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Feeling of a "lump" in throat

Posted , 8 users are following.

jane97743
jane97743

Despite having  a gastroscopy recently and one a few years ago, with no bad results, just mild gastritis, I still get the feeling of a lump in my throat as if there is mucus and I have to keep clearing my throat. but it then comes back although nothing to cough up. It is so annoying, and I thought it was acid reflux but apparently I don't have this. Does anyone else get this problem??

0 likes, 13 replies

13 Replies

  • bananafitz
    bananafitz jane97743

    Posted

    Hi there

    Yes I have exactly the same as you describe. I have just had a gastroscopy which was entirely normal, the physician suggested I see an ENT doctor but I am just 'putting up with it' at present. Anyone else?

  • lily65668
    lily65668 jane97743

    Posted

    Yes, I have this problem too and I know it's nervous in origin (provided you've been checked out and there's nothing physically wrong, of course). I'm a former nurse, btw. I've has this problem for nearly 40 years and have learned to live with it. It's tended to get better with age but still comes back occasionally. I'm in my 70s now and it ain't got me yet!wink
    • jane97743
      jane97743 lily65668

      Posted

      Thank you so much for your reply, my mother had the same problem for years and she is now 89 and still sometimes does it! I put it down to anxiety and nerves, especially as I have had it checked out. The Dr who did the ggastroscopy said that every time I need to clear my throat, I should

      take a sip of water instead and it might stop it but could take a few weeks, well worth a try!

    • fung999
      fung999 lily65668

      Posted

      wow you struggling with this feeling nearly 4o years ? you are so brave 

      but it really bothering and bad feeling sometime feeling headache too 

      i want to get real cure with that 

    • lily65668
      lily65668 fung999

      Posted

      Well, Fung - I did say you should get it checked if it's worrying you. Have you seen a doctor about this?
    • fung999
      fung999 lily65668

      Posted

      i am still waiting for check up soon and i am struggling if i should go find job or not while dealing with this feeling because i am not sure how long its going to be settle .
  • Nanny1086
    Nanny1086 jane97743

    Posted

    Hi ,I might be on the wrong forum ,,,but here goes, 

    I have asthma  ,,,,recently ( a couple of months or so ) I've started to burp/belch quite a lot ,it's a feeling I get in my upper chest / throat ,,,,it's not acid just wind ,and it's keeping me awake at night now ,

    not sure if it's reflux ,,,,can anyone offer advise .

    • lily65668
      lily65668 Nanny1086

      Posted

      Have you seen a doctor? Might be a good idea to get everything checked out to make sure it isn't acid reflux. Another point - have you had a lot of stress lately? I know this sounds bizarre, but there's a condition called aerophagia, where the patient actually swallows abnormally large amounts of air while being totally unaware of it. We all swallow small amounts of air when eating and drinking, but aerophagia sufferers do it all the time, and it causes the exact symptoms you have. It's more common in women than men. (It can be compared with hyperventilation, where anxious people breath too deeply without being aware of it, causing a different set of symptoms.) If it's nervous aerophagia, it should eventually go away without treatment, but you still need to see your doctor.

      The fact that you have asthma might be significant too. The struggle to breathe during asthma attacks can sometimes cause air to be swallowed unconsciously. I'm struck by the fact you say your symptoms started a couple of months ago. Are you in the UK (or elsewhere in northern Europe) by any chance? Reason for asking is that I have a tree pollen allergy, which causes hay-fever symptoms around April-May. It rarely causes much of a problem these days, but this spring I've had a really terrible time with it, as have a couple of friends who have the same allergy. I rarely suffer anything more than sneezing and itchy eyes but this spring I've had several full-blown asthma attacks. Has your asthma been worse lately?

      Just to sound even more bizarre, nervous aerophagia is far more common in French-speaking areas of the world! But that's not to say it can't happen elsewhere.

    • Nanny1086
      Nanny1086 lily65668

      Posted

      Hi ,first of all thankyou for your indepth reply ,you mention stress,,,I'm not usually a stressful person ,,,,but yes I suppose I am at the moment ,,,due to being prescribed Slo- Phyllin for my asthma,,,,I have only been on it a couple of weeks but I'm not sleeping 5 am this morning still no sleep ,and not eating properly due to lack of appetite ( usually a good eater) and of course wind/burping ,and I feel the symptons could be due to the new medication ,,,,given the choice ,,,,I would rather not take it ,,,as it was doing really well ,,,,,I thought ,,I was going to pulmary rehab follow up gym and doing well I'd built up to 2&1/2 Klm on the treadmill in under 40 minutes ,

      but I was prescribed the medication by my consultant ,,,,and my copd specialist nurse wanted me to keep trying it and reduced the doze last week ,,,,,but I'm not feeling good on it and think it could be side effects ,but I'm afraid if I stop taking it the health professionals won't be very pleased and might think I'm a wimp ( I'm not ) ,,,,

      oh im in the uk ,,,,and I usually go to the gym twice a week for an hours exersise, 

      to sum up ,,,you could be right ,,,,and it is stress ,,,,thankyou for taking the time to read and reply to me,regards 

  • lisa75323
    lisa75323 jane97743

    Posted

    Hi,

    I realize this post is 5 years old, but I'm having the exact same symptoms as you had. Upon calling my doctor's office they put me on levsin (sp?) saying it was throat spasms. It helps somewhat but then the sensation is back the next day. I don't feel spasms or pain so I wonder if it's really spasms. Whatever came of your problem? Did it go away on it's on, and how long did it take? I feel like my throat is swelled up and my food sometimes sticks in the top of my throat. I didn't have this problem originally.

  • stefanpavel98
    stefanpavel98 jane97743

    Posted

    Hi, you might find this surprising but I believe it can be anxiety related / induced. I have this same feeling often, even very acidic taste in my mouth but usually only when I think I have it and I focus on it for a little while. Try to break out of it and see if its correlated in any way to your mood, notice if you feel it more when you might think you're having it, or when your mood is down. You probably don't have this when your mood is up or when you do something that gives you positive emotions. I often try to fight it with my brain by forcing myself to believe that I don't have anything and that I am making it up and in a couple of seconds the symptoms go away fully, or I try to redirect the pain and imagine I am feeling it somewhere else in the body. So notice if that makes it go way, if it its that then its anxiety related, I know it feels very real but there's actual studies that show how you throat becomes more sensitive (mentally) and then gives you these sensations or triggers some of the nerves that make you feel this way. Please try it, its been quite a revelation for me! All the best!

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