Post nasal drip/ Globus sensation
Posted , 9 users are following.
I'm at my breaking point.
Ive had this globus sensation ( post nasal drip for about 2 years on and off now. have tried almost every technique such as nasal spray, nasal wash, steam, hydration, etc.
but i always end up trying to spit out my mucus because i cant swallow properly causing me to gag/ feel sick.
my throat sometimes feel very tight that i cant swallow my own saliva, and releasing mucus is my only way of coping with it( which is digusting , and i cant do in public.
PLEASE does any one know anything i can do to make this easier. i cant live like this because im always on public transport, giving speeches for work, and need this gone ASAP.
PLEASE SOMETHING THAT WORKS.
0 likes, 23 replies
Devorgilla john_77024
Edited
So sorry to hear how upset you are.Its an awful thing to live with and very few people understand. Its a roller coaster ride. I had globus. Initially I was treated with antacid tablets which had little effect. Then I was treated with an anti anxiety course which miraculously worked for about 3 months then began to be less effective. At present coming off anti anxiety tablets and being treated with antacid tablets and amazingly that is working and I've had a great week or two without hardly a symptom.Think it may be connected to acid reflux. Have you a good doctor? Persever and I hope things improve for you. Chewing gum is a great help. I couldn't sleep for swallowing but that has improved too. Don't give up. We are all here to support you.
Mikeglobus john_77024
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Hi John, I haven't posted on here for a while cause I sound like a broken record but we've all been there. I was at my wits end - didn't know how I was going to keep going dealing with it every day. I couldnt imagine a life of struggling to swallow and always wanting to gag when I talked. It got to the point where I swallowed so much I developed a horrible clicking sensation when I swallowed as if I had dry swallowed so much I damaged cartilage. Of course this made me swallow even more to see if it was still like that. Vicious cycle. Granted I never had the mucus, my leaned more on the globus side of it - my throat felt like it was shut always!
I even traveled all the way to the states from the UK to see a specialist cause I thought I had a tumour or something in my throat. He did xrays and barium swallows, endoscopies etc. Only to tell me I was 'fine' and had globus sensation from health anxiety. Turns out when I had a particularly rough endoscopy in the UK following a food reaction the camera scraped past my esophagus and aggravated it. Once I focused in on the sensation though that was it, it was stuck.
Long story...well long. I had it for 2-3 years I think. I ended up having the worst insomnia off the back of it with the stress. I was at my lowest. GOOD NEWS PART. So that was three years or so ago and it really doesn't interrupt my life anymore. When I first looked online it was all doom and gloom which didnt help so I want to come here cause you seem distressed to say it can and will go away! You have to start believing that. First I would say is go to the doctors to check its nothing else more serious, confirm its globus. Then check to see if you have silent reflux or and stomach acid things. I think this was a lot to do with mine. That and a combo of the aggravated throat form the Dr's. There are excercises and stuff you can do with you throat, look up 'kiss the sky' or 'kiss the ceiling' exercises. They helped relieve some of the pressure for me, placebo or not. Ultimately it was my stress and fear that kept it going I think, as soon as I truly believed it was reactive to my stress and anxiety it started going away. The more it went away the less I thought about it and it essentially went away.
You will be fine! I went from not being able to swallow a pill to gubbing two at a time now. With the OCCASIONAL flare up, but now I know it will go away and it always does.
Best of luck with your recovery, I know it feels hopeless right now but have faith!
Cho13 Mikeglobus
Posted
Your reply has given me so much hope you have no idea!! 10 years of globus suffering (started when I either made a wrong neck movement or when I thought I had swallowed something sharp in a takeaway coffee). either way, all scans come back clean and I still keep going for more and more. I've even got my sights set on seeing specialists in germany to see if they can help. I def have reflux, although antacids didnt seem to help much. would you have any recommendations on how to mentally deal- like counseling?? hypnosis was a total fail for me. any further advice would be incredibly appreciated !!!!
john_77024 Mikeglobus
Edited
it is not acid reflux because i didnt eat for 3 days and it was worse .
it is defintely when im anxious or nervous that my throat becomes very tight to the point where i cant swallow . but even just a bit of anxiey does this to me . chewing gum helps , drinking water , neck exercises . because it is impossible to get rid of all anxiety this will always be here
Mikeglobus john_77024
Edited
Fair enough John. However my understanding is reflux can actual be caused by no food in your stomach as well. Your stomach creates acid to break food down so if there is nothing to break down, the acid can be a nuisance. Not that Im suggesting thats what this is but worth considering.
If it is just anxiety though, I see that as even better news. You know its essentially psychosomatic and not a physical thing. Which means the better you can get your mind frame the quicker it can go away. As bohemian as it sounds, you just have to believe it will get better. Or accept you may be having an anxious time in your life, and when things get better you know the throat will get better too.
Best of luck.
john_77024 Mikeglobus
Edited
its like half globus and half post nasal drip . i dont know which one is the actual cause . all i know is ill go by my day with no problem , and the moment i get a bit nervous BOOM.. i feel nauseas , my throat is closed up, and my mucus is impossible to swallow so i must spit it out .. which i want to REALLY stop because i cant keep spitting out mucus in public or work . at home its different coz no one is around .. but trying so hard
Devorgilla john_77024
Posted
Hi. Have you been to a doctor? What did he suggest?
Mikeglobus Cho13
Edited
Hi Cho13,
Glad its helped a bit and sorry you've had it for so long, the swallowing something sharp is quite common trigger from my understanding. Kind of like how mine was after a bad endoscopy. It aggravates the throat and from the conversation I had with the specialist your UES (upper esophagus sphincter) reacts and due to it being a neurological reaction it acts like a memory and kind of stays shut. There are actually experiments happening in the states with a few specialist where they inject botox in to the muscle and it 're-learns', the doctor said they dont understand why the botox doesnt fade away like it would in the face and the throat returns. He said they have had good results. I turned it down once I researched more - I decided to try and beat it with my attitude and mind frame. Had it continued I would have pursued the injections more though.
In terms of how did I 'beat' mine - I read LOTS of mindfulness and anxiety type books. Had to get my mind right for life in general before tackling the throat. I learned exercises on how to distract my mind when I became aware of my throat. Once I was able to 'move on' quickly from my mind acknowledging my throat the faster it went away. And the easier I found to ignore it, the quicker it went away. I was considering CBT - still am for my sleep, which was a lasting scar from the three years with bad globus.
For the record I am an anxious person by nature and I cant emphasis enough how bad my globus was, I had horrible thoughts where I remember thinking I cant go on like this for ever. I use to resent people on the street cause I was jealous they could swallow normally!! How crazy looking back. The only time I really get it now is in the morning occasionally but because I can just 'move on' by the time Im at work I dont even remember thinking about it in the morning. Its so psychosomatic that while Im typing this I can feel it coming back! But Im comfortable cause I know by the time I move on to my next task it will be in the back of my mind. I couldnt find any positive posts or real when I first had it (didnt find this forum to later) so happy to help anybody with any advice I can!
Mikeglobus john_77024
Edited
Silly question but how hydrated are you? Do you have lost of sugary drinks and coffee etc?
Cho13 Mikeglobus
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Mike! Basically everything you say resonates with me. I am STILL at the stage where I look at people and think "wow, must be nice to just eat, laugh , swallow and LIVE without any discomfort or chronic pain!" (mine has developed into chronic pain over the years, I.e. pain in the same area along with the lump feeling). I have been told its psychosomatic by numerous ENTs and quite honestly I take that offensively cause I feel like it's making the assertion that I am somehow making it up in my head, yet the sensation is very VERY real!!! There was def a period there too where I felt like I couldnt keep living like this (exactly as you say), however that's a dangerous hole to go down, and I am so grateful I was able to yank my mind out of that place and realise all the amazing things I have to live for and that there HAS GOT TO BE a way to get to the bottom of this. So, I pretty much live on hope and a prayer and so when I come across people such as yourself who have found ways to cope and actually SHARE how they have managed, makes worlds of difference to me (more than you know!!!). just to hear someone say - hey I've been there, and I've worked through it - it gets better!!! is just like words from an angel really. I dont think anyone who hasnt had globus can really understand what it does to one mentally- dealing with it day in and out, so I'm incredibly grateful for stumbling across people and posts like you and yours. I would be grateful if you had any recommendations on specific books you may have found most helpful. I am thinking of trying yoga??
I know you mentioned you are an anxious person by nature - I didnt realise I am too until multiple people kept mentioning I need to stop worrying about random things so much! once I noticed this pattern in myself it was a huge moment of self awareness that I am indeed someone who suffers from anxiety. although I have noticed that even when Im NOT anxious this feeling is still there. it's not like it only comes on during stressful times - its literally from my waking moment to when I shut my eyes. i only dont feel it when i sleep. thanks again for your tips. and please please please if anything else comes to mind, please share!! you are an incredible source of hope! thank you!!
john_77024 Devorgilla
Posted
just gave me nasal spray and said its all good . ive seen about 10 different doctors
john_77024 Mikeglobus
Posted
well i drink decent amount of water , but because i have a extremely weak bladder i try to not drink that much
Mikeglobus Cho13
Edited
Its a weird feeling being resentful to others for something so 'silly' but it is what it is - was the same. People dont seem to understand how debilitating it is. Even my girlfriend didnt quite get the severity, even seeing how much it was upsetting my life. She assumed I was over-reacting. It a hard sensation to explain to people.
In regards to the advice the ENT's gave you , as frustrating as it is, Im afraid from my experience thats the reality. I know thats probably not what you want hear, I was the same, I wanted a doctor to say 'ah we know what it is and here is a pill to fix it'. Despite my reflux amplifying it I would say mine was 90% triggered physiologically. Remember when you were a kid and you'd cry or get sad and you would get a lump in your throat - almost like globus? Is it the same to a degree? I dont know but I always thought of that.
Im glad my experience may help you, sometimes its nice to know there is a light at the end of the tunnel. In terms of any more recommendations, its a lot of small silly things really. The books I read were purely based on my mindset. So all mindfulness stuff. One of the first books I read when I was at my lowest was 'Dont Sweat the Small Stuff - and its all small stuff' but my advice would be to do everything it tells you to do. Wont work if you just skim it. I kept a diary and did all the exercises it suggested. Bearing in mind this was to help get my mind right. But I dont think it was a coincidence that once my health anxiety started calming my globus started going away. But most importantly it taught me how to 'change the channel' in my head. Which drew my attention away from my globus very quickly - and when youre not thinking of globus...its not there! If it was purely physical, I would suspect times like at night or when your mid meeting at work you would still feel it, but you dont (well I dont). Cause youre not thinking about it, its not there. We only remember the time we do have it! Not the other 12 or so hours a day its not bothering you. Again, this is just my experience. We focus on the time we do notice it - and write fictional stories in our head about how we've had it 'all day'.
Not sure any of this really helps you but I might as well share what I can just in case you can pull a nugget of help out anywhere. Im open to any questions.
Mikeglobus john_77024
Edited
Just curious as I thought I had thick mucus and post nasal drip but I think it was actually reflux phlegm in the morning - drinking lots of water helped thin it a bit. Mine was always worse in the morning. Our symptoms seem slightly different, I never had the urge to spit, I never had anything to spit. I was always so thick in my throat I would swallow constantly to try and clear what it was - or the globus sensation.
Devorgilla Mikeglobus
Edited
I get a lot of thick mucus when I lie down and in the morning when I try to get rid of it. Seems to be part of condition. Such a strange condition. After taking a new course of antacid tablets Globus was more or less completely away. Then suddenly after about a fortnight symptoms back. True, when your attention is on something else don't feel it. This is a great group. 😁
Mikeglobus Devorgilla
Edited
Mine was always bad towards the morning in the night (I suspect this was silent reflux though) and in the morning/commute to work. When the chaos of work kicked in it normally 'went away' - i.e. I wasnt thinking about it! Which is why Im confident we can all 'beat it' with the right honest conversations. Sadly there isnt a generic answer that works for everyone though. My opinion might be relatable to some but nonsense to others.
Mikeglobus Cho13
Edited
Wanted to check-in and see how you were getting on? Any progress?
Cho13 Mikeglobus
Edited
Hi Mikeglobus,
Thanks for checking in. Sadly no change What - So - Ever. I currently take strong pain meds (my globus is associated with pain in the throat area too), as no docs seem to be able to find a reasonable explanation. Im also saving up to go to a specialised pain clinic in Germany, hopefully will be able to afford to seek treatment there by this time next year. I understand they have more specialised imaging techniques. This condition has been an absolute money pit. Not to mention how it just sucks the joy out of every day (exactly as you had initially described...looking at other 'normal' people and wondering how awesome it must be to just get on with life without feeling like you have an apple stuck in your throat!). I still follow this board in hopes of someone finally jumping on with the AH HA! FIGURED IT OUT post. So far..no luck. I'd be very keen to hear how you have been going. Perhaps yours is completely gone now? That would be amazing! Hope you have been well otherwise.
Mikeglobus Cho13
Edited
Damn sorry to hear, I was hoping it had gotten better for you. I too spent a lot of money trying to figure it out, only to be told nothing was wrong with me. I flew to America and spent thousands (I obviously dont have healthcare coverage there) to get more tests done from a specialist. He said the same, all looks good, granted he did at least acknowledge Globus unlike a lot of people I spoke to. He taught me a lot about the oesophagus and why it happens.
And it does indeed suck the joy out of your day - its all you can think about. I wish my experience was greater value to you or perhaps I dont do well to explain what helped me. I feel guilty saying it but mine is essentially gone (although having a bad day today randomly) - please see that as a light at the end of the tunnel. I suffered for about three years and hit a low when I had the worse insomnia and had to take time off work. I was a mess. Granted the sleep thing is still an issue but thats a separate mind game I have to play!
Perhaps mine 'self healed' but I truly think it was a case of understanding I was fine and learning to distract my mind whenever I focused on my throat. Its hard to explain, either way it can be fixed and Im sure you'll get there. Did you look in to the botox thing I was telling you about?