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My experience with Globus Hystericus / Pharyngis

Posted , 16 users are following.

ZEN.
ZEN.

I hope you are sitting comfortably as it is time for me to share my experience of Globus on this sensationally helpful site that I stumbled upon that has helped me so I just had to join as even if my story helps just one person to relate to it then it has been worthwhile..

it all began November 2009 when I got an odd sensation in my throat and at the back of my toungue after eating too many apples (I have an orchard)..

Off to the doctors i went and was diagnosed with Globus, the feelings of there being something causing discomfort when swallowing got worse, I also had night sweats, pains in lower left of jaw and more recently a clicking in throat when swallowing.. Over the past 18 months I have been sent for a chest/throat xray, had 6 nasal endoscopies (the last two without anaesthetic as it made my throat sore for 2 weeks after and numbed it so much at the time I actually couldnt swallow at all), I was also sent for a Gastroscopy (camera all the way down my windpipe whilst awake to assess my esophageus) , I have had at least 6 bloodtests to check for lymphocites, thyroid , liver, kidney issues white and red cell counts and anything else abnormal in the blood All of which came back clear. I also got a coating at the back of my toungue that has been treated several times but still returns.. I have had lots of different doctors/ consultants feeling my lymph glands.. All results fine

The feeling of globus is as you know very worrying and often frightening, for me it caused major health anxiety as I had just followed the step by step daily blog of a close friend who ended up dying of oesophageal cancer, so that worry has always lived in the back of my mind. I am on Citalopram and Diazepam when the feeling gets bad and the doctor is now trying out Lorazepam in case GERD is causing my globus. I also started hitting half a bottle of strong wine a night to ease my worried mind as the only time i got any peace from my worries was when i was asleep..

I believe that it is most definately made worse by the vicious cycle of worry that it perpetuates ..

My tips for surviving GH are..

1. Cut out as much worrying as you can

2. Accept the feeling GH brings dont fight it

3. Relax as much as you can

4. Get plenty of sleep as my GH seems to get worse later in the day and a lie in helps

5. I Dont gargle with chemicals / mouthwashes as it makes my throat feel worse the next day.

6. This works for me try it if you like at your own risk..When GH strikes try stretching your neck by tilting your head back and stretching your lips forward as though you were trying to kiss the roof whist at the same time lightly massage your neck muscles around the tightness affected area i do this for around five minutes.

7. I use a distraction technique by diverting my thoughts to listening to some music or doing something i enjoy..

8. I have had 9 months of CBT which helped me to manage and understand my worries ( ask your doctor for Cognative Behavioural Therapy to help manage your GH worries and anything that may be underlying causing your other worries)

9. Always see your doctor and get checked out if you have any unusual symptoms in your throat, neck, mouth or oeasopageus or any issues with swallowing.

I believe that as there is no known cure as such the best and only plan of action is to manage the symptoms when they come on and as you get used to managing them you should worry less because you will be in control..

I wish each and every one of my fellow GH sufferers my sincere best wishes and good luch on getting to grips with this mentally destructive illness..

Enjoy each moment of the good days and control the negative thoughts of the bad days

5 likes, 34 replies

34 Replies

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  • martin0
    martin0 ZEN.

    Edited

    Hi and good luck. I was on that years ago as i had a panic attack and  didnt know what was going on. I only took them for about 1 week. During this time i started running and and things got better so i through therm away. i have the tight throat. it comes and goes but this time i took up mountain biking and it helps and changed jobs with more exercise and this helps to. i hope this helps you. Cheers  Martin
  • ZEN.
    ZEN.

    Posted

    Hi friends, Two days on 2x a day 10mg Baclofen (muscle relaxant) and Globus symptoms have gone.. Yessssss ! A non Diazapeen cure.

    Diazepam 5mg worked quicker 1/2 hour but Baclofen took 3 hours to start working but today after 3 days ALL symptoms have gone.

    Please spread the word maybe this will help some of you. Good Luck All...

    • ZEN.
      ZEN.

      Posted

      Sadly not a longterm cure just made swallowing difficult as muscles were over relaxed which increased anxiety...

      Back to the drawing board!

  • eric64975
    eric64975 ZEN.

    Posted

    Hi Globus Kid,

    what you did may indeed help. Always good to relax. Maybe you find this in addition helpful as well.

    Our son had the same, or similar problem since Sept 2016, for about 6 months. We solved the problem... after a number of visits at doctors who found all was well organically.

    It occurred to us 2 montsh ago, that dry air could be the cause for our son's month-long Lump-in-the-throat problem. We purchased two humidifiers, one of which we installed in his room, to increase the humidity from 25% to over 40%.

    After only a few days/nights, the problem reduced significantly, and a few weeks later, it was gone. It only came back after 2 to 3 weeks, a period during which we had the humidifier no longer in operation, as we hoped that the reduced heating would also bring the humidity back to an acceptable level. We didn’t monitor during that time the humidity level, but he complained after 2 to 3 weeks that the lump is back again. Now that we have his humidifier back on, all is well, and he is feeling great again. Overall he's been 2 months without problems, when the humidifier runs.

    Best.

    Eric

     

    • ZEN.
      ZEN. eric64975

      Posted

      Thank you so much for sharing your sons experience Eric. How you found a resolve is very interesting. I sat under an air conditioning unit in the office but have just moved away as it was irritating me and causing coughing..

      Best Wishes to you and your son..

    • eric64975
      eric64975 ZEN.

      Posted

      Thanks. And you're welcome. Air conditioning is interesting. Produces dry air.

      All the best to you

  • ZEN.
    ZEN.

    Posted

    Well here we are again six years on and the Globus is back.

    I suffer with chronic anxiety which is inconvenient to say the least as it is managed with heavy meds inc 300mg Trazodone Diazepam and Zopiclone all of which turn my life into the feeling of being awake but in a dream (Derealization).

    I had to quit my last job as the stress was off the scale and I had a medically diagnosed mental breakdown.

    I just want to be the happy old me that I once was and tablet free with a clear head.

    I started a new job a couple of weeks ago after six months not working and am trying my hardest to manage the anxiety and globus medication free.

    Psychologically It's Very Tough!

    Also I have contracted a winter cold from a sneezing colleague which has created a sore throat and inevitably more focus on swallowing which in turn creates pharyngeal spasm as extra effort is put in to the swallowing process.

    Swallowing is normally mostly a subconcious process and done without much / any thought but then for some reason (Sore throat, Globus etc...) is suddenly brought into the concious mind where more / uneccesary effort is put into the process and so the dreaded globus cycle continues...

  • wendy82157
    wendy82157 ZEN.

    Posted

    Thanks for that. I’ve recently been diagnosed with globus. I’m learning by trial and error what makes it ‘appear’.

    It seems it could be sugar.

    I am not ‘a worrier ‘, so I don’t think it’s anxiety related, but when it does start, it is certainly frightening, especially in the night, or  in the dentists chair ( when it seems to close off my airway).

    This site has been a godsend. I hadn’t realised that so many people had the same problem. 

    Thanks again for your input here.

    • jade09696
      jade09696 wendy82157

      Posted

      Hi Wendy82157 can I ask you what problems you have at night with Globus? Just because I am having problems falling asleep with it and wanted to see if our symptoms at night matched. Thanks in advance 😊

  • wendy82157
    wendy82157 ZEN.

    Posted

    Just noticed your latest post. Sorry to see you have it back again. I hope you can soon work out a way of decreasing it. I’m finding that drinking a small amount of water if I get the feeling of acid starting, reduces that, and the Drs seem to think that the acid reflux is possibly a cause ( but I think not).

    Good luck

  • jess01821
    jess01821 ZEN.

    Posted

    Hi I've had this lump feeling in my throats since Sunday I had a really bad anxiety attack and felt this all of a sudden since then I went to hospital last night to be told it was tonsillitis but went to the doctors today to be told I don't have tonsillitis I have globus she is referring me to a type of theopy I was wondering if I should get on at them to do more tests or wait I know I've had it not even a week but it's bringing ne down 

  • daniellesmith12
    daniellesmith12 ZEN.

    Posted

    Hi I am a 34 year old mother of 4.... i started having my throat/ neck pain about 5 years ago. it lasts for weeks at a time then goes away for months. when it goes away, i completely forget about it, but when it happens it consumes me. i feel like i can't even care for my little ones. I spent over a year going to drs, specialists, er and urgent care. I had the camera down my nose, ct and an ultrasound of my thyroid along with countless blood tests. I even went to the chiropractor as a lot of my pain is in the back of my neck. the chiropractor helped once... allergy pills helped a few times but right now it's the worst it's ever been. nothing was helping but my husband gave me a valium and wow, the pain was almost completely gone. took another one today and I'm still having some pain. feels like im hanging upside down, or like there's a strap around my neck strangling me it's awful! I also have tonsil stones which I'm not sure affect this but it seems they might be related. anyone else have tonsil stones??

    • amandalynn1979
      amandalynn1979 daniellesmith12

      Posted

      I get tonsil stones as well. I thought I was crazy until Iooked it up.

      Do you get sore/irritated throat often, even before the globus, I did.

      I'm sorry you are suffering with this, Its only been about a month for me and i'm about to go off my head with this☹

    • Cho13
      Cho13 daniellesmith12

      Posted

      Hey! It sounds almost as though you have exactly what I do, although mine started roughly 10 years ago, after 2 incidences that occurred closely in time to each other so I can't tell which one started it. one was making a wrong neck movement when I was yawning and the other was swallowing what I thought was a foreign object in my take away coffee. I've done pretty much every scan one could think of, even tried the "left of field" treatments like hypnosis but to no avail. I do wonder though, do you ever notice when you drink that you hear some strange sound come from your throat (not always buy often)? How would you describe the pain you feel? And would you be able to point at the specific spot where you feel the pain or do you find its generalized to a particular area in your throat?

    • amandalynn1979
      amandalynn1979 Cho13

      Posted

      Mine doesnt hurt, just feels like something is stuck in there. I feel mine behind my tonsil I think. I find its hard to pin point where I feel it.

      Sorry you have had it for so long, hope it gets better for you!

    • Cho13
      Cho13 amandalynn1979

      Posted

      This whole sensation is very peculiar. I recall mine started with just the lump sensation but has over time progressed to become painful. It's so hard to pin point exactly the origin of the pain and lump sensation too. Over the years I have read alot said about a connection between this and anxiety. I've def had times of high anxiety but I wouldn't have thought them to be enough to trigger this and make it stay as a constant day in day out sensation. have you hid any issues with anxiety? also, when you swallow do you sometimes hear like a slight gurgling sound? thanks for your well wishes, and I wish you all the best too!

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