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My story and how I beat globus sensation

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chippy12
chippy12

I made a promise that if I got better I would share my story on this discussion board in the hope that I may help someone. All the posts on here were a great comfort to me when I was experiencing this awful condition.

It all happened about 8 weeks ago. I was in the theatre and just sat down to begin the show when I ate a sweet normally, took a sip of water normally and afterwards felt like I was having difficulty swallowing. My mouth went super dry and I felt like a had a lump in my throat and my tongue was enlarged (it wasn't). I thought perhaps I was having a reaction to something so before the interval I had to leave and get out of there. I felt complete terror and danger and thought I was going to die. My husband was worried and took me to A&E. I couldnt breathe properly but was not wheezing. I felt like someone was strangling me, standing on my neck and I was in a complete panic that came out of nowhere. Apparently I had a panic attack or severe anxiety episode. Well, I didnt believe this diagnosis because I had over the years suffered from anxiety on and off and bouts of low mood but even when I have faced the most difficult times in my life, never have I had a panic attack so wondered why on such a happy day I would develop this. Anyway the initial attack was only the start of my problems, I was told the symptoms of my choking sensation would go away within a few hours. It didnt. This made it worse and I was not so easily going to put this down to stress as most things seem to be these days. I went to my GP who said I did seem to have some swelling in my neck and ordered me an ultrasound. As I couldn't wait 3 weeks for the paperwork to come through I saw an ENT consultant privately who put a camera up my nose and down my throat and said everyhing looked perfect and likely to be globus sensation which is common when experiencing panic attacks and anxiety. This only gave me some comfort because I was still feeling these awful symptoms. After the 4th week I had scan and this showed nothing. My thyroid was perfect, which I suspected may be the issue due to my high thyroid antibodies, although I knew I had normal thyroid function. This was also some comfort. I was suffering, and it was really really getting me down. Having to get up every day and go to work was so hard and I was so anxious I was not sleeping or eating well. I thought I would have it forever. After a while I started to think, well this isn't going to kill me as time has proven, its not getting worse or better so I need to start trying things to see if anything helps. I also had a strange crawling sensation in my neck not on top of my skin but underneath - hard to explain. Also when I put chin to chest I felt like the part between my neck and chin was swollen. I tried breathing exercises, hot water bottles, hot baths, drinking red wine, taking NSAI's, drinking loads of water, trying to eat better, sleep better, watching funny films but nothing worked. I then found a couple of websites online suggesting a very simple neck exercise to do many times throughout the day and specifically for globus sufferers. I started to do this and over a week the symptoms started to ease and has got better and better to the point that its only 5% there. The most important part is to make sure your shoulders are always down and pushed back as far as you can. No hunched shoulders or it won't work. Then carefully, with mouth closed, ease your neck back as far as it can go, all the time looking up to the ceiling. You should be able to feel yourself stretching your neck. It may make you cough a little. Then roll your head a little to left and right and centre. It probably won't work the first go. you have to do it many times a day over a week or so. 

My GP said that panic attacks can cause a lot of problems in the neck, real tension and muscles, and other structures and a horrid sensation of a lump in your neck. I have to understand now that this is the cause.

Apologies for the long post but it's a long story.

I hope it helps someone.

Good luck to you all and take care of yourselves.

x

 

35 likes, 1120 replies

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  • rogerthat
    rogerthat chippy12

    Edited

    So finally had my barium swallow today—after waiting two weeks—and the results were that I have “moderate reflux”.  Doc said could up omeprazole to twice a day but decided to keep to just one as I don’t want to get reliant on that stuff.  I had noticed my throat symptoms improving a bit during the wait for this test which make me wonder about the stress of it all playing mind games with me.  Who knows.  I will say that him the barium test is a heck of a lot tamer than I ever imagined it would be.  So if anyone has any anxiety about that—don’t worry, it’s nothing at all really. 
    • ka40647
      ka40647 rogerthat

      Posted

      Go roger!! Sounds like it went as well as it could have. Is there anything else you use when (in the moment) you have reflux? I find that baking soda water helps in those cases, and am always looking for more (natural) ways to get better faster. I'm gradually still getting better but the road is long for sure!

    • katie16755
      katie16755 rogerthat

      Posted

      Hi Roger, that’s good that’s all done!!

      I found the Barium fine too! I wonder how they could see on the barium that you have moderate reflux? 

      I have reflux everyday and my barium was supposedly clear, I don’t understand these test 🙄

      I really do think stress plays a huge part! Glad it’s all over for you and I hope you can get this acid under control 😀

  • Orangeroughy
    Orangeroughy chippy12

    Edited

    LISTEN TO THE DR. IS MY ADVICE.

    This is my story:

    I am 32 I was eating sushi at work and it suddenly felt like I was choking, I wasn't the food had passed but my throat was extremely restricted for about an hour I felt very uneasy so I went to an A&E they did a chest x-ray and said there was nothing in there, so I went home and began to felt better the next weekend I set off on a plane for a weekend away and I just couldn't swallow water, during my whole weekend away I was freaking out and struggled to swallow eating or drinking.

    I went back to the GP he thought it could be my thyroid, so ordered blood test they came back fine not thyroid. 2 more weeks passed and I was struggling to eat I had dropped from 75 to 62 Kgs in a week, was very worried about the whole ordeal. I went back to the doctor again, he ordered a scan on my throat, which came back clear and referred me to a Gastroenterologist, the gastro did a barium swallow test and and endoscopy he said everything looked perfect.

    The issue still wasn't fixed, so after a month I went back to the Gastro and he suggested it could be stress or anxiety and referred me back to my GP where he diagnosed it as globus sensation. I started googling which I found to be a mistake.

    The doctor prescribed me Valium, I was apprehensive about taking it as I failed to accept my mind had anything wrong, but decided to take it the next day. That night it was gone and I smashed back a whole burrito very fast. I continued taking the Valium for 2 weeks and found the symptoms to be less.

    I found if I wasn't drinking alcohol or wasn't taking the valium it would keep reoccurring which led me to drink alcohol most nights. I found it was worst at nights if I wasn't drinking, but the feeling of always wanting to put my tongue in the back of my throat was always there during the day I couldn't focus on things it was terrible, which led me to become very agitated and unhappy.

    I held back going to the doctor cos it would be fine after about 3 days then reoccur again so thought I was getting better but I wasn't. I went back to the doctor again finally after about 9 months, and said its likely to be anxiety causing the globus sensation. As I had other symptoms of restlessness,stress and the inability to focus, tightness in the chest and just couldn't relax..

    He prescribed me an anti depressant Escitalopram. Which again I was very apprehensive about taking. I have now been taking these for 3 weeks, and have noticed a drastic improvement in the globus sensation, it is 95% eliminated there are only a few times where I feel the symptoms whereas before there was only a few times where I felt well. It has really felt like I have got my life back on track and enjoying the things I used to do without the worry of Globus Sensation.

    Very scary at first, do not Dr. Google you will spiral out of control and keep going to your doctor after all the tests everything will be fine.

    Thanks For Reading..

  • tracey00766
    tracey00766 chippy12

    Posted

    im not sure long term anti depressants are good but i think if its helping i may try!! lol
  • Dazportillo321
    Dazportillo321 chippy12

    Posted

    Hi everyone, I’m 29 and have been dealing with this feeling for about a year and a half. It is driving me absolutely mental. It started about 3 months after I had my son. I’ve gone to the ENT, he did the scope and sent me for a barium swallow, results came back good. So next step is to do an endoscopy and have 3 biopsies between my tongue and throat which I’m totally petrified but I hope it will give peace of mind. Tried omezaprole and Zantac, both made me super nauseous. The only thing that seems to ease the symptoms a little bit is a shot of ACV. I just want answers 😩

  • tracey00766
    tracey00766 chippy12

    Posted

    its such a strange condition ive had it a few months i have good days and bad  ive been ok day 4 now but ate an apple it started so im linking food allergies maybe?? i get the swallowing sensation and if im out i have to carry bottles of water as throat so dry i cant swallow and panic ill suffocate its so weird people do not understand it do the i think stress is a big factor, im such a worrier! i have ENT today so once camera is down ill feel better, 

     

    • Ana74
      Ana74 tracey00766

      Posted

      Hey Hi, what did your Ent doc say. I too hv same symptoms .my appointment is next month.
  • Devorgilla
    Devorgilla chippy12

    Posted

    I have just started having Globus. It's not very nice and quite upsetting. I was put on antacids tablets as that may be the cause. They help a small bit but not much relief. Sometimes not so bad then just out of the blue my throat tightens and feels swollen.Today I was having a goodish day then in the evening it got bad for no apparent reason.Thanks for your post. I will try the exercises.

  • raven0801
    raven0801 chippy12

    Posted

    Hi everyone, my symptoms have lasted for more than a month, and I have been desperately searching for some clues in nasal group. However I’m still suffering really bad.

    Instead of a lump around the Adam’s apple, I’m feeling gluey mucus/phelgm stuck at the back of my soft palate(where my nose meets my throat). I can’t neither swallow it down nor spit it out. It feels just terrible when I swallow my saliva and drink water, as if something is stuck in there. It feels like it’s built up behind my nose. I have dry nose, never gets runny. No pain, no coughing, sometimes have a very dry throat. Done loads of tests(ENT endoscopy, gastroscopy, blood test...)and none of them could identify the problem...

    So my question is, can Globus Sensation feel like post nasal drip? Is anyone having the same sensation like me?

    Thank you guys.

  • KimG
    KimG chippy12

    Edited

    I feel everyone’s struggle with this horrible disorder!! I woke up the day after Christmas 2017 and haven’t been the same since, started out with flu like symptoms then over a couple of months the lump sensation started! Also a strange thing my uvula was curved to the right and has stayed the same since. I too have had an endoscopy, laryngoscopy, ultrasound and mri....all these things came back with normal results. The worse part is the explaining part cause let’s be honest it’s hard to make ppl understand this! I also agree certain foods and drinks trigger it and when I’m super busy I don’t notice it as bad. My doctor recommended exercises myself or try speech therapy as well as warm neck wraps. Eight months of this is too long, I have 3 young kids and a husband and I feel this is taking over my life. I feel for you all dealing with this and finding other stories and support does make me feel better. Any other advice or treatments would be appreciated. Good luck with this everyone. 
  • scott15133
    scott15133 chippy12

    Posted

    Hi , ty for sharing your Globus problem ! A couple of questions please ? Did you have other symptoms than the feeling of an object In your throat ? I have had severe nausea and dizziness as well as upper chest pain and tightness with the throat thing ! It just seems to be painful maybe all the way down to my chest bone ? If you reply , ty very much And PS , did you have an endoscopy done ?

  • katie16755
    katie16755 chippy12

    Edited

    It sounds like anxiety to me with those symptoms but have you had any tests done to rule anything else out?

  • lee99408
    lee99408 chippy12

    Posted

    i have bin told i got globus in throat i just wont to no if its right to feel like a small pill going down about 3mins after eating food can you all let me no pls

  • k44635
    k44635 chippy12

    Edited

    yes, for me it did start with feeling like i had a pill or food stuck down my throat . i was under a lot of stress at the time it started and had been getting indigestion/ gerd like symptoms. it was very scary feeling and it affected how i ate and what i ate. i still havent figured out how it came to be or how it went away,. Wishing all who have this peace and strenghth.

    • mubashra1304
      mubashra1304 k44635

      Posted

      i am going through the same. same symptoms and gerd too. no medicines help.

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