. We moved house last year with my husbands job.
1/24/10 9:11am
Hi,
I have suffered from this complaint on a and off for many years and have at times lost a large percentage of body weight and been in pain and scared, it is a well documented symptom of depressive and anxiety disorders and to get improvement we must address these problems which in the majority of cases cannot be done alone. It is very easy to feel that you are going mad and that no one believes you often this is our perception and also that doctors don't like not being able to help unfortunately these feelings can worsen the symptoms. So if all physical causes have been ruled out there is still hope as thousands or people worldwide suffer and recover from these disorders and they too have probably felt the same way, the first step is to accept that the symptoms are real and are physical but are triggered by neurological changes due to stress anxiety and depression which are also very real.Although sometimes the reason we suffer from these physical complaints is that we are ignoring all psychological symptoms and our body is trying to make us listen that all is not ok. Speak to your GP about therapy or ask to see a mental health professional, this can be a very hard step to take especially if you feel that everyone already thinks your crazy, but we can't all be crazy its just the world today is a very stressful one even if we think we have no reason our body is saying otherwise!!! I have fouund a good quick fix that can help see http://www.panic-anxiety.com/articles/globus-hystericus/ hope this helps
1/25/10 11:03pm
Thank you so much for your response. I visited the UK for Christmas which I know was adding to my already anxious state of mind - visiting family etc. Husband not getting on with Father-in-law etc. etc. Already exhaused from not sleeping I don't know how I got on the plane. There was no improvement - I still did not sleep properly. Upon my return I went to our local hospital on the Sunday Morning just looking for help. My doctor had prescribed celexa but I was so trying to do this on my own. They were very helpful, checked my blood work. A Social worker allowed me to unburden my life story and she arranged an appointment with a psychiatrist. She has put me a type of valium for anxiety and she wants to do more blood work and then decide on type of antidepressant. The meds have helped particularly with getting some sleep although I wake every morning with this terrible feeling of dread and nausea. I wil keep you posted.
10/11/10 11:32am
Hi there! I'm 24, and have both post nasal drip, chronic (since i was little i've had sinus problems). and I also have acid reflux/gastritis. I'm on prevacid 30mg, and was also given steroid nasal sprays which i havent used, i'd like to see if the prevacid stops the sensation before doing both and not knowing which helped....!
11/21/09 10:02pm
Hiatus Hernia: A real cure. No money needed. Here is how. When you wake up every morning drink 3 large glasses of water as quick as you can. Then jump up and down with small jumps about 25 times. Do that for 3 months. What it does is the water acts like a weight in your stomach and when you jump this causes the stomach to come out of the diaphram and doing this continuous lets the diaphram heal plus the water is good for your system.
12/11/09 1:36am
Yes, I too have experienced theses types of feelings over the years and I am currently going threw this right now. It is scary and tormenting. I doctor and take medicine for Anxiety. However; I am still not free from this illness. I also, feel spiritually oppressed by it.
God bless you,
Michael
Age 54
1/12/10 3:23pm
i've just had my 2nd attack in the last 15 years. my first attack was in my 20's and i had no idea what i had. it lasted only briefly and then i went on medication. the lump in the throat and the difficulty swallowing accompanied this attack. my most recent attack occurred barely 2 months ago. i had difficulty swallowing, reflux, and the lump in the throat. i also lost almost 20lbs. my doctor told me i might have MS. well guess what...he was wrong. And its not gastritis, hiatal hernia, or acid reflux. If you've just had an anxiety/panic attack (like i did), and you now have these symptoms (swallowing, etc) you most likely have globus hystericus. there is only 1 way to get rid of this and it is not medication. medication comes after you solved the problem.
if you have globus hystericus you have pulled the muscles in your throat out of place (just like pulling other muscles in your body out of place). this may also pull your esophagus out of place (depending on how severe your attack was), leading to feelings of reflux. this reflux occurs because your esophagus is not in the correct position to block the normal reflux from the stomach. we all have reflux, but most times the esophagus does its job and we never notice it.
to get your throat muscles back into place you need to do one of the following:
either a hard, deep, stomach reaching (gagging) type of cough; or you need to make yourself throw up with the same force as the coughing. Even a dry heave will work which your body will most likely accommodate you with if you are not eating. Don't hold it back. Go with it. This is the beginning of solving your problem. the premise is to get the throat to stretch far enough so the throat muscles are pulled back into place.
this coughing, etc will not completely solve your problem. most likely the lump in your throat is still there. your tongue will also feel weird as if its being pulled on. And you will have reflux for a bit longer.
you may even feel your esophagus protruding slightly just above your stomach (don't panic). if you feel this protrusion, just gently push down on it, working it towards your belly button. you may need to do this several times for not more than a day or two. as you do this you will also feel a pulling in your throat or you may be forced to swallow...that's ok. those muscles are just moving back into place.
to solve the lump in the throat and/or the tongue sensation, you will need exercise.
for the lump in the throat, i recommend the front pushdown. do light weight at first.
preferrably 3 sets of 10-15 reps. heavy weight and more reps will not solve your problem quicker. you may hurt yourself and this will only lead to more anxiety.
make this exercise part of your routine. you may notice the lump being gone after only a couple of days of exercise. keep doing this exercise though. below is a link showing this exercise.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pushdown_(exercise)
if you have weird tongue sensations (numbness, stringy feeling, etc) this may also need to be put back into place with exercise. try the butterfly. same as above. 3 sets, 10-15 reps, with light weight. make this part of your routine. below is a link demonstrating the exercise.
http://www.flashmavi.com/weight_training_chest_butterfly.shtml
only add weight to your reps when they have become too easy and don't offer your body any resistance. please consult a trainer or a book/library for more info. don't hurt yourself.
if your lucky like me (just kidding) you may have also pulled muscles out of place which now block your sinuses and/or post nasal drip. This can be adjusted using a seated behind the neck press, either with free weights as in the link below or on a machine. Just remember, light weight, 3 sets, 10-15 reps.
http://www.ehow.com/video_4940465_bodybuilding-behind-neck-shoulder-press.html
you should also add other exercises to your routine which strengthen your chest, shoulders, and neck ie: curls, push-ups, bench presses, etc; either with free weights or a machine. (consult a trainer or the library) All these body parts and muscles are interconnected so adding them may lessen the chance of this happening again (but no guarantees). Try to work out 4-5 times a week, 45min - 1hr. you will need to do this for several weeks. There is no easy solution to this problem so take your time and don't hurt yourself. Occasionally after exercising you may feel something in your throat you didn't feel before. That's ok. It's just a muscle moving back into place. Don't panic. your comfort level with swallowing again will also take some time, so stick with softer foods (tuna & egg salad, spaghetti, soup, fruits, etc) for a bit.
You should then consult your doctor for some meds.
Remember: Take your time. Be patient. This is a rare problem and most doctors don't understand it and just want to prescribe medication for everything. You have to solve this problem yourself. Stay with the exercising until your throat is 100%. Like I said this will take several weeks or more. But your swallowing and eating will get better with each passing week. Exercise makes your body release endorphins which will also help to calm you down.
Good luck!!
2/19/10 12:05am
Hi fellow anxiety sufferers....
I used to suffer exteme panic attacks and got the point where I couldnt leave my house or drive down the road without suffering an anxiety or panic attack. However today I am HAPPY and MENTALLY HEALTHY and have not had a panic attack for over 2 years. The solution I found and some of you may find this quite strange was when I felt a panic or anxiety attack comming on I would concentrate on trying to make the panic attack intensify within myself as soon I would do this the panic attack would pass and I could resume what I was doing without any worry. So as soon as the you feel an anxiety attack comming on close your eyes or leave them open doesnt really matter, just try and make the anxiety attack worse, try and bring it on actually invite the panic attack to occur and be the biggest baddest panic attack you've ever had. Believe me this will work. Research what I am telling you, you will find an E-book or to on this theory and probably better explained than my attempt to explain. Remember panic attacks cant kill you its just your natural fight/flight response and adrenalin pumping through your body they are natural and part of being human and human kind. We all have anxiety and panic attacks just some of more than others and sometimes when we dont think there is anything to panic about.
4/20/10 11:43am
I've just been 'diagnosed' with globus and I'm sitting here in such pain... I'm sorry you are all suffering too but it's such a relief to find it's a common condition and to share this awful experience.
Mine started a couple of months ago when a lump of apple peel slid 'the wrong way' down my throat. As far as I'm concerned, it's still there and causing horrible discomfort. I've been to my GP several times, been to A+E twice, and now even been to a private ENT consultant. I've had the camera down my nose and throat three times and no one can see anything wrong. Hence they say it must be globus. But I simply don't believe my throat could create such nasty 'phantom' symptoms - I'm convinced the peel's still there.
I'm just about at my wits' end - I've tried and tried to get this problem sorted out. And I really can't face any more cameras down the throat. Now no one even accepts I've actually got anything still stuck - not even my supportive hubby! I can't see much point in going back to the doc again so I'm hoping that it will eventually ease, break up and cough out on its own. Until that happens, though, it seems to get more sore and tight every day, like a spring wedged in my throat. It's made me feel unbelievably anxious and ill. I've even had to quit my part-time job because I was struggling to get through my shift and cope with the symptoms.
I have noticed, though, that certain things make it worse or better. Coffee and being vertical make it worse. Extra-strong Lockets and lying down help to some extent - like I can lie down all day!!! Codeine+paracetamol painkillers help a bit. Diazepam or alchohol and a hot meal help quite a lot in the evening - I usually feel better then and sleep reasonably okay. But the next morning, it's back with a vengeance and I don't know how much longer I can take it. And yes, the stress and anxiety make it worse so it's a vicious circle.
I expect I'll end up going to the doc again, and being dismissed again. Maybe I should try our local Chinese doc for 'plum stone throat'!
Reading your comments has made me feel stronger and less alone. Thank you.
6/ 2/10 4:46pm
I've been dealing with lump in the throat on and off for more than 10 years. Once you realize it is primarily interaction between your brain and throat muscles, you can begin to solve the problem. This didn't happen for me until about a year ago. I read some advice that Fisherman's Friends lozenges help to rewire the brain by distracting it away from the throat muscles. There is also very likely a placebo effect at work as well but since the brain plays a large part in this disorder, that's perfectly OK. It has really worked for me and it's something everyone should at least try since it's so cheap and harmless (menthol is just a type of sugar). Something spicy will likely have the same effect but I haven't personally tried it.
4/28/10 7:59pm
Whats opinion on chiropractor help. I have been going and he is very convinced that it is due to muscle spasm. I feel better when I swallow, so losing weight has been a bust but will keep working on this. Going on Nexium 2 a day and will see if this will help, was on Kapodex for 5 weeks, seems some better than other days. I was also given a prescription for Prozac, wonder if that would be beneficial, maybe relieve stress, thus help muscle spasm. In 5 weeks they will want to do an endoscopy and I really just don't want to, wish there was a way to end this lump in throat sensation and just get on with life. Dr. ask how I deal with it, I told him , lots of prayer, lots of gum and lots of cough drops!!!
6/ 7/10 12:35pm
I have always had a lot of anxiety, 2 years ago when i was going out with this boy and he took me out to dinner i was feeling very anxious that night for some reason and after the dinner I through up. since then i have not had a relationship longer than a week or two and when i meet someone i feel to anxious to go on dates with them. i feel like i cant eat around the person and prior to going to see them i feel sick and nauseous. After doing some research I discovered that what I have is called Globus Hystericus, an anxiety symptom by which the throat muscles are tense and you feel like you cant eat or swallow. I also have that butterfly feeling in my stomach. how can I change this ? i just want to be able to be in a relationship like a normal person and not feel like im gonna throw up and that i cant eat around them. this is ruining my life and im loosing weight dramatically because i just met someone new and im so anxious about seeing them again im having trouble eating.
7/28/10 1:06am
after reading these comments im glad im not alone, i started this condition last december after dealing with a kidney stone for 6 weeks, i have always had ocd and anxiety, but i hadnt been bothered with it for 6 years or so, well all of a sudden i get this lump feeling or the feeling you get in your throat when you stump your toe or feel like crying, well it has stuck around for 8 months now, i have had tests ran, nothing, told i had reflux, and given prilosec, nothings helped, when it gets really bad i take ativan and it relaxes it, i lost 30 lbs due to being scared to eat in fear of it getting stuck, i would feel that when i swallowed the food-i would swallow too late and it wouldnt go down, i cant eat sweets, it irritates it worse, and also if i talk alot or raise my voice it feels tighter, has anyone else had this reaction when you talk loud or for long periods of time? im scared to take the lexapro i was prescribed, anit depressants and i dont get along, they make me feel worse, im at my wits ends, what is the best thing for this? i want to get back to normal so bad so i can eat normally
10/12/10 12:22pm
Hi Coolmom
Try and find yourself a good massage therapist. Your muscles have become so tight through stress and tension, that that is why you are feeling the way you are. Meds do help initially (I take anti-depressants), but have recently found the most relief for the globus from the massage. I am going back for more, because until I manage my own stress, it will continue, but I am sure this will help you initially.
Best wishes
8/ 3/10 10:13pm
I have dealt with Globus for the past two months, it's not a pleasant condition. I have had acid reflux for almost twenty years now. Most will say the globus is a psychological condition caused by stress or panic attacks. I have also read that it can be caused by a medical condition. I recently had endoscopy and was told that I had a small hiatal hernia. From a website I read the following: "Lump sensation in the throat can reflect incoordination in the food pipe. The esophagus, the muscular pipe which connects the back of the throat to the stomach, has a valve at the bottom end of the top of the stomach and another one just behind the voice box. If the bottom valve malfunctions, allowing leakage back up the food pipe, the upper valve will tighten up trying to compensate and produce the sensation of a lump in the throat. Leakage of the bottom valve may be associated with the anatomical condition called a hiatus hernia." - http://www.nexiumresearch.com/lump_in_throat_globus_hystericus.html
I take Prilosec twice a day for my acid reflux and that helps control it. As for the hiatal hernia I would need surgury to repair. My doctor is not too concerned about at the moment, but it appears I'll be living with the globus.
For those whose globus is related to stress, try this website for a quick fix that I have felt some relief with:
http://www.panic-anxiety.com/articles/globus-hystericus/
8/ 3/10 10:13pm
I have dealt with Globus for the past two months, it's not a pleasant condition. I have had acid reflux for almost twenty years now. Most will say the globus is a psychological condition caused by stress or panic attacks. I have also read that it can be caused by a medical condition. I recently had endoscopy and was told that I had a small hiatal hernia. From a website I read the following: "Lump sensation in the throat can reflect incoordination in the food pipe. The esophagus, the muscular pipe which connects the back of the throat to the stomach, has a valve at the bottom end of the top of the stomach and another one just behind the voice box. If the bottom valve malfunctions, allowing leakage back up the food pipe, the upper valve will tighten up trying to compensate and produce the sensation of a lump in the throat. Leakage of the bottom valve may be associated with the anatomical condition called a hiatus hernia." - http://www.nexiumresearch.com/lump_in_throat_globus_hystericus.html
I take Prilosec twice a day for my acid reflux and that helps control it. As for the hiatal hernia I would need surgury to repair. My doctor is not too concerned about at the moment, but it appears I'll be living with the globus.
For those whose globus is related to stress, try this website for a quick fix that I have felt some relief with:
http://www.panic-anxiety.com/articles/globus-hystericus/
8/16/10 12:05am
I've had this problem for a few years now and it actually started when I was on vacation and got bronchitis from the strong air conditioning unit in our suite.
I was so sick for weeks and then slowly got better. Then one day, it felt like I swallowed a stone. That was three years ago and its still there and recently has gotton worse. My doctor has told me 4 times now it is globus and has increased my dosage of Zoloft, plus Pantaloc for my ARD and Synthroid for my Thyroid, which are now permanent prescriptions.
It drives me crazy waking up in the morning with what feels like a marble in the side of my neck. I have to constantly rub and massage my neck, even to the point of stretching my neck muscles to make it feel better. This week I was out of town on business and I had viscious attacks of pain in my neck and feeling of a marble in the side of my throat. This has actually been a regular attack I have been dealing with as of late, and worse when I wake up and when driving.
So this week, after applying tons of pressure to my neck with the desired effect of pushing the obstruction towards my throat and swallowing tons of water real fast, the sensations seeems to have finally moved to the centre of my throat now.
I am not sure what to think now, but my depression comes more from my doctor telling me there is nothing he can do, except for the Barrium swallow which came back negative last year. I went for a checkup last week before my terrible pain attack, and was again told it was globus. The doctor did say if I get a CT scan, I will be more likely to have cancer from the radiation, so said all he would do is set me up with an ENT specialist, and am now on a 4-6 month waiting list. The medical system is so ridiculous.
I'm incredibly frustrated, depressed by thinking I have something much worse, weight gain, addiction to pain medicine and even alcohol...all substances to alleviate the pain...which it does, but I know is not healthy for me.
But the good news is since the pain and lump has moved to the center of my throat, it is not as painful anymore.
My doctor is confident it is still globus, and I am at a crossroads as to whether it is that or something worse.
I hate this disease and hope I have relief soon, as I do for any of you who have this same affliction.
If anyone has or is experiencing the same symptoms as me, Id love to hear about it and we can help eachother. God Bless !!!
10/12/10 11:26am
Hi Chris,
I am starting to believe that some relief can be obtained from massage. You say that the lump has moved after stretching the muscles in your neck. I have had globus for a year now causing severe discomfort in my throat, post nasal drip, sinus head aches and eustachian tube problems (along with panic attacks etc). This has all come from tension through stress and anxiety (which has been happening on & off for most of my life - 52 yrs old). I saw a really good therapist a couple of weeks ago who understood my problems entirely, as she herself had had her thyroid 'burnt out' several years ago (suffering with Graves) and she had had similar symptoms. My thyroid blood tests have not revealed overactivity though I have multiple nodules. She really worked hard on me, and I have felt some relief since although it has not gone completely. I am definitely going back to see her again. She also did some cranial massage. Very light placing of the fingertips on the skull.
May be if you have some regular massage therapy fron a good therapist who really understands the problem, I am pretty certain you will find some physical relief which in turn will help relieve the mental anxiety of feeling the way you do. Obviously, the stress management will ultimately lead to complete relief - which is very hard to do.
I hope this helps. Let me know if you follow this and how it works out for you.
Best wishes.
8/25/10 11:44am
I had the mystery lump creep up about 3 weeks ago. I went to the Doc who gave me the same thing you all are hearing. Acid Reflux... take these... yadda yadda... After looking into all of this online and pairing it with my symptoms/possible causes it would seem this is more onset by a muscle tension issue. My symptoms did not begin until I started an intense workout routine including 150 - 200 crunches a day. As I worked through my routine I noticed the lump sensation worsening. I have since found that massage the muscles in my neck, specifically those to the immediate sides of the throat, helps to relieve the lump sensation. It also helps to lean my head all the way back until I can feel the stretch in the muscles, and then extend my chin (like an underbite) as far out as I can. I'll hold this position for 5 or so seconds and release. After repeating several times I can feel the sensation of the lump lessen more. Hope this works for some of you as well... This is one annoying affliction!
10/12/10 12:13pm
Hi there,
I agree that massage helps. Body tension causes alll sorts of problems, and globus has been one of mine for the past 12 months. I found a good massage therapist who had had similar problems, and she worked really hard on me. I have had some relief, and am going back to see her. Management of my own stress is the ultimate cure I am sure, but this at least helps the immediate problem. Hope you are still getting relief and that this has gone completely for you. It is a horrible experience.
Best Wishes
10/11/10 11:24am
Hi there! I have had globus on and off for a few months now....this started as acid reflux back in December....more recently it's lead to anxiety associated with the globus feeling, and feeling like i cant breathe, when i can (i had an episode and went to the doctors, where they tested my oxygen levels and lungs and said i was fine). I'm 24, 5'4" 3/4 and 133 pounds. healthy, but havent excersized and last year i was working out religiously, so thinking maybe i need to cardio again...
10/11/10 10:52pm
I am suffering with this right now. I am an otherwise healthy 27yr old white male. I went to the doctor 3 weeks ago to find I had an ear/nose/throat infection, then went on a course of antibiotics to treat it. Throughout the infection, I felt the lump in throat, along with tons of very thick post nasal drip that I was constantly worried of choking on. Today is a week and a half after the antibiotics and I still have the lump/drip that I can't manage to get out.
I'm convinced the drip is causing inflammation in my throat, and possibly some swelling/infection left over. That alongside nerves may be causing my lump feeling. It is so terrible! I haven't eaten solid foods other than candies (which melt in your mouth) in 3 weeks! I can only take so much ensure/boost! :(
10/12/10 12:00pm
Hi there,
I too have been experiencing post nasal drip and lump in my throat for the past 12 months. It may have started through a cold, but I think worrying about it made it worse. I was already stressed (something I have suffered with for years). I was imagining all sorts of things - expecially cancer. Long story short, I believe massage helps. The tension makes the neck muscles so tight, that I think this can actually cause the post nasal drip. I found a good massage therapist who had had similar problems, and she worked really hard on me. I have had some relief, and am going back to see her. Management of my own stress is the ultimate cure I am sure, but this at least helps the immediate problem. Try some massage, I am sure it will help you.
Best Wishes
10/12/10 12:07pm
Hello Dee
I agree that you probably need to exercise. I have had globus for the past 12 months which seens to have affected everything from my throat upwards! I have suffered from stress & anxiety for years, and I think this has been a new physical symptom for me which made me even more anxious. I am on anti-depressants and was also taking Clonozapam for relaxation while they kicked in. They helped. Not that I am recommending anything like that, because I believe that massage and exercise helps tremendously.
The tension makes the neck muscles so tight, that I think this causes most of the problems we are experiencing with globus. I found a good massage therapist who had had similar problems, and she worked really hard on me. I have had some relief, and am going back to see her. Management of my own stress is the ultimate cure I am sure, but this at least helps the immediate problem. Try some massage, I am sure it will help you.
10/14/10 6:43am
Thanks Dawn - I'm on my 6th day of Prevacid 30mg for my acid reflux....if the globus isn't in relation to that i should know within the 14 days . The acid isn't really the problem, its more of the annoyance of the globus and tight neck feeling...feeling like I can't take sufficient breaths even when I am, I think when you think about it it makes it so much worse.
I find that when i'm busy doing something I never feel it, so partially over thinking may be to blame. I too have a history (long) of anxiety and panic attacks, since I was 15. I also have Tachycardia (fast heart rate) but this isn't constant, although my heart rate is normally 90 + .
10/14/10 11:43am
Hello Dee
Good to hear from you. I took some proton pump inhibitors for a few days which doc prescribed without sending me for any diagnostic tests first. I was not keen on taking these if there was no reflux. I know silent reflux does not always display the kind of symptoms normally associated with this problem. Anyway, I asked if she would send me for a barium x-ray, after ENT exams revealed everything ok. The barium x-ray confirmed no reflux. I was/and still do at times, certainly experience post nasal drip - ugh! causing tonsillith stones which are awful. My throat was constantly sore and I had an irritating cough. This has subsided somewhat. My tonsils are large as I suffered from tonsillitis regularly as a young girl. I found that I could eat and drink ok, but normal swallowing was difficult, and I felt that I constantly had to swallow because my neck was so tense.
I found that the massage I had 3 weeks ago helped and I am going again tomorrow. I agree that the more you think about the tight throat the worse it gets, so the anxiety we are suffering I think is the main culprit for the way we are feeling.
Sorry to hear you have a long history of anxiety and depression. I have obsessive thoughts which makes the anxiety worse, and I really have to manage this and get myself involved in lots of activities to take my mind off this. I read a very good book called "Brain Lock" by Dr. Jeffrey Schwartz -http://hope4ocd.com/foursteps.php . I am not saying for one minute that you have OCD but I think we become obsessed through worry about our physical symptoms, (or other stuff going on in our lives) that we promote this vicious cycle. The link takes you to a summary of his book.
Have you had your thyroid tested? This is something that medical people always ask me. Although my blood tests always come back fine, my doctor did send me for an ultrasound which did reveal multiple nodules, though nothing big enough to cause concern.
It sounds as though you are a good way to getting better as you have realized that being occupied with something alleviates the symptoms. It is hard though and a constant battle but with time, I am sure it will go away.
Anyway, I hope to hear from you again.
Best Wishes,
Dawn
10/14/10 2:07pm
Dawn - I had an endoscopy, im not sure if I had mentioned that, and was diagnosed with Gastritis (inflammed stomach lining) no ulcers, no heart burn chest pain, just reflux really, and regurgitation hours after eating, only slight acid and pieces of food. Anyway, I dont have a history of Depression, just anxiety, mostly stemming from Hypocondriac like thoughts, I guess you can call that some sort of OCD, but ever since I was little I remember family members laughing when I said I have a headache and think I have a brain tumor, or one time I wished someone could buy me a full body CT scan. Funny huh? I wasnt on anxiety meds for long, they drained me out, and during middleschool learned to cope with the spells myself, in 11th grade I had to be home schooled because panic attacks would have me up all night and I couldnt get up in the morning to make it for 1st period.
Today is my 6th day on Prevacid , no globus feeling since Tuesday. I've had the tight neck feeling today but head rolls took care of it. It always seems to bother me after lunchtime, I'm thinking there might be a connection.
3/15/11 7:33pm
I just wanted to say about 2 weeks ago i found it extremely hard to swallow any food i could barely swallow my own saliva.I started freaking out at first i couldnt understand what was happening to me. I went to the Dr and he diagnosed me as having Globus Hystericus.He wasnt much help gave me some acid reflux pills which made me so dizzy and sick i had to stop taking it after one dose. I started losing weight and feeling weak.I was starving but couldnt eat anything. Its been 2 weeks and 2 days since this started and I have to say I am getting a little better everyday and the only thing I did was prayer to God all the time.I gave my life to him and told him I couldnt do it withhout him and when I hit the bottom and was about to admit myself to the hospital because I was getting worse and so weak I told God I couldnt do this anymore and that I was sorry I wasnt strong enough and I cried my eyes out.I cant explain the miracle that took place.In about 15 minutes I was able to blend broccoli up to liquid and with the help of water I was able to swallow half a bowl but I had to chase it with water or else it wouldnt happen. I made a soy milk banana blender shake that night and by the grace of GOD I got that down too.It wasnt easy but I got nourishment and thats all that mattered.Everyday it gets a little bit easier.Im still drinking my food but at least im getting food in my system I cant believe it I had given up.I guess what im saying is that I didnt need any pills God is healing me.I have always had an amazing relationship with God.I had given my life to him a long time ago and he blessed me and helped me. Without him I would have ended up in the hospital.I am no where near eating a sandwich but Im getting food in me and i feel better each day.This was the darkest time in my life i was terrified and filled with tension and anxiety i couldnt take much more. I just wanted everyone to know of course you should go to Dr and take tests if neccessary but if you put your life in Gods hands and love and trust him with all your heart he can work miracles and take care of you! He is taking care of me and the love and comfort I feel from him is breathtaking. God will always be the best medicine for me it always has been. God loves us all and what he did for me and is continuing to do for me can be done for all his children so please pray to God.I know how horrible this is believe me God can heal you. Im getting better in baby steps but the main part is Im getting better thanks to my Heavenly Father.The Lord loves us all and he wants to heal us but you haveto let him.Please let him! Thank you God for healing me everyday! You are an amazing magnificent all mighty God. My heart is yours forever!I have been blessed with a Mother who is my Angel on earth who helped me through all this and my Heavenly Father has given me miracles!! I love you God always have and always will and as for you Mom your my heart!
7/ 1/11 4:09pm
I am going thru the same thing feels like a mucous hairball in my throat and even fluid seems to paraylize my throat, I have cried to my primary, and my GI, I never had a problem until my GI did my annual scope, and had to stretch and dilate my esophogus, now I havent eaten in over a month and lost 30lbs I can only eat baby food and applesauce.
I went to an ENT doc yesterday and he did the tube down the nose and seen some swelling he said from reflux, well I been on prevacid and zantac which I have to disolve because they get stuck, he said he would help me figure out what to do, well he called me last night and after talking to my primary he said theres def nothing major wrong and I need to gain confidence in myself where eating is concerned, my primary seems to think its all anxiety nothing wrong she gave me xanax which I cant get off of and its only .25mg, I love to eat and I am tired of choking I spit all the time and its not going very far out my mouth its thick white like phelegm, can someone please help.
4/16/11 3:35pm
I just ran across this post. I am a student of Chinese Medicine in California. In my study of acupuncture and herbal formulas, I have run across this syndrome. In Chinese Medicine this is a real syndrome called "Plum Pit Syndrome" and is treated with an herbal formula called "Ban Xia Huo Po Tang". If you can find a chinese medical practitioner in your area (an acupuncturist who has been trained in herbal formulas), you can find out if this formula will work with your other signs and symptoms. Many times it can be modified for you personally. I hope this will help everyone going through this. Do not try to take the herbs without visiting a qualified practitioner as they are medicine, and not all medicines are right for everyone. But if it is determined to fit you personally, it may help you get rid of the problem.
For many people the problem can start with emotional issues that we just can't or don't want to accept, or "swallow". Doing some therapy can also help resolve some of the emotions that can lead to the problem.
All the best to you.
10/24/11 9:56am
anti depressants cause heartburn. i had never ever had heartburn. i am 45 yo female. my father in law was diagnosed with cancer and i had a couple sleepless nights. my friend gave me 4 doses of valium. i know it wasnt my prescipt but i was so sleepyi took them on 4 different occasions now i have severe stomach acid and heartburn. no lifestyle changes...not overweight....im a marathon runner for petes sake. now all the sudden out of the blue...i looked it up and it is a side effect....if only i knew.
10/24/11 9:57am
anti depressants cause heartburn. i had never ever had heartburn. i am 45 yo female. my father in law was diagnosed with cancer and i had a couple sleepless nights. my friend gave me 4 doses of valium. i know it wasnt my prescipt but i was so sleepyi took them on 4 different occasions now i have severe stomach acid and heartburn. no lifestyle changes...not overweight....im a marathon runner for petes sake. now all the sudden out of the blue...i looked it up and it is a side effect....if only i knew.
10/24/11 9:57am
anti depressants cause heartburn. i had never ever had heartburn. i am 45 yo female. my father in law was diagnosed with cancer and i had a couple sleepless nights. my friend gave me 4 doses of valium. i know it wasnt my prescipt but i was so sleepyi took them on 4 different occasions now i have severe stomach acid and heartburn. no lifestyle changes...not overweight....im a marathon runner for petes sake. now all the sudden out of the blue...i looked it up and it is a side effect....if only i knew.
7/31/11 10:05pm
I went to the er and they said it scratched my throat. Ever since then I have been episodes of choking and my throat feeling like it is swelling. I think it is swelling. I have had EMS out and been to the er two more times. I finally found a doc who listened. I am on Xanax and prednisone. But what really helps is an anesthetic spray that numbs the area when the choking feeling starts. I take the Xanax when I get really anxious and have a full blown attack. I still can only eat small amounts of soft food. I am losing weight but hope I will be able to eat soon. A choking episode seems to start these symptoms. My thought is that the throat gets injured and starts having spasms. Then you get anxiety over the symptoms and makes the throat swell. The cycle has to be broken somehow. Choking is very frightening and I think it cause extreme anxiety even after the episode. But I understand everything everyone is going through.
9/30/11 12:27am
I have had this for twelve weeks, since having a routine operation. I awoke with a sore throat and now have the feeling something is stuck. I have never had this before in my life, and is directly related to the anaesthetic.
I finally saw an ENT surgeon yeserday and the scope showed nothing wrong. He mentioned globus, but I am not imagining it or stressed! It quite definitely started the day of the operation. I am now so down. He prescribed a week's course of steroids to see if that helps settle any inflammation, but I can't go on living like this. I just wish I could go to sleep and never wake up. It is here every waking moment.
I noticed the suggestion of Fisherman's friends, and will be buying some tomorrow. The only relief is eating soft food, nuts and tablets tend to stick.
10/22/11 7:48pm
I just came across this post and I feel your pain trust me. I wish I saw this before. Same as a lot of you I thought that I was the only person going through something like this. My case started almost ten yrs ago when I was 18, it started with solids, then moved to liquids to the point that I couldn’t even swallow my own saliva, I got hospitalized, many test were done, they said I had esophagitis and was on diff meds for acid reflux. However, my symptoms were not going away. I lost 15 pounds in two weeks and just felt like I wanted to die. It's really hard for other people to understand this issue, nobody could believe what I was going through, they thought that I was exaggerating and all that made me feel even worse. Finally after 3 months of doctors telling me that there was nothing wrong with me, I was taken to a mental hospital bec they concluded that it was all psychological. They immediately gave me antianxieties and antidepressants and I was able to eat again. It felt like magic. It’s been 8 yrs since that, and I hate to say that I still struggle with it every now and then (sometimes really bad) and I’m still on the antianxieties (lowest dose) bec unfortunately your body becomes dependent of it. I have learned to cope with the panic attacks brought up from the fear of choking but still find myself suffering with it. I have tried acupuncture, hypnotherapy among other alternative methods, and it has helped me mostly on how to deal with the issue but not really to get rid of it. I would recommend that if you really can’t eat much and are losing weight go see a psychiatrist to see whether or not antianxieties would be a good fit for you. That’s what helped me eat again and gained my weight back. There is nothing worse to me than the fear of eating because you feel you are going to choke. It’s just not a way to live. Please if any of you have any more insights or know of anything that helps deal with this issue pass it along. Thank you and good luck to you all!
10/26/11 9:08pm
I had the same problem. I was on zanax for over a year. I lost so much weight that people think that I have some kind of health problem. I got off the zanax cold turkey, that didn't help me. I don't recommend zanax it is very dependant and it took control of my life. I don't remember saying things and made me do things I would never do. It made me look like a complete jackass... I went to a hypnotherapist and I listen to her cd's. the second session took away the anxiety and the lump in my throat away. Seems things like this can stem from something that happenened in your life. I found the root of my problem. I still however find it difficult to swallow. I can swallow small amounts of food, but if I put to much in my mouth I have to get something to drink to tell my mouth to swallow.
The second swallow reflex is the hardest. I went to all kinds of doctors and had the esophogram test nothing wrong with my throat, had the scope and found I had a esophogeal hernia, they said was caused from acid reflex. The funny thing was I HAD NO REFLUX... I went to the Mayo Clinic and showed him my test results and the dvd of my esophogram test and told him about the lump in my throat, he told me it was globus and put me on klonopin (small dose) and told me to see a health care professional. This has been going on for over a year and it seems to be all in my mind. The spirit of fear has taken over..However when I get upset and worrying I can't eat and the swallowing problems start all over again.
I don't eat if I have nothing to drink. The fear is so great. I did gain 6 lbs but I think I have lost it again from the worrying I have in my life right now..I go to swallow and I grab at my throat..No your not crazy, you just seem like you are..Don't let this control your life. I don't choke when I swallow, i am scared I will, but the food goes down. Just the thought of swallowing terrifies me..I just hold my food in my mouth take a deep breath through my nose and swallow..It's hard not to think about it, but you can, distract your mind to something else...MIND OVER MATTER....Things will get better..hang in there...
11/24/11 2:26pm
My partner has been suffering for a good while now with a feeling of sickness in the mornings. He had the uvula removed because it was so swollen in the mornings from snoring at night and was making him feel sick but we don't think this is related to the lump he feels in his throat in the mornings. He doesn't eat in the mornings for fear of being sick and this morning bent over at work and was sick! He takes medication for gastric reflux and unless he does he cannot eat anything without burping and having heart burn but this is a different feeling in his neck. Anyone know what can be causing this ??
12/28/11 9:51am
I'm a 43 year old female and have eating issues due to the fear of choking. I've had swallowing issues on and off for over 20 years, somedays worse than others. As a teenager I started with anxiety. Over the years it has come out in different forms. I've found in my adult years it's a hugh problem. I especially feel aware in social settings, I cannot eat with other people. It's terrible because I work in a business where I'm expected to have lunch dates, etc. I'm so embarrassed I cannot eat, I often say "oh I'm not hungry". I've had various test done to check my throat, etc. All seems to be fine, it's all in my mind. I would love to find a doctor that is aware or can help treat these symptoms. I live on Long Island, NY. If anyone knows of a doctor in my area, I would greatly appreciate your help!!!
1/27/12 10:11pm
I have been trying to get relief or an answer to my neck which has been aching for nearly 9 months. I have gone to physios, osteopaths, masseurs, chiropractors. all to no avail. Even had X rays which showed nothing. My neck still is there. eventually one diagnosis was to get in touch with my inner feelings and meditate and get rid of my hangups.
today i went to see a throat specialist about my throat, he told me that my feeling of constant slime at the back of my throat, the coughing, dried swallowing and clearing the throat were all symptoms of globus. Is it possible that my neck stiffness, the muscular lumps and the clicking of my neck, could also be part of this problem?
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Hi Aydinmuh,
I have never had this experience of not being able to swallow when I was anxious. Have you called your doctor about it? In a quick search on Google, I see that it can be caused for physical conditions like GERD (gastro-esophogeal reflux disease).
Good luck with this.
Lynne
I swallowed a chicken bone 9 days ago- seen on x ray, but couldnt find when scoped. drs. say its just scratched and i may have the globus thing, but i can't eat or sleep, feels as if i'm choking - like the bone moves, chest pains, and solid foods have a hard time going down, i've been eating bananas, and bread and butter trying to push it down but this causes extreme pain. I don't know what to do, i think the bone is still there.
As a sufferer for 5 years I can give you all hope. Ifeel at last after spending thousands of pounds and wasting so much time I can give some good advice. Try doing what I have done I had globus and burning mouth and can truly say after nearly going out of my mind I feel much relief. You need to rewire you brain, to give it something to distract it. I made myself some toffees with cayenne pepper in them (after seeing that a doctor had good results with this) and bought some original fishermans friend lozenges. You suck some every now and then and the brain gets confused by the burning feeling and it seems to interrupt the other pain signals from the brain. I had tried just about everything and I have to say I wish someone had given me this advice years ago. I hope it helps some of you out there, but remember one other thing that helped me, however scared you are when you get globus at the endo of the day "its only a feeling and it wont kill you"
Lovr to you all
Rosie
Hi My name is maria I jsut got this feeling about 3 weeks ago like everything sticks besides water and ensure i cannot eat anything else. It feels like i am always chocking so of course now i have severe anxiety I am always scared I lost over 26 lbs in 3wks and I am going crazy. Can't seem to put anything in my mouth . I take my pills with Ensure. I am just so hungry but can't tell my brain to let me eat. The Endoscopy people said I has some esophagitis so thay put me on Nexium. I still can't eat. Doctors just think I am crazy. Don't know what to do.
maria
adi2244@yahoo.com
I know how you feel. Everyone around me is telling me Im making it up, or it can be controlled and it really can't. Everytime my family sits down and eats they struggle to be patent with me, they think Im making myself sick. But they or every body doesn't understand that we new know ourselfves better and we know that every bite we take and every time we swallow we are taking a risk of choking to death. I didn't believe it could be anxiety at first becuase its last day and night I cry everytime no one understandsss they just give me med. to knock me out other than that there is NO CUREE. we go to our loved ones and doctors for help but no one can help us only god can.
Oh my God.. I thought I was the only person feeling this... It has been driving me crazy... I have been suffering with this for almost a year... I've tried everything... from acupuncture to endoscopies, sprays... you name it... I've done it! now I will try what you recommended! We'll see what happens : )
Thanx for the advice....
Hang in there! I understand how you feel you guys! If any one ever needs to talk to some one about it... feel free to write me... I always feel like NO ONE UNDERSTANDS....
bright_N_beautiful@hotmail.com
Thanks so much for the suggestion of using Fisherman's Friend lozengers. It did exactly as you described. It took my mind off my aching throat to the point where I could focus on other things which in turn took the stress away.
Thanks also for helping me avoid lots of costly medical appointments. I'm sure these appointments would have added to my anxiety. Yours was the best, most practical advice ever. I spent 3 weeks going nuts over this. From what I read here, it could have been an ailment stretching over many years.
unfortantly these are panic/anxiety attacks. I hate them and have had them for over 25 yrs.most my life. I'm on lexapro, it helps control them sometimes.
Hello everyone, I empathise with all of you. I have been living with this curse for a year now. had several tubes up my nose , and down my throat, barium swallow and an eosophugus scope, all come back negative.
"so I'm officailly mad " I said to my dr.
"No, you are not mad, you have a condition that is called GLOBUS" not caused by stress , but excasabted by stress.
No treatment, go away dont think about it and it will eventually go away,
STILL WAITING!!
Thing is , I have no stress, I have a lovely home , lovely husband 5 lovely grandchildren,
. two kids with good homes, no money problems . I have always been the doer in my family, I can cope with anything, dont really beleive all the "stress" solutions that seem to be the answer to everything these days.
does anyone get an awful ache in the top half of the back associted with their Globus.My doctors never really took a lot of notice of me when I mentioned the back ache problem.this bothers me more than the lump most of the time. my lump sensation makes me feel sick. I havent lost any weight, probably gained some, as eating gives me comfort, it seems as though my throat is opened up with swallowing and eases the sensation.
I have read somewhere that globus can take between 21-27 months to go, if it goes at all, so seems all we can do is live in hope!! good luck and love to you all
Sue x
I'v had that feeling you feel in your throat when you are trying to hold back tears for about 2 months now. Tightness like there is a ball in there. Its onset was from a severe sence of stress and anxiety I was going through, which really was over nothing, nothing happend. This totally sucks. I have had anxiety forever and never had this problem before! Sometimes it even feels like metal or bloody in my mouth too. Only once when i took 2 pills i choked and they got stuck in my throught from the tightness, I had to induce vomiting after drinking gobs of water didnt work. I stumbled on a youtube video and a girl mentioned this syndrom so I looked it up. I really feel like im going insane. I really am not even stressed or anxious about anything and yet I still have the lump! The more I think about it the bigger the lump grows and the bigger the lump grows the more I think about it. Sometimes it manifests into lump and severe neck strain on the right side of my neck. Sometimes I have both sometimes one or the other, but almost always GLOBUS. The only time it goes away is if i manage to get my hands on some drugs like benzos or opiods from a friend or relative, not very often though, it helps ease the tension which then eases the throat. I been taking PROZAC and WELLBUTRON for like 3 weeks and its helped with my anxiety/depression yet the lump WONT go away naturally on its own. I also took up eating more because it helps releive the lump, and now im getting all bloated and packing the pounds on when im already overweight. I don't know what to do I really just want it to go away w/out having to take schedualed drugs.
After having my baby and an epidrual my spine was messed up, it burned 24 hours a day sunrise sunset for about 1 year, then gradually after 5 years now it only hurts if im bending and lifting or shopping, but i can now at least walk around the house and sit without being in excursiating pain. At this point id rather have that pain then this lump! Cus at least as long as I put heat on it it would go away and heats easy to access!
If my damn docter would have just given me benzos really in the first place I would have been relieved over my stressfull situation and this lump wouldnt have manifested iteself!
hey i've also experienced this globus for 5 months now and it is aggravating, but you sound alot like you have cricophyarangeal spasm, look up the doctors name James P Thomas Md. he seems th be on the right tract to all the problems. He also has links to doctors specializing in this in every state. good luck and don't forget to pray, God always gives me comfort, he wants us to be patient, yeah i know its hard to do but he will never leave us. Take care
Thank you so much for your advice about Fisherman's Friend lozenges! I was experiencing quite a bit of pain associated with Globus and was amazed at how quickly and effectively they worked. I send you the deepest graitutude for sharing your experience and hope!
hi i think i hAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. MY DOCTOR SAYS MY VOCAL CORDS ARE INFLAMED FROM A BAD REACTION TO MEDICATION. HE PUT ME ON PRILOSEC, BUT AFTER THE SECOND WEEK I FEEL LIKE MY CHEST IS TIGHT AND NY THROAT IS TIGHT. I THINK THE PRILOSEC. IS DOING THIS. I NEVER HAD ANY ACID REFLEX JUST MY THROAT WAS PRODUCING ALOT OF SALIVA AND IT FELT LIKE SOMETHING GOT CAUGHT IN THE BACK OF MY THROAT. CAN YOU TELL ME WHERE I CAN GET FISHERMANS FRIEND LOZENGERS. IM GOING OFF PRILOSEC AND WILL CONTINUE TO TAKE MY LOW DOSAGE OF XANAX . PLEAE EMAIL ME AT ntlperitore@gmail.com
Rosie..... i am newly diagnosed and here i sit at 3:30 am fighting the "feeling". I am interested in how you made your toffees. I will be a yankee friend forever if you will share.
thanks...........Paddy
thank you! I am so afraid. I go to the hospitol on monday for a endoscopy. I am having such difficulty swollowing , even my own saliva. You're words are encouraging. soak17@tds.net
ive been feeling the same way with globus and it does manifest itself with pain in the right side of the neck dont know what it is. I have had anxiety because of many symptoms I have had. I had globus last year for like 2 weeks then it went away. Then recently I've had globus for 2 weeks again. I've tried acid reflux meds, and i have been prescribed ativan which does work at night. I am able to sleep through the night but i dont want to be dependent on them.
I'm here to share my story on globus hystericus. I have struggled with Acid Reflux for about five years clearing my throat, clearing it again. With differnt medications, I'm finally on Kapidex the one that worked the best for me. 60MG a day. I woke one morning to this lump in my throat, and then it was there the next day and the next day. I felt helpless, and I just now got some help with it so time with tell. I had an upper GI and CT cameras down my throat, two trips to the Emerg room thinking I could not breath or swallow, it was horrible! They looked and did a few tests and set me on my merry way.
So now crying in the doctor's office today I begged for help. I'm on Kapidex, and now adding Lorazeoam 1MG this is a muscle relaxer and then Bethanechol 10MG
which will aid in breaking down the food that cause so much trouble with my acid reflux. Time will tell to see if this horrible tight choking feeling goes away.
For everyone out there struggling with me please feel free to write back. One day you feel great! then one day you wake up with someone choking you. It's not a good feeling. It will go away, and I have had all the tests to show their is nothing else serious. I'm so thankful for this.
Good Luck to you all...
Where do you get the Fisherman Friend's Losengers?
Hi,
I have had reflux for a few years but in the last few days my throat and swallow feel tight, I went to the dr have been refered a ENT specialist.. All i can say is that its a constent burning tight feeling around the Adams apple area and have been swallowing alot more through the day in the past i have woken up choking from reflux in my wind pipe... now worried about it
How long does it take for Kapidex to work, I have had sensation in my throat (lump) and it feels like mucus or something, caught there. I have just started Fishermans Friend, and hermal remedies working? Clonzopam 1 a day sometimes but this has been going on for three months, ENT says nothing there that he can see, just really don't want to go the scope test unless its really necessary. Any thoughts and help is appreciated.
How did the fishermen's lozenges work for you?
divestor@yahoo.com
I bought my Fishermans at Walgreens and have been going to chiroprator they seem to think muscle spasm in throat. Can't lose weight because eating makes the sensation go away for awhile! Go figure. Lots of prayer, cough drops, and gum, and I do feel as though at times it is better.
Walgreens is where I found Fishermans, and thanks to the people who have suggested this, it does help.
Fishermans helped somewhat.
no your not going crazey,doctors just dont understand enough about it.my name is maria,i have had the same thing for5mths.ive always been an anxious worrying person and i also suffer with ocd!i lost my mum to throat cancer and my sisters baby sadly passed awayand my friend has throat cancer.i grieved for them both and carried on,but suddenly over the months i began trembling,palpatations,and such horrible mental images would appear in my head and i was convinced they would happen.when i swallow i feel like a piece of food is stuck and my breathing feels shallow.its scarey.i mind has been working overtime and naturally i am convincsd its cancer.i am too scared to go to the doctor.i recently visited a web site,and it was such a comfort to read that there are so many people with it.it comes and goes depending on my anxiety levels.now i believe it is anxiety and that i will have to try and deal with.then again some days im convinced that it is cancer and myanxiety starts and round and round we go.thinking of you x
I know how frustrating this can be as I have been dealing with it myself since last November 2009. It just popped up out of the blue. I have 3 children and after several test, I've come to the conclusion that it is anxiety and stress. I take Zoloft and Klonopin which mask the symptoms tremendously, but I don't like taking these drugs as they can have serious side effects on down the road. I pulled out my old worn book, Prescription for Nutritional Healing and will begin the process of finding the supplements meant to help anxiety/stress and try to get off the meds. It is at least worth a try. My heart goes out to all of you. I remember trips to the ER, but you will not die from this and I've read that eventually it does go away. Hang in there!
I just went to the doctor yesterday and he said that this choking feeling , constant clearing of my throat, hoarseness, and burning in the back of my throat could be from Globus. He told me he would eleviate some other things, but the more I read the comments, I am thinking I have Globus. I have had surgery for GERD and am on medications. I feel a burning in the pit of my stomach (maybe ulcers). I feel the one thing we all have in common is stress. My son is a Marine Officer and left a year ago for Japan. I never get to see him and Worry constantly about his safe return. If you have any ideas on how not to worry please let me know. I thank God I saw these comments. I just cried at the doctors office yesterday because I felt like I had cancer or was turning into a hypochondriac. Thank you, Terri
Hi,
I read your comment and notice you suffered from globus sensation. 3 members of my family including myself suffering from globus senstion. Could you please tell me how you treated you globus hystericus.
Thank you,
s_parwiz@yahoo.com
Hi, I just got diagnosed w/ globus yesterday. Never heard of it! I've smoked weed for years, and clear my throat frequently. Hacking up brownish phlegm in the morning, and very hoarse in the evening. A bad sore throat similar to strep, started a month ago when I wrenched my neck really bad, body surfing in some big waves. The stiff neck went away, but the sore throat persists. The GP doctor I saw, said it was traumatic pharyngitis from neck injury, affecting the muscles inside the throat area. Since it wasn't improving I went to see an ENT yesterday who went down thru my nose w/ a scope...owwwwww.....and said my throat looked fine. I described my symptoms, and he put me on Prilosec to see if I respond. So we'll see. I woke up last night and had a really bad sore throat, almost could not swallow. Yet, sometimes in the morning it seems like it's better. For years I've had instances where I've woken up in the middle of the night choking and gasping from what feels like a 'dry patch' in my throat, always in the same place in the back of my throat. I never knew all of this could be related to stomach acid! I'm nervous about starting on the prilosec since I've been treated for osteoporosis and now have borderline osteopinnea.
Hello Nancy
Are you sure you have stomach acid causing this? My doctor gave me meds saying that it was causing the problems with my throat - but I insisted on a barium x-ray - no GERD! Glad I didn't take the meds. Also ENT exams said everything fine. Clonazapam helped relax me initially and I am also on Effexor. I have suffered with stress & anxiety and ocd on and off for most of my life - I am now 52 (post menopause also which does not help one bit). I am off the Clonazapam now. I have found some relief from massage therapy. Find a good therapist and explain how you feel. The muscles become so tight through our bodies being so tense all the time. The massage will help release these tight muscles, but regular massage has to happen to keep it loose. Also our own stress management is important, though it is very hard when we have experienced such traumas in our lives and are fearful of bad things happening - I know that that is my problem. I hope you find this of some help - let me know.
Best wishes.
I never knew that so many people were feeling the same way as me. I just started having symptoms of globus 2 days ago. I also have OCD and depression. I just must say I know exactly how you feel and I hope that you feel better. We just gotta keep reminding ourselves that it will be okay and try to relax.
I have GERD as well as an anxiety disorder. The first time I experienced globus was my freshman year of college. I made my boyfriend drive me to the ER becuase I thought a ball of phlegm had dried up and gotten stuck in my throat. Several doctors dismissed my complaints, and it took a lot of trying to find a doctor (a neuropharmacologist) who was able to tell me the "ball in the throat" feeling is called globus sensation and that it is a result of an anxiety attack (and that it is probably made worse due to the acid reflux). When the feeling happens, I take 5-10 mg of Valium (diazepam). I believe it has the dual purpose of anxiety relief and muscle relaxation. It definitely helps. I would definitely ask a doctor to look into some sort of muscle relaxer/benzo to help relieve the acute onset of globus. Good luck...I wouldn't wish this on anyone!
I've had globus sensation along with gerd for 2 months now. I went back to the doctor to get a prescription of an anti-anxiety medication. As soon as I took it, I started burping which seemed to relieve all that gas. I think the globus sensation is due to gas build up. The meds calmed me down enough to allow my body to get rid of the gas if that makes sense. I feel so much better. I hope it lasts.
I made a total of four trips to the mergency room for the same problem. Lump feeling in my throat, shortness of breath that when on for over a month. I lost weight too, and I became severly dehydrated too. I did a lots of crying. So to make my story short during my last visit to the ER the Doctor suggested anxiety symptoms. Of course I was very upset. I am a mental health therapist I know what anxiety symptoms are. I felt offended but I was so desperate that I gave it a try and took zantac. Guess what the lump feeling and shortness of breath when away right of way. I feel much betternow. I will explore anxiety medications. I can tell you that month that I was sick was the longest month in my life. All I can say to you is to be open to this idea. Just think that if this is not the problem at least you gave it a try. I wish you the best.
Asafoetida is the medicine in homoeopathy for this.use it in 30 potency...8 pills 4 times daily dry on tongue till first relief is gotten. then stop and wait for improvement. if no improvement try 200 potency pills 8 on tongue one dose daily.
There is a treatment for Globus hysteria! I had it starting ten years ago and now feel as though it is coming back. I am not panicking because the first time after seeing many drs and specialist I found from a D.O. how it is treated and it worked. I was given 1mg of xanax 4x aday with amitriptiline 50mg at night. Instantly it worked!! I had it for approx. 10 years and then decided after realizing i no longer had the feeling in my throat when it was time to take my medicine to ask my dr. to take me off the xanax. I have not taken it for 7 years but I do take Valium for anxiety but in a very small dose. I see a psychiatrist and will see her again in April, I will ask for and increase or change in my medicine and let her know what i took for it back then. I know it is awful!! It can be treated!!! At first I was very sleepy on the medicine but then you build up a tolerance and I functioned at work for ten years just fine. Please do not suffer needlessly with this condition!! Tell your doctor you need a refereal to see a psychiatrist and tell them what you have. If your psychiatrist refuses to treat this condition hunt for a new one! I will never let a dr. tell me i have to suffer with this because of the fact they dont want to prescribe the proper medicine! Neither should anyone else!!
Melissa, Dayton Ohio
I have been to the doctors twice now in the last month complaining that i feel i have a lump in my throat the doctors have told me they think it is globus on looking in my mouth and told me not to worry however its starting to give me a sore throat and a painful tongue.I lost my mother six weeks ago and they said grief and anxiety can bring it on these feelings in my throat just wont go away its driving me crazy i keep thinking i have mouth or throat cancer can anyone help me?
I've had this for a little over 3 years and it's driving me crazy. I have seen 7 different Dr.'s and they are all in the dark. I would give anything for a little relief.
@Melissa - Did you gain weight when you were taking the xanax 4x a day? I am very active and I enjoy working out so I am concerned that I may feel too tired to workout. Please let me know.
This sounds like what I am going thru,I had my esophgus stretched and dilated and now am worst than ever feels like a hairball with mucus in my throat, I try eating and feels like my thraot is closing and my medicine is getting stuck causing me to throw up.
I am begging the doctors for help, I have lost 30lbs in 3 weeks as well and this is not healthy
I am going thru the same thing feels like a mucous hairball in my throat and even fluid seems to paraylize my throat, I have cried to my primary, and my GI, I never had a problem until my GI did my annual scope, and had to stretch and dilate my esophogus, now I havent eaten in over a month and lost 30lbs I can only eat baby food and applesauce.
I went to an ENT doc yesterday and he did the tube down the nose and seen some swelling he said from reflux, well I been on prevacid and zantac which I have to disolve because they get stuck, he said he would help me figure out what to do, well he called me last night and after talking to my primary he said theres def nothing major wrong and I need to gain confidence in myself where eating is concerned, my primary seems to think its all anxiety nothing wrong she gave me xanax which I cant get off of and its only .25mg, I love to eat and I am tired of choking I spit all the time and its not going very far out my mouth its thick white like phelegm, can someone please help.
The best thing that I have found for globus is an Rx gel made by a compounding pharmacy. It requires a prescription, but most specialty compounding pharmacies could probably make it. It is Ketoprofen/Cyclobenazprine/Gauifenesin in lipoderm gel that is applied to the neck 3-4 times daily. Ketoprofen is an anti-inflammatory, cyclobenazprine is a muscle relaxant, and the gauifenesin is used in this product to also help with muscle relaxation and help the gel be absorbed. The pharmacy that I use is Clinical Specialties in Augusta, GA. I no longer live in the area, however, I still use the pharmacy and have the product shipped to me. It was an oral medicine doctor (head & neck specialist) that originally suggested this type of product, but a lot of physicians would probably be open to prescribing it since it doesn't have any controlled substances involved.
By the way, I thought that maybe it was the application process of rubbing my neck that possibly produced the relief, but that is not the case. I tried the same process with vapor rub and voltaren gel and no relief at all.
Thanks for the tip about fisherman's friend, they provided a little relief until I was able to get the compounded gel.
I'm gonna try these fishermans lozenges this lump in my throat is driving me crazy.....I know it's stress and yes Xanax takes it away.....amazing.....but it seems that if you need xanax they don't want to prescribe it.
You can buy Fishermans Friend lozenges off the internet, and also in supermarkets and chemists in many countries Europe, NZ etc. All you need if you cant get them is to make some toffees with capsicum powder in.
Hi Sue. Have you done any reading on Cricopharngeal spasm?
Hello my name is Tenesia, and mines kinda similar to that. With me sometimes I can feel good at night. But when it comes to the sleeping part its like my breath is not the same it feels weaker. But I never felt more scary then i m now been preganet, I have been up half the night worry what might happen to me, I cant swollow propular and my chest feel like it going to tigthing. And sometimes I find my self breatn fast like I m short of breath or something like it going to stop. r i feel like the top of my thoart is lumpy. Its Like i m not the same no more or have no hope for it, I want to know what causes this? my thoart and body to feel down like this. I wonder is this just all anxiety or maybe more.
I can really identify with you thank you for sharing your story when i have a panic attack my neck goes stiff my head hurts and the more people or family say just calm down it gets worse. mine have got really bad after i had a major infection in my temperal bone i dont know if your being trated but i found an herb that works like xanex its called its sold in the store its cheep and it sems to help. i hope if you read this it will help god bless. o also have found crying makes it worse?
I have had swallowing problems recently.. it started whenI got a fishbone stuck in my tonsil.. this was the second time it happened to me.. about 40 years apart.. I startyed to think there was something wrong with my tonsil.. it felt heavy or large.. I also have bad teeth and felt that
I perhpas dont have enough saliva to chew and swallow.. all this coupled with some worry about my daughters operation.... causede this I think... now when I do swallow food seems to stick to my tonsils and pallet area or just at the back of my throat.. like most people. I am now very anxious.. the anxiety is making it worse because I cant relax.. and even thinking about
food now makes me go into a state of hyper anxiety, I sought medical help. the first doctor gave me a difflam spray.. the second doctor gave me anti reflux meds.. but I think the two or three times i#ve had reflux is because food is laying on my chest when I go to bed. I asked for something to control the panic attacks and he wouldnt give me anything atall.. and he never referred me fo a barium swollow or anything.. im sitting here in total panick because i just triedf to eat a little something and its now stuck in my throat despite drinking lots of fluids.. I have to take two pills for a thyroid condition and dont feel i can manage that .. I would love some Diazepam or something just to let me get some relief from the anxiety... I have made another appointment and hopefully will see another doctor at our practice and hope they will have the sense to realise this cant be left for me to try and resolve without help.. I cant believe that the doctor was so iunaffected by my obvious distress...... hope you all get some return to a normal eating habit.. this is something I would hope no one ever has to get....... my daughter thiinks it is probably the muscle that works in the throat to move food along.. not working as it should as a protection and because it was three days before I had the fishbone removed and was swallowing differently to avoid it catching.. and that they use botox to help.. I hope this is the case.. it sounds rectifiable.. but I have to wait to see the hospital first when I can get a Doctor to send me there..... meanwhile it' s panic all the time..
thanks, been looking for a homeopathic remedy for this. do not like to take pharm. meds.
what is RX gel? can u spell the proper name on the tube please? thanks
It requires a prescription (Rx-abbreviation for prescription product) with Ketoprofen/Cyclobenazprine/Gauifenesin in lipoderm and can be made by compounding pharmacies.
hi,not sure if anybody will actually get this,but ive had the same thng it started a week ago and i have been so scared that ive rang an ambulane 3 times in one day!!!! it felt like nobody was listerng or wasnt even botherd,all i could feel was a hard ball in my throat!! i didnt eat or drink for almost 3days,then the other nite i was on google for 3 hrs and found out its sumthng called CPS.so i went bak 2 my gp and he himself as said this is what it is and its caused by stress and anixety!even thow i didnt no i was stressed,but the more i worried about the "lump" the bigger it felt,so now i no its nothing bad i can actually feel it gettng better each day,i no its hard not thinking about sumthng u can actually feel everday day,but it does work,and i can now eat and drink as normal :) i litrally thort i was going crazy,so for all of u,just google CRICOPHARYNGEAL SPASM hope this helps xx