Hi AGAIN,
So, today was pretty good, lately I've been very very anxious and can't get a grip. My doctor's have reccommended two xanax an day for a little bit to nip it in the bud and get control. Today was good I took one at 10 and at 4"30 laid on the floor for 5 minutes and then swallowed and thought I flet like alump in my throat. Now, I'm one day 4 of an antibiotic for a sinus infection, so my sinuses ar probably draining back, but, my little self decided I couln't swallow and have bulbar palsey and am instatnly panicked. I took a xanax and ate dinner. No trouble swallowing by the way, and still feel like a ball of goo is is my throat, but I have calmed down.

How dumb is this to instantly go to the worst thing possible? How do I get this little brain to just reset and not go to instant panic and worry? I had a brain MRi two years ago and boold work a year ago which both came out fine, nothing elevated at all. In fact, I was told I was very lucky because I am very healthy. I even had two ER visits in between it all.

How do I retrain myself not to go to the panic mode? Any suggestions would be helpful.

thanks again for listening and sorry for going on and on.

Hi enough:

I went through this particular panic before. For about 3-4 months I was constantly thinking I could not swallow and would panic.

What finally got me through it was remembering that if I could not swallow, I was not able to breathe either. So if I was breathing fine then I could swallow fine. So now whenever I feel that way, I remind myself that I am breathing fine and therefore I can swallow. I just repeat that to myself a few times and it passes.

Also something else to try, when you feel this way, get something to drink. It helps to try swallowing that and it makes you realize that yes you can swallow.

I hope this helps. Hugs to you,
Jeaninne

Hi enough

So sorry you are having a tough time right now. Sometimes when I panic I almost forget to breathe and my mouth gets very dry making it hard to swallow.
Try drinking more water. It helps for me. I hope you feel better.

enjoy your evening
Tara

Hi Enough

I went through a similar fear about swallowing for a while last year, had almost forgotten about it.
I did think it was hormonal related.

I found having a packet of chewing gum on standby helped, as chewing increases the saliva
which makes it easier to swallow.

On the upside I see they reckon chewing gum is also good for stress so you may kill two birds
with one stone.

Hope this helps, certainly helped me.

Hi there,
Apart from breathing difficulties there is nothing quite as likely to cause internal panic than swallowing problems. From my experience the queer feeling in the throat is most definitely hormone related. When I first developed it my mind went into overdrive and my conclusions hovered around cancer of the oesophagus or rampant neurological disease that can occur after the age of 50.
My advice is to block out all those nasty suspicions and say to yourself, this is menopause, I loathe it but it is common and it WILL pass. This is where the ignorance of many doctors does us a great disservice. If someone had said to me, 'ah yes that is a common problem in menopausal women,' I would have been less inclined to panic and would have felt very comforted.
For me the swallowing problems have now passed. It has been replaced with a lot of other rubbish but I have lived to fight another day! Sadly that is the joy of menopause............


Kind regards,


XIII

enough: Google the term "globus hystericus." I think that is what you are experiencing. It's very, very common with anxiety...(and not dangerous)

Hi. I had the same 'lump' sensation out of the blue in January and found it quite alarming. At the time I was having a lot of mucous from a cold back in December, and was a bit hoarse.

I made an appointment with an ENT and he scoped my throat via my nose (not as bad as it sounds). He found nothing remarkable, suspected allergies to some extent, and set me up for a FEEST test to see if reflux was the problem. The test checks the swallow mechanism and observes, via video, what happens in the throat after swallowing.

The test, administered by a voice, speech, swallow specialist, showed what appeared to be LPR, which is reflux that comes back up and irritates the voice box. I haven't spoken to the doctor yet, but the specialist was very certain. The test, which uses green-dyed applesauce, crackers, and green-dyed liquid jello, allows the doctor to observe, via the nose/throat scope, the area around the upper esophagus, which should be pristine. In my case, after swallowing, there was residual green liquid.

The test takes less than 5 minutes, is a little unpleasant, but tolerable considering it gives you a second set of eyes looking at your throat and takes video so you can see and hear an explanation afterward. It goes a long way to providing assurance to our otherwise doubtful selves.

The symptoms of LPR are different than GERD in that there is typically no heartburn. At the time of my test I was on one times 40 mg of omeprazole (prescription Prilosec) daily for only about a week (these don't work overnight, some need several months). I was supposed to be on 2 times 20 mg, but the insurance company wouldn't do it (I fought, and they're doing it now).

Knowing all this didn't help me deal with it any better than before. HOWEVER, against my better judgement I did a little more research on the Internet and found the following link. When I heard Dr. Bastian talk about 'why' the lump occurs , it made me feel 1,000 times better and I found it fading away; perhaps this will help you too. Here's the link. http://www.bastianvoice.com/video_cricospasm.htm

Like many of you, I have been blindsided by some of the symptoms of peri-menopause. Panic attacks, anxiety, acid reflux, Mr. Lump, and palps. I have made a commitment to myself to be healthy, make sure not to attribute anything to peri until a doctor has ruled out other causes, and to maintain my mental health.

For my mental health I found a wonderful local resource who specializes in anxiety and have begun therapy to deal with it. If you are experiencing with panic and anxiety seek help from your local teaching hospitals or national anxiety associations (try Anxiety Disorders Association of America's Find a Therapist search). At the very least, pick up the book 'Hope and Help for Your Nerves' by Clair Weekes. Back in the late 80's/early 90's when I was dealing with panic attacks for the first time, it was her technique that got me past them. I am relearning the technique now and it is working just as well as the first time. Its back in print, cheap, and you can get it from Amazon.com.

I wish you all the best. I hope my experience can help you just as much as your contributions have helped me.
Sue

WOW Sue thanks for posting that post, it certainly has made me feel alot better about my 'Lump of Snot' feeling in throat that I get at times. Usually it appears in times of high stress like last year when I was tapering off an AD I had been taking for 18 months and the withdrawal symptoms were furious and quite disturbing and along came that awful throat feeling.

I am going to make a copy of that post and put it in my Peri/Menopause file for future reference and in case anyone else I know needs an explanation for the same thing.

Thanks again

Rox

Count me In on this one as well, I got through bouts of this from time to time and its' a Horrible and Very Very Scary Feeling, At times I deal with it better than other times... It so helps knowing that your not alone in this..
Love
sdblue

Hi! My name is posey t :

I had a very frighting experience tonight. I chocked on apiece of lobster. That was at about 7:30. I still can't quite swallow; my throat is so tight . excuse me if get grafic! all night I have been coughing up flem,very thick . I am afraid I won't be able to eat anything for a while. I am scared.any one had a similar experience and have suggestions how to go on.

Go to the Doctor! You could be allergic to the lobster. You many need antihistamine. I have had a similar problem although not from shell fish. It is better to be safe than sorry. I don't mean to scare you but I have had my throat spasm and touch sides for me it was painful and very scarry you need to take care of it sooner than later

Good luck and let us know how you do.

Rif

I agree, get to the doctor. You may have a piece of this still stuck in the esophagus, and if you try to eat more, it could really cause a big problem. They can check you in the ER pretty easily and dislodge anything that might be stuck there.

Can't believe I've found another symptom being discussed that I have experienced too. This is a great site..thank you so much. So...heart palps and swallowing trouble. This is common...how interesting. Makes me feel better to know that I'm not the only one. However, I hate it.
Love yall from Texas

Dear 'posey t'
I agree with the other ladies.Please get yourself to the Doctor.It might well be that you have just badly scratched your throat and that is causing the discomfort .However,it could well be an allergic reaction

Please keep us posted

Warm Wishes
Elizabeth

You know, sometimes I don't even voice the concerns I have because it seems impossible that anyone else would ever experience them. But there have been many times when I've thought, "My swallower isn't working!"

I love you guys.

xo

Any time I start getting panicky because I can't swallow, I find something to drink. I figure that 1) if I can swallow water or soda, there's nothing wrong with my swallower, and 2) the problem is probably being caused by a dry throat -- can't swallow if there's nothing there -- and so the liquid will help.

definately stress related, I have had it and still get it sometimes.....

If I am reading PS and eating, or watching tv and eating, I often start to gag on my chewed food before it goes down the 'hole'....realising that I must not read and watch tv whilst eating.....!

It truly is startling and annoying...but it is most certainly when you are under stress...even if you don't feel like it when it happens.