Anxiety and panic..lump in throat and phobia of eating

[Loosendz66]

Hi I have been suffering from anxiety and panic and depression now for over 20 odd years I thought I had had just about every anxiety symptom you could possibly have...about 6 weeks ago I was just eating some food normally and a bit got stuck in my throat I felt myself in a rage of panic everytime I ate that day same thing happened again..eventually I stopped eating lumpy foods I started crushing all my meds cause I was scared that I was going to have this lump at the back of my throat I eventually took myself to a&e early one morning with what I thought was a lump in the back of my throat they examined my throat and then put a camera down there was no lump there but I could still feel one..after that I went home relaxed and seemed to disappear anyway since then the thought if eating normal food unless its smooth is a no no and a trigger for my panic now..ino it's gone to avoidance now that's the only way I can dampen the panic..I'm waiting to start cbd therapy on 14th oct..I have had a barium swallow xray too and everything come back fine on the xrays no blockage or anything..my mouth n throat is dry alot too does anyone else suffer from this lump in the throat due to anxiety I feel so alone right now..I just want to eat normally

[Clonazepam05]

Oh absolutely. I have been there. The sight or even the smell of food used to make me feel like choking. I got an x-ray done and my ENT told me it was all my head. Now that I know there is nothing wrong with me physically what I do is try not to think about it. The more you will think about it the worse it will get. I know it’s hard. But you have to stop the negative thinking. And don’t give up solid food. Avoiding the problem won’t work. You got tests done. So know that you are physically fine. Now it’s a battle between you and your anxiety. Don’t entertain the thoughts of your anxiety- as you stop doing what your anxiety tells you to do it will weaken and start disappearing. Believe in yourself. Self-belief and confidence are the most important virtues that will help you succeed. It will take time: beating anxiety is a long process. There will be days when you will feel anxious and low but don’t give up move forward.

[Loosendz66 in reply to Clonazepam05]

Thank you so much for your reply..your right it is hard apart of me just wants to go I head first and not let it beat me like it has..

[Kam360]

Hey sweetie, yes, I've had the lump in the throat feeling and it's not very pleasant is it? Still you can rule out anything sinister😊Stress can cause some wierd and persistent symptoms, but just like the anxiety goes eventually, so will your symptoms. Thinking of you, remember, you are not alone.❤️❤️

[Loosendz66 in reply to Kam360]

Thank you very much for you kind n sweet reply..I think I've just become more stressed over the anxiety symptoms..I need to tackle the anxiety and theeati g issues too I have had the all clear and I dont understand why thats not enough for me

[Kam360 in reply to Loosendz66]

Gosh! I’m exactly the same as you. I had a sort of tender area like a pulled muscle feeling in my boob. I went to my doc and she gave me a thorough exam. She told me there was no swollen lymph nodes and nothing whatsoever to cause any concern. I just can’t seem to take it in, that I’ve got nowt to worry about. By the way, I’ve had this slight discomfort for years, even when I’ve had a mammogram and it’s shown no problems. Why for goodness sake are we intent on torturing ourselves!!❤️❤️

[Loosendz66 in reply to Kam360]

Ino I guess we are just over sensitive and take things literally...I just want to feel me again...I've let this beat me now for the last two months..I'm going to fight back now and gain some control of my life back

[Jeff1943]

What you describe, the lump in the throat feeling, is a very common symptom of anxiety. However, always best to get these things checked by the medics to be 100% sure.I had exactly what you did 25 years ago including the barium meal. It's called 'Globus Hystericus' and I reckon about a dozen people have reported it here in the last few years.

Once I got the reassurance of the all-clear I accepted it and it quickly disappeared. Do not feed your anxiety by continuing to stress about it or wonder if the doctors 'must have missed something'.

Accept and move on, in fact accept all the symptoms of your anxiety: they are merely minor short circuits in our nervous wiring, the result of too much worry, work and stress.

All is fine, you have nothing to worry you and I am your proof of that!

[Loosendz66 in reply to Jeff1943]

Aaawww thank you for that means alot..I will certainly take what you have said on board...its has got to be the worst of the anxiety symptoms I've ever encountered in 20 odd years..

[Butterflyfish-2021]

My throat gets extremely dry accompanied by the lump during my panic attack usually goes away with in a few hours

[Loosendz66 in reply to Butterflyfish-2021]

This is exactly what happens to me and the lump and dry throat goes on for hours something..but I'm going to beat this n get myself on track it's taken over my life the last two months..it doesnt help when you dont have a very understanding doctor..thank you

[Els92]

I really feel for you. I've had this before with anxiety feeling like I can't swallow because my throats closing and something is stuck. Then my mouth would get so dry then I'd panic even more because I couldn't swallow and felt like me throat was swelling so I totally understand how your feeling. The thing with anxiety is fighting it. Easier said than done I know the more you avoid certain foods tablets etc the more your fear grows. Xx

[Loosendz66 in reply to Els92]

Yes I fully understand that..ino i have to accept what's happening and see it for what it is a bully..yesterday i took the plunge and ate something i would of just avoided..it was hard and as soon as i ate it the lump in the throat came again ..but i kept eating it after i finished the lump stayed there i tryed my hardest not to pay it any attention..after about 3-4 hours it finally went.the more i expose myself to these things the more the anxiety should lesson..wish me luck and thank you for your reply

[AnxiousCanadianChic]

I don’t know if it’s the same thing but after I eat… HOURS after I eat I feel like the food is stuck in the lower throat/upper chest area. I’ll drink tons of water to try to “push” it down or break it up but that doesn’t work, it just eventually goes away. I don’t know if it actually is food or just feels like it is. 🤷🏻‍♀️

[Loosendz66 in reply to AnxiousCanadianChic]

I'm so glad you messaged me cause this is exactly what I'm talking about..I had a swallow test done at the hospital to check my throat and everything else for blovmccages but nothing was found I havent ate normal food now for 8 weeks cause I've developed a phobia if I drink soup its find or yogurts...its horrible cause it feels so real like the food has come back up and sticks in your throat and everytime you swallow it moves around.. I am on tablets at the moment for acid reflux due to anxiety and that's something that could be doing it.. Or globus contact your doctor its defo anxiety related....I sympathise with you cause I'm going through exactly the same thing have been for 8 weeks I've lived on soup n liquid stuff cause that's the only time I dont get it..I'm waiting to see a cbt therapist too..feel free to message me anytime if you wanna chat some more about it..

[AnxiousCanadianChic in reply to Loosendz66]

Yeah I find it annoying but it doesn’t scare me as I’ve had this for many years. I am a VERY picky eater and the main thing I eat is yogurt and sometimes I still get that feeling. I hate having it when I go to bed but I’ve been doing 18/6 fasting so I’m all good by the time I go to bed. It could possibly be indigestion or acid reflux I don’t really know but I’m so used to it now that it doesn’t scare me it just annoys me.

[Loosendz66 in reply to AnxiousCanadianChic]

Mines turned to being so scared as I say it's new to me in all the years of anxiety I've never had this..mines now a phobia but I try so hard to tell myself..its not real but it feels just like food stuck there and it only happens when I eat lumpy food..even tho I've been told everything is fine physically by my xrays I'm still not convinced..I'd defo get yours looked at cause it could be reflux gord GERD dysphagia they all cause this and treatable too..

[AnxiousCanadianChic in reply to Loosendz66]

Actually now that I think about it, I think it would happen when I would eat say a banana and apple at a time… Maybe just need to eat really slow, drinking in between and making sure to chew stuff really really good?