Throat closing up

I keep getting a feeling like there is something in my throat blocking me from swallowing. I noticed that it gets worse after I eat. I have pulsatile tinnitus in my left ear which drives me insane, and bad headaches from stiff neck muscles. For the past few days, it feels like every time I eat, everything swells up. My stomach gets bloated and my nose gets very stuffy and runny. This makes the blocked throat and buzzy ear get even worse. Today I completely panicked as I was convinced my throat was going to close over. My heart was thumping and I was wondering was it some kind of allergy. I took xanax and antihistamine and it's a bit better, but I can't keep taking xanax as my doctor will only give me a few at a time, but they are the only things that work. Does anyone have serious food allergies, or would it just be all from anxiety? I'm waiting to get scopes done for stomach problems I have been having since January and had been panicking about bowel cancer, stomach ulcers etc, so that doesn't help. So glad this page is here xx

[Ryan78]

Hi !! When my anxiety is bad I have this and I try to take a few minutes in a room on my own and just take deep breaths and I just concentrate on one sound and the lump seems to ease I don't suffer from tinnitus so can't help on that front but just stay strong and try to yourself it's your mind playing tricks on you . I know this doesn't work all the time but sometimes helps me !! Hope you feel better soon x

[Hidden in reply to Ryan78]

Thanks, Ryan. Afterwards I usually know it's all in my mind but it is difficult in the middle of it. Good to know it's not just me though. Take care x

[Jeff1943]

Hi Dedah6521, as your doctor is prescribing xanax he has clearly diagnosed you as having anxiety disorder and you yourself have chosen an anxiety forum to discuss your problems. As they say, if it looks like a duck and it quacks like a duck then it's probably a duck. Or in your case anxiety☺

The 'something in the throat' symptom is called Globus Hystericus and is avery common symptom of anxiety. I had it once about 20 years and at least once a week someone posts on this forum with this symptom.

I also had pulsile tinnitus and don't know whether it was anxiety related ordue to blood vessels constricting in the ear but it went away and hasn't returned so it was probably anxiety - if it was a physical symptom it wouldn't have cleared up.

Claire Weekes who wrote 'Hope and help with your nerves' says that the stomach is the most sympathetic organ of the body as far as anxiety is concerned. In other words anxiety expresses itself as stomach symptoms more than any other part of your body. So the scopes you are wisely goingto have most probably won't find bowel cancer or stomach ulcers.

Always report symptoms to your doctor for your own reassurance but I think all the bad feelings you mention are anxiety based. The first thing to look for is what stress or worry made your nervous system over sensitised in the first place and to protect yourself from that source. But now the fear generated by the nervous symptoms are themselves perpetuating your anxiety disorder. To recover you must stop fighting the symptoms, fighting only causes more strain and anxiety, instead you should learn to accept the symptoms for the time being. If you can accept the symptoms you begin to lose your fear of them and your nervous system returns to normal and all these anxiety symptons will cease. So let Acceptance not introspection be your guide and in the fullness of time your tinnitus, throat and stomach problems will be a thing of the past and you will be able to get on with your life.

[Ryan78 in reply to Jeff1943]

Well said !!

[Hidden in reply to Jeff1943]

Thanks for taking the time to reply. Good to know there is an actual name for this!

But I agree with you, so many things are caused by anxiety, and then for any physical things that are going on, anxiety makes everything worse. When I am in the middle of it, it feels overwhelming.

I am hoping the scopes will be normal. Any little health niggle seems magnified when you are anxious, unfortunately.

I suffered from agaraphobia after the birth of my first son 30 years ago, and Claire Weekes book was a lifeline. I remember the floating and letting time pass. I will try and get a copy and read it again. Anxiety is such a curse. I have a counselling appointment made so hopefully I will get some tips on how to deal with this better x

[Jeff1943]

You are so right, Dedah6521, every little health niggle is magnified tenfold when we have anxiety and we end up as hypochondriacs of the worse kind. You can never read Claire Weekes' book enough times I find, some people criticise it because the social background of when she wrote it is dated, but truth is truth regardless of time. I can think of a book 2000 years older than Claire Weekes', I've never heard anybody criticise it for its age whatever their view. You are no doubt thinking of her 'Self help for your nerves' (U.K. title) or 'Hope and help for your nerves' (U.S. title) available from Amazon new or used. Good luck with your scopes and may your reading soon lead to recovery.