Lump-like feeling in throat from anxiety

[keptainicandozatt]

Does anyone get this lump-like feeling in your throat from anxiety? I'm more or less used to the physical symptoms like muscle ache, headaches and the sorts, but this is new. And it's freaking me out even more. I can swallow food/water just find. It just feels weird when I'm swallowing my saliva 😭

[theresienne]

Just what I am experiencing right now but I know that it's just the nodes that are reacting to stress and anxiety. Wait for a day or two and it will shrunk eventually.

[keptainicandozatt in reply to theresienne]

I'll try not to think too much about this. I think it's because it just came out of nowhere and I ended up fixating over it. I know I shouldn't, but it's so hard not to worry sometimes

[theresienne in reply to keptainicandozatt]

I feel you. I felt mine last night but it happened to me before (as in many areas in my body at the same time) so I know that it will be gone after a day or two.

[keptainicandozatt in reply to theresienne]

I've felt it like on and off for the past three-four days, so I've been pretty stressed out over it. There's no pain whatsoever, so I'm just trying to tell myself that i'm only feeling it because I'm too fixated on it haahaha

[Ironj]

It’s called Globus hysteria very common with anxiety. It can’t harm you , try not to let it worry you and if will go away.

[keptainicandozatt in reply to Ironj]

Thanks so much for this! It just came out of nowhere, and like any other physical symptoms, I started fixating on it and I got myself into an extremely anxious state. I'll try not to think too much about it!

[Ironj in reply to keptainicandozatt]

Anxiety is smart like that , when it knows it’s got you attention it will keep poking you provoking more anxiety. Then you sitting around all day thinking of the what If’s. Channel your thoughts on productive things even if your mind keeps pulling you back. Best wishes

[keptainicandozatt in reply to Ironj]

Thank you ☺️ I'll try my best to do just that. I feel like the more I try not to think about it, the more I end up obsessing over it 😂

[EleanorRose]

Hey!

I have been struggling with this since it came out of the blue for me in August.

It has now developed into a full obsession for me where I am worrying about if I can swallow and all sorts. Scared to eat etc.

My advice is to try not to fixate on it - as others have said, it is a common feeling in anxiety - I definitely recommend you look up globus hystericus as someone else suggested.

My therapist conducted a survey for me asking questions about swallowing, one including about the swallowing of saliva and what it feels like - the answers showed that most people found it difficult to repeatedly and deliberately swallow saliva/found it uncomfortable and lots of other things.

In short, consciously swallowing saliva does feel weird for pretty much everybody, it’s just most people don’t notice it because they aren’t intentionally doing it and then thinking about how it feels. It’s something we just do ‘naturally’ most of the time.

I’ve also found out that one of the top causes for a strange feeling in your throat is having a dry throat. One of the top causes of which is - anxiety! Yay! 🙈

The more you swallow, the more it dries out your throat and thus the more uncomfortable it feels. So if you’re anything like me and swallowing saliva to ‘check’ how it feels, you are actually probably making it worse.

Take care,

Eleanor

[keptainicandozatt in reply to EleanorRose]

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply to my post. And I think you've hit all the points in your post! I know that I'm fixating too much on it, and yet, I can't 'stop' obsessing over it. I realized when I'm genuinely distracted, I don't feel the 'lump' in my throat, but when I'm thinking of how it's going to feel like when swallowing my saliva, I can sort of feel it. It's driving me nuts, to be honest.

I'll try my best not to think too much about it. I think it's because it's a new symptom and like with my other symptoms, I end up obsessing over it until it becomes a norm for me. Still, thanks so much for the tips! I truly appreciate it and I feel slightly better now

[EleanorRose in reply to keptainicandozatt]

Glad I could be of some help 😊

I truly do empathise with you. I know how awful it is and unfortunately I’ve allowed myself to fixate on it for so long that I now find it hard not to.

Sometimes it’s hard to ‘ignore’ it because in consciously ignoring it you ironically are actually thinking about it. Being genuinely distracted does improve things for me, too.

I’ve also found thinking to myself, “yes, I felt that but it’s normal” kind of helps - acknowledging it and then just moving on if I do notice it. Trying to keep the time focussed on it to a minimum.

Anxiety is such a horrible thing.

[keptainicandozatt]

It is! When I'm at work, it's so much easier not think about it because I'm occupied. But my anxiety hits me full force once I have nothing to do. It gets worse when I'm about to get to bed, and I feel like I should be used to it by now. It affects my sleep quality at times, and at this rate, I'm just....I wouldn't say I'm defeated. It's just exhausting, in a way.

[EleanorRose in reply to keptainicandozatt]

YES! Exactly that.

I have spent most of the last month or two saying, “I’m exhausted, not sleepy, just exhausted” to those closest to me - it’s hard to describe, I find. Anxiety is so draining and although I am tired a lot of the time because, like you, I’m kept awake by worrying a lot, it’s more that that.

Have you found a way to fill more of your free time? Holidays and longer periods of time off of work are a huge trigger for me because I am not occupied enough to stop the anxious thoughts. General day to day busyness, spending time with people etc isn’t enough for me to stop my mind wandering.

[keptainicandozatt]

I work a 8-5 office job, so for the most part, I'm occupied for about eight hours. But like you said, it's the time off work that triggers my anxiety. I can be completely exhausted after working out/working/meeting friends, but sleep still doesn't come easily. There are times when I'm still anxious even though I'm working, or even when I'm hanging out with friends. It's like I'm always thinking, ''What if this happens'' with every single thing I'm doing.

And even when I do manage to sleep, I keep dreaming of random things. It's frustrating, but I'm used to it. To be honest, I have no idea what else I can do. I can't even watch TV without worrying over some small thing sometimes!

[EleanorRose in reply to keptainicandozatt]

You sound very much like me.

Have you tried any sort of treatment? Therapy? Medication?

[keptainicandozatt]

Therapy is really expensive where I'm from. I'm not on any medication either. If I'm really exhausted and trying to 'force' myself to sleep, I take about 10mg of melatonin just so I can feel drowsy. There are days when it works, but most of the time, it doesn't. How about you?

[EleanorRose in reply to keptainicandozatt]

I have been having therapy for about a year now, it is quite expensive but I’m fortunate to be able to just about afford to. It has helped to some extent although I still have quite a lot of anxiety. I have recently been prescribed anti-depressants but haven’t taken them yet.

[keptainicandozatt in reply to EleanorRose]

I've considered therapy for quite some time, but just thinking of paying for it makes me anxious at times. Perhaps in the near future, I'll consider it again. Would you consider taking the anti-depressants?

[EleanorRose in reply to keptainicandozatt]

I can understand the anxiety around the cost of therapy. Are there any means of accessing therapy for free where you are?

If not, and you can afford to, I’d recommend trying therapy - even if only for a couple of sessions initially to see if you think it could work for you?

I am still undecided about the antidepressants - I was more or less just given them by the doctor without any real information so I am planning on going back and asking some questions before I decide to take them.

[keptainicandozatt in reply to EleanorRose]

On a whin, I've just booked an appointment with a local clinic so that I can get a referral (it's slightly cheaper that way). I'm a bit nervous, because I'm scared the GP's gonna like brush me off. A year or so ago, I went to a doctor and he brushed me off saying I only felt anxious because it just so happened that I was having a urine infection at that point of time. Hopefully the consultation will go better this time round! Thanks so much for all your tips <3

[EleanorRose in reply to keptainicandozatt]

Amazing! I am so glad you’ve taken that step.

Maybe make a few notes to take with you so that you are sure to say all of the important things and can make sure the GP understands where you are coming from.

Do let me know how it goes, good luck! ❤️

[keptainicandozatt in reply to EleanorRose]

Thank you! I think I'm just tired of going through this every single day, so hopefully this small step can somewhat help...even if if's little bit 😂 And I hope everything goes well for you as well 🥰

[EleanorRose in reply to keptainicandozatt]

Exactly. Sometimes we can only take small steps but even small steps can help!

[Ltcw4275]

Hello, I have also experienced this starting a year ago. My mom had 2 thyroid tumors so it was causing significant anxiety. I had an ultrasound and was told there was nothing to be concerned about. This helped somewhat but I still felt it for many months until my GP prescribed me Ativan. It has been about 6 months and I no longer feel it at all. My heart palpitations and waking up gasping have also stopped. I cannot afford therapy but I have been using a symptom and mood journal app and gratitude journal app as well. Many thanks to those who put a name to this condition. I knew my anxiety was causing it, but I didn't know that it was so common. I very much hope you can find relief.

[keptainicandozatt]

Thank you so much for sharing!I hope I can someday find relief too from these symptoms. I'm probably going to go to the doctor just in case (for my own peace of mind as well).