chronic globus swallow anxiety problem

[scorpion91]

Brief descript of myself

23

Male

Hispanic

Supplements I take: 100-200mg 5htp and dissolve multivitamin tabs

I do have braces(I'm not sure if that is some secondary issue with the swallowing)

 

I've had a chronic globus swallow/anxiety problem since late April of this year. I feel tightness, "pop/click" feeling when I swallow and some effort at times to swallow solid foods. I do not have a problem swallowing liquids(*thanks God*). It is certain solid foods that this problem occurs with: meats and breads and large vegetables. Small vegetables and chips and cereals it doesn't have much issues.

 

I have gone to an ENT doc and he had ran the scope down my throat and he said it was overall okay with some redness of the vocal cords and gave me an Rx for prilsec, but it appeared to not have an improvement.

 

I then came to some conclusion that the issue was more psychological, because I kept some anxiety based symptoms at meal times(lunch and dinner specifically) and it was bothering. The anxiety issues consisted of some palpitation and lightheaded feeling and some "fast blood flow"(adrenaline like feeling).

 

I did get my palpitation issue checked out by a cardio in May; I did an echo and stress ekg workup and he said it was overall okay with some anxiety/tachy. But he couldn't give me a clearcut prognosis, whether it was medical or psychological from the root of the palpitations.

 

And then, I began to theorize that the swallow issue was connected to the palpitation/anxiety problem so I began to look at supplements. I tried 5htp and noticed some improvements a bit by 30-40% a bit.

 

Though, I'm not sure what is the cause of food "needing effort" to commence a swallow. It's not stuck in throat let clear up, it's just stuck in the mouth; I can feel a swallow normally but at times, the solid food is just stuck in my mouth. So I can know for sure, that this is an anxiety issue because how can I feel a swallow function commence.

 

Though, I do worry sometimes and google a bit and worry about having some throat/larnx/esophagus/adrenal cancer or something. Though, how can I have a swallow function and feel it, but the food is sort of stuck at times in the mouth but I can eat. The issue that bothers me is the tightness in the throat; pulsating feeling on neck and the "pop/click" when swallowing.

 

I can eat at all, it's just some effort at times needed to "push" the solid food down.

 

I've been wondering if the braces I have on(I've them on since January 2013 but I miss some appointments when I was doing my undergrad college work out of town but taking them off this month) have some factor to this swallow problem with the solid food.

 

Also stress from grad school and other bs. I'm not in grad school at the moment, I start class again on the 18th but I'm doing an internship that I'm finishing up this week.

 

I'm not sure if the 5htp would be helpful with the swallowing issue. I do take it within a 100-150mg, I did bump it to 200mg but I'm going to trim the dosage down because I think it bump up my anxiety a bit.

 

I'm not sure if anyone has had this issue similar like me, and would share some advice to me so I can not be freaking out too much on this bs.

 

Thanks.

[RainyCoast]

scorpy, i am sorry--i didn't even read the full post and if there's a physical issue it's certainly best to rely on your doctor's evaluation.

But, please don't hate me, I don't know how to put this...and I don't want to sound like an a$$, you sound nice and smart...

 

I see you posting a clinical anamnesis of sorts about your physical and mental health quite often as if you're looking to put a label, diagnosis, name on it....

 

You came as far as convincing yourself a possibly minor gastric issue is cancer. OP, your anxiety is through the roof and there's no need to live with this sense of impending doom. Please find a good counselor? And if you're very worried about the physical issue get a second opinion--i'm no doctor but I have friends with gastroparesis who complained of similar symptoms before they were managed. Again, not that I have the slightest idea what you have or don't have--other than a whole lot of anxiety and perhaps a touch of Munchausen's, which isn't uncommon in people who are desperate to have their emotional distress alleviated.

 

Have you talked about your anxiety to a couselor? There was one at your campus you mentioned the last time? You also felt left out and lonely just recently, how is your social circle now?

[RainyCoast]

The issue that bothers me is the tightness in the throat; pulsating feeling on neck and the "pop/click" when swallowing.

i forgot to mention, i have c-ptsd and i have actually had the same issue when it was at it's worst, didn't eat at all for weeks before my meds kicked in. it wasn't a physical issue.

[scorpion91]

@rainycoast. I don't spent every waking second of my day, googling illnesses or anything. The whole swallowing issue thing has been bothering, I only came here to see if anyone had similar issues or problems like me--hence the name of this website and forum("eNotAlone").

 

I do post other threads here that aren't all about mental health or physical aliments, search my name up on the threads and I'll prove that to you.

[melancholy123]

I have a friend with a lot of allergies and sometimes food will cause his throat to narrow and then he can't swallow. He's ended up in the ER several times when his usual remedies dont work for him. He's been checked and tested every which way possible and there's no physical problem, it's an allergy for him. There could be minute amounts of something in his food that he doesnt know is there and that's enough to trigger it. Have you been checked for allergies?

[scorpion91]

@melancholy123. I have not. I think it's a combination of anxiety and maybe something with my braces. I can start a swallow but some solid food at times, doesn't go down. I can chew but the food needs to "swish" a bit in my mouth to swallow, with some force. That's with some solid foods(meats and some thick vegetables and breads). I can swallow liquids like water and soda without problems; I can swallow without liquid or solids and there is no problem which is leading back to the whole anxiety issue. I assume safely, I have a globus hystericus with chronix anxiety.

[RainyCoast]

wow.

 

i did look up your name. this is what the search resulted in. several pages of you trying to land yourself with a psychiatric Dx/overthinking social anxiety and loneliness:

 

 

 

 

and several pages about gastric issues that a doctor would know best about:

 

 

 

And yet, it's like you care more to post a medical chart then actually schedule an appointment and focus on recovery with the help of people trained for this.

 

I really tried to point it out kindly. Especially because with a mental health issue, i can relate and emphatize.

Maybe you'd rather have a Dx than actually resort to a proffessional monitoring it and helping you overcome it.

And maybe you'd rather have a Dx than have forum members suggest you *GASP* seek help for psychological distress.

[scorpion91]

@Rainy. First off, I'm not the only person in that uses this site and posts about medical issues. Take a look and see for yourself. Don't come here and waltz here, and insinuate that I'm the only guy that does that.

 

I thought this was a site where someone could post about the problems they deal with and all that. What right does it give to YOU, to tell what I can't or can't say here? When did you own this site or police what I can't or can't talk about.

 

I know you are being polite and all, and I'm being polite as the best I can. And yeah I've been in counseling and all, I've read up on that anxiety bit. That's why I take 5htp. I mentioned that on my original post, where you that clueless not to read that all. Google "5htp and anxiety" before you type another post here.

[RainyCoast]

you can post all you want. I don't think self-diagnosing and self-medicating are a good alternative to a professional approach. Your thread, your life *le shrug*. Good luck.

[Seraphim]

I have the same issues. I do have PTSD and panic disorder. Sometimes I can't eat because I fear I will choke.

[Zen12084]

I have almost EXACTLY the same problem.

 

Had it since August 2011 and it comes and goes. It's made me panic many times but never enough to call emergency services yet. I also got buzzing in one ear in 2012 which is almost certainly related.

 

I've adapted to it by eating carefully, avoiding difficult to swallow foods and ceasing eating immediately if I feel any sensation in my throat.

I'm certain it's not anxiety and is a physical problem that is very rare.

 

I hope it's achalasia since that's treatable with surgery. The other likely causes are rather scary and life threatening.

 

Symptoms:

-fear of choking

-something stuck in throat A.K.A globus sensation

-feeling of being strangled

-urge to swallow

-thick saliva build-up

-buzzing in right ear only

-blockage behind eardrum right ear only

-weight loss

 

Diagnostic test for achalasia is going to the ENT and getting a manometry. If I was a smarter person I would have gone back and insisted on more tests.