Excessive swallowing
Posted , 4 users are following.
Hi
I suffer with extreme health anxiety and I go from overthinking 1 thing to another. It use to be cancer now its fear of a neurological illness. My worst fears are not been able to breath, choking and losing the ability to swallow. Just recently I feel like I have excessive saliva and am constantly swallowing, I'm frightened to death that I have a serious illness and that I am going to choke. I am not drooling just always swallowing. I'm worried about going to sleep in case I choke, its ruining my life. It does seem to get better if I'm occupied and not thinking of it, but that is difficult to do when you're laid in bed at night and everyone is asleep. I don't know if I have something seriously wrong with me or that I'm overthinking it which is making me focus on it and making it worse. Anyone else suffer from this x
0 likes, 5 replies
SerotoninSurfer lisa17089
Posted
This is classic anxiety. I had exactly the same excessive swallowing experience as this for 18 months and had all sorts of investigations into my ear, nose and throat, endoscopy etc until one GP diagnosed me with General Anxiety Disorder. Looking back and knowing what i know now it seems so obvious but not at the time when you are twisting yourself in circles and going crazy searching for answers. I started on Sertraline and the swallowing went away completely as well as the negative thoughts. The negative thoughts fuel the swallowing (anxiety) and this then fuels the swallowing so you are in a vicious cycle. You need to break the cycle through either medication or CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) or a combination of both. It will go away and you will get better again, i promise.....it just doesn't seem like it when you are in the eye of the storm....X
lisa17089 SerotoninSurfer
Posted
Thanks Jon x
heather602309 lisa17089
Posted
i suffer bad with health anxiety to i had it it where i kept swallowing and had phelgm in my throat i couldnt clear but all of a sudden that has gone my anxiety is my heart i only have to get a pain or strange feeling or my pulse go fast and im in turmoil all i do is cry so much even if i dont have the pains . I Have no intetest in anything cant even bring myself to go out or to our caravan as i need to be in what i call my safe place.. Silly i know but i cant get over it. To top it off i suffer with bad asthma and at moment have a bad chest infection and am convinced all these things are going to kill me . Im 60 this year and worry that i dont have long for this world it scares me so so much . Iam startine on citalopram next week as i have been on sertaraline for 8wks but they dont agree with me i had to go hospital as my heart was skipping beats and all sorts i have also had ecg at my doctors who say everything is fine but i cant stop worrying its driving me mad
lisa17089
Posted
I know exactly how you feel Heather, my worst time is on a night when it's dark and everyone's asleep. But I just can't stop swallowing, I feel like I have to much saliva, it's ruining my life, I'm going to Vegas in June and worrying about it and if I feel ill or panicky whilst I am there. Everyone else I know looks forward to going on holiday, I'm worried to death. I'm so convinced I have a neurological illness. Health anxiety is terrible xx
Anxiousdove lisa17089
Posted
Hi There
I understand what you are going through. I have been through worse. Trust me more than any disease its the fear and trauma of having some disease that is going to damage you. So just wait out any new symptom for a week. If it still bothers you, get professional help. Mostly it wont he anything its just our fear.
I have been reading this book by louise hay.
Which help me so much. I was suffering from intrusive ocd thoughts, health anxiety since couple of years which damaged my flight and fight mechanism. Giving me false danger alerts from body causing pain all over body. Trust me You will be fine