I feel a lump in my throat and breathing is hard

Wishing you well pal.  :-)

Well, even if you are only feeling "kind of better", that is something that you can use to re-assure yourself.

Let's think back to when you felt the 'lump' in your throat the other night and you felt it was affecting your ability to breathe. Would you agree that if someone had something stuck in their throat, it would stay there until dislodged, or they may even choke?

Now let's imagine that rather than an o/object, it is actually a swelling in the windpipe which would feel the same as having an item stuck there. That would be a genuine physical condition which would either get better on its own, or would require medical intervention.

Do you accept the logic of both these scenarios?

If so, let's think objectively about this. If it were an actual 'object' stuck in your throat, how is it possible for the feeling to go away? Only by the means I mentioned. Dislodging it or medical intervention. If it dislodged itself, then the feeling in your throat would get better, or disappear entirely. When you play on your PS4, you forget about your throat and the feeling, but it returns later.

Based on that, does it sound reasonable that a physical foreign item stuck in your throat could be forgotten about? If it has dislodged itself, does it seem reasonable that it would climb back up your windpipe?

Now consider the second scenario. If you had a physical condition that resulted in a swelling in the lining of your windpipe, then how is it that sometimes the feeling comes and goes? The only physical explanation for that is that the swelling is changing in size, getting bigger and then smaller and so on. Again, does it seem reasonable that without any medication or intervention, this apparently serious problem would worsen and improve on a daily basis?

You must have heard many ex-servicemen and women that have lost a limb and have had to undergo emergency amputation without knowing about it because they were unconscious. Yet, famously, one of the first things they say to the doctor when they regain consciousness is that "their leg hurts".

Do you see where we are going hazem? How can a leg that isn't there hurt? Answer! Because the brain needs time to adapt to the lack of electrical or nervous stimulation from the leg. So it compensates by creating the 'feeling' that the leg is still there.

If a soldier without a leg can feel it hurting, does that mean he is in pain? Are the Doctors playing a joke on him and his leg is still there after all?

If you agree with the premise, then surely you will see how you get the idea (triggered by anxiety) that you have a lump in your throat. The idea becomes so engrained in your thinking that next thing you know, you can 'feel' the lump. But it's not there, only the feeling is.

The nausea and dizziness are caused because of the fear you experience when you think you are going to choke or be unable to breathe. They are connected symptoms, but only in the sense that one is causing the other. People who had something really stuck in their throat would not necessarily feel sick or dizzy. But they may panic.

So, even though you are only feeling slightly better, can you see how that argues against this feeling being caused by a physical object, or swelling in the throat, especially when you had the all-clear from the Doctor?

 I hope this helps you a little and I am not minimising how you feel. I had it as a young man hazem and remember how unpleasant it was. I just want you to overcome this and you will be in my thoughts and prayers until it disappears, which eventually it will.

Best wishes to you Young Sir.

Thank you for your kind remarks. I hope reasoning with you helped you think of your problem from a different perspective, which is difficult to do when you believe in something very strongly.

My intention was never to lecture you, simply to be another voice that you could reason against. But your latest reply is greatly encouraging and you clearly have an open mind that is willing to be receptive to different viewpoints.

Of course, I had no idea your Dad was a physician, but what a comfort and reassurance that must be for you, and from what you have said, he is a caring Father, as demonstrated by his comments and arranging for you to see an anxiety specialist.

I realise of course, that there are times at your age when you don't feel at ease talking with family members, especially if you think it will make you seem foolish. It was the same with my son. We would talk for hours on end until he got to 16 and withing a period of weeks, it just got less and less until I was lucky to get a grunt.  :-)

If there is anything else I can tell you that will make it easier for you to cope while you get this under control, just let me know what your question is, and the more specific you are, the better equipped I will be to answer it.

Take care young fellah - and be proud of yourself for reaching out. It takes courage.  :-)