Clicking noise in throat/head when talking - can be heard externally
Posted , 19 users are following.
For the past 4 months I've been getting a clicking/popping noise, like popping candy, somewhere in the region of my head and neck. The noise happens very day for a few mins and only happens when I talk or swallow. The weirdest thing is the sound it makes can be heard externally, it is not just a noise that is heard internally in my head/neck. I have been feeling really hot while this happens, and mostly for the rest of the day, especially on the face. I have checked my temperature but I don't have one.
When I went to the doctors 2 months ago, they discovered that a lymph node in neck neck (right hand side) was swollen slightly. It is still swollen and visibly throbs (like a pulse) but is painless.
I get headaches quite a bit and feel very tired, I did however have very low B12 levels at the end of last year so it could be that again (I had to have injections to boost it).
So, not sure if it is all connected but my main concern is the weird noise in my head/neck. I have been referred for an urgent MRI scan. I would really appreciate if anyone has any ideas of what this could be - thank you.
3 likes, 26 replies
SHOCKnAWE121 Guest
Posted
I think it could be the flap in your stomach, or possibly a hernia. I was recently diagnosed with hypothyroid and have that sound in my throat ,but I only hear it when I open my mouth .
j61795 Guest
Posted
I think im going through the same thing. Its not my jaw. It makes a click in my inner ear usually after releasing the air from the last word in a sentence. Others can hear it and its only on one side. I went to an ENT and he didnt know what to do. He started me on a steroid that didnt help. Next he did a ear tube, I have had it for a few weeks. its not helping. He did say if the tube doesnt work he would try some other medications that focus on the two muscles in the inner ear. So far what I have found online is people that have the same symptoms it may have something to do with the muscles and small bone in the inner ear. Unfortunately most people post their symptoms and do not come back to say what fixed it. Im hoping its just an allergy and or time and it will subside on its own.
BeeZee410 Guest
Posted
Hi
For the last 2 months I have had the same symptoms and seem to get louder and more frequently. I find that neck tuck excersies and heat subsides the noise for a short time. Did you get the results from you MRI scan? I may have to do one myself. Would love to hear a solution.
Thanks for you post!
rachel74822 Guest
Edited
hello !
(sorry if my english is not perfect, i´m not a native speaker)
Like some of you, I also have a clicking noise when i talk or blow.. it's been months and i want to fine a solution because I can´t sing anymore whereas it is one of my passion in life.. it makes me really sad and i feel depressed sometimes because every day when i talk a ear this noise and it is awful..
Did anyone find a solution please ?
Maybe we could share what help us and if a doctor see our testimonies he could explain what could provoque these clicking sounds and finally we will find an answer to our problem ?
for example, i can share with you that when I had covid and sore throat, the noise disapear ! i had some days of rest and it was like i was living again ! then few days later the clicking sound came back..
maybe this is a clue, maybe there is a relation between throat inflammation and clicking sound and talking ?
hope some people will read this.. and hope someone find a cause and a solution to this..
BeeZee410 rachel74822
Posted
I had the exact same experience. I also noticed the change after I got covid. And from he looks of these posts, they are all dated around the time Covid hit. What I would like to know is if everyone here got their shots. If so, there might be something.
rachel74822 BeeZee410
Posted
Hello,
I don't think it's related... I found another forum and some messages had been posted several years ago. Sadly, this forum is not accessible any more 😕
What about you, have you experience some changes since your last message ?
For me, nothing has changed..
j39225 rachel74822
Posted
hello,
how are you now? sorry if my english is not that good. i have the same problems at the moment. after every sentence i hear a click. I think the problem is in the eustachian tubes.
did you find anything that helps? hope to hear from you.
greetings
rachel74822 j39225
Posted
Hello !
Unfortunately, I didn't find any solution for now... I have seen a ENT specialist that didn't find anything and suggested to do a little incision of eardrum to see if it can help.
But as someone already posted that this solution didn't change anything for him, I won't do that.
I have also seen a kinesitherapist /physical therapist (I don't know how to say it in english, in french it's a kinesithérapeute) who is specialized in head/skull. He came to the conclusion that it could come from the tongue and asked me to do some exercices, but I didn't feel any change.
So now, I don't really know what to do. Maybe I will try alternative solution such as acupuncturist, even if I am not really hopeful..
What about you ? Since when did you have this problem ? Have you any clue or other problems that maybe could be relative ? (I try to find commun points to maybe find the reason of these "clicks"..)
Best regards,
Rachel
roy41756 rachel74822
Posted
I have exactly the same issues as you guys. My clicking also went away during a cold (not covid). For me it felt like it stopped because there wasn't any pressure release during the cold. My head was constantly under pressure from all the blocked passages. The moment the blockage was gone my clicking came back.
I also went to a therapist specialized in head/skull, who also told me it might be related to my tongue. The exercises didn't help whatsoever (this was more than a year ago). So I feel like that's a dead end.
Something interesting though:
For the past year I've been suffering from pretty bad non-stop tension headache, and during that time the clicking actually pretty much stopped completely. Now I'm finally doing a lot better when it comes to the tension headache, but the clicking has come back. Maybe the pressure on the muscles from the tension headache somehow stopped the clicking?
Also I feel like the clicking is accompanied by a popping sound in my neck whenever I look down and back up. This one is in the back of my neck at the base of my skull, so not behind my ear like the clicking when talking, but these two things appeared around the same time.
How are you guys managing this thing? Does it drive you crazy or are you able to continue life as usual? Also if you guys ever find something that truly helps, please let me know 😃
rachel74822 roy41756
Edited
Hello ! (again, sorry for my english)
I don't have a popping in my neck when I look up or down. Just some noise very low that I think come from the bones in my neck, but I guess it's normal.
It's strange that the popping disappear when you have a headache and during a cold. It might be a thing with pressure or something..
I think we should create a list that could be helpful for all of us, with all the cases when the click goes away. Try to gather as much information as we can to speak to all our doctors to find out what we could do.
It's difficult to live with this thing, especially when one of your thing in life is to use your voice for your job or for a passion.
To me, I think I can manage to live with this (even if it was very difficult at the beginning and it's still hard some days). I don't sing anymore because it bothers me when I sing and if I want to record myself with a mic, we can hear the click..
I try not to think about music, but it's hard...
For my everyday life, it's ok.. Especially when I'm outside or in noisy environment, I can't hear the click or I don't really pay attention. But when I speak with one or two persons in a quiet environment, it's very annoying...
roy41756 rachel74822
Posted
After more research I found that it probably comes from ETD (Eustachian Tube Dysfunction). Something with the pressure regulation in our Eustachian Tubes is not working properly, causing it to click open every time there's a pressure change. Try talking with your nose closed, are you still hearing the clicking? It stops the pressure from changing so that might mean it has something to do with your eustachian tubes.
I have another doctor's appointment this friday to test these theories. Also jaw problems can be a cause of ETD, which is something I also have. I'm hoping there's something they can do about ETD if it turns out that's the cause (I've read about tubes being inserted in your eardrum to equalize the pressure for example).
I'll update you once I know more!