Suffering with generalized anxiety,panic attacks and choking phobia

[Hateanxiety]

Hi,I'm new to this,I don't know if anyone is going through what I am but I have been going through this for almost 3 months without medication due to none of the medications the doctors have tried me on. My choking phobia started once when I was a child when I strangled on a piece of hamburger meat, but I ended up get over it and got back to mormal,then now as a adult when the anxiety and panic attacks started I developed acid reflux which makes me feel as though my throat is tight as well as the panic attacks making it feel that way, it all cause the fear of choking and thinking something is wrong with my throat. Has anyone else gone through this or going through it?

[Davidatp]

Your Dr needs to get on this ASAP. Make sure he is checking your reflux. I had that and it led to Barrett’s esophagus. God bless.

David

[Jeff1943]

Sounds like classic health anxiety to me rather than a 'rush off to the doctor a.s.a.p.' emergency. Specially as you've seen doctors about this.

So none of their medications have helped, as it's anxiety rather than an organic illness they won't help unless your doctors have diagnosed you with health anxiety and are treating it with anti anxiety meds.

That choking episode when you were a child has left an impression on your mind. I suggest because you choked on a piece of hamburger then doesn't mean it will ever happen again.

All your symptoms including the panic attacks are due to anxiety, you have been frightening yourself half to death and all the fear and stress hormones you have flooded your body with have made your nerves over sensitive. This is what's causing your anxiety symptoms including the reflux in my opinion.

If you could calm your mind and stress less then you would give your over sensitised nervous system a chance to recover and all your anxiety symptoms will be resolved.

Easier said than done, I know, but it helps if you frame your mind to accept these anxiety symptoms for the time being including the choking feeling and panic attacks. Learn to just ACCEPT them as minor nuisances that will pass in their own good time so long as you don't keep stressing and obsessing about them - releasing even more fear hormone to flood your nervous system.

So accept the bad feelings and the fake physical symptoms caused by anxiety disorder for the moment rather than fighting and fearing them. And give your nervous system (and yourself) the time to recover.

[Forestina]

I so identify with all of this, so much so that I could have written it myself.

I have been feeling scared and anxious after finishing a very short course of antibiotics nine weeks ago, so I doubt there is a connection

Total lack of appetite for the past three weeks and that was when the choking started. I guess anxiety focuses on your biggest fears and with mine it is choking and being sick. My acid reflux was so bad one night I woke up choking although I have it a little better under control now. Have been force feeding myself five snacks a day and am just beginning to not have to gulp water to push down every mouthful.

I hope you are able to find some comfort in the fact that you are not alone. I just wish I had a magic wand.

[Hateanxiety in reply to Forestina]

Thank you so much,I am so sorry you are experiencing the same thing,its a relief to know I'm not crazy and the only person in the world going through the eating thing. My husband tries so hard to help me by telling me I will not choke while eating and tells me to just take a bite,chew and swallow but he doesn't understand its not that easy in my mind.

[Forestina in reply to Hateanxiety]

I live alone. Not sure whether that makes anxiety better or worse, but it does mean nobody can witness my struggles.

Thank you for your kind reply.

[kellyrosemua]

your post just gave me insight into my eating disorder I had when I was 9 years old!

no dr. could diagnose it, chalking it up to be "anorexia" when I KNEW it was something else all along.. it started with choking on popcorn at the movie theater.. and then after that a panic attack out of nowhere a day or 2 later on the softball little league field.. I ended up in the ER and then for almost 2 years had trouble eating.. was threatened with a feeding tube for a long time.. lost sooo much weight. you are not alone. thank you for your post.

[Hateanxiety in reply to kellyrosemua]

Yes when I was a child I lost so much weight due to the choking phobia,I kept fighting getting a feeding tube and even had a doctor look me in the eyes and tell me i was going to die. I some how got over it one day until now,when I do eat I chew my food until it is just about water for fear that if I don't it will get stuck in my throat and choke me. Did you get over it? If so how?

[Forestina in reply to Hateanxiety]

No, an in the throes of it right now. I know it is anxiety as it fades slightly during the day. At the moment everything makes me anxious, shops, traffic .......all boiling down to a fear of being trapped. Try to graze on small portions but know I am not eating enough. Have started to write down what I eat. Mine is made worse by acid reflux which means bland foods are best which really doesn't help the swallowing.

Good luck. Thank you too for your kind reply.

[Hateanxiety in reply to Forestina]

Yesterday was a little easier for some reason but today its the same as always as you know I have a fear with swallowing food thinking I will choke but last night I was so convinced that something was wrong with my throat cause I looked at it and one of my tonisil is bigger than the other,my husband says it's fine and normal in some people but I'm not convinced. Its not sore or anything just I just don't know if its going to get bigger or if it's normal.

[Forestina in reply to Hateanxiety]

Oh dear. I am so sorry. It must be so hard, but I think your husband may very well be right. Very few of our paired parts as it were are completely the same. For instance many of us have slightly different sized feet.

I do hope your symptoms subside however and please try and relax. Yes I know, easier said than done.

[Hateanxiety in reply to Forestina]

Thank you forestina,I have tried finding support groups on Facebook and everything for free because this day in time it is so hard to do much of anything with no insurance. I had no luck until I found this site.

[Hateanxiety]

Just a update everyone,I have learned to control the anxiety and panic attacks a bit better so I am actually able to live a bit better. The eating is still a struggle for me but I pushung and thankfully have my husbands help.