Strange sensation / tightness in chest and upper throat

Hi lori dont know whether this is any help i maybe barking up the wrong tree but i had very similar symptons. Throat really tight felt like i was suffocating , swallowing problems with food getting stuck and even water splurting back out. Being breathlesss. Like you i went through all tests to do with stomach and also several visits to ENT and many extras and including a CT scan but nothing, later done my own research as i was also suffering muscle aches tiredness and unwell. Asked doctor for a full thyroid function tests and guess what i have hyperthyoidism and thyroid nodules that are due to swallowing probs and they are also pressing on my trachea which is making breathing worse and swollen thyroid making my neck and throat tight. I have also got a auto immune discease which i get the results today either hashimotos or graves. Worth considering tests as docs were completley incorrect as usual.x

Oh forgot to say also have a cough with it which again is the thyroid as it becomes inflammed and angry. Also had tests for asthma and also told by a consultant that it was costaconderitis but it wasnt. The body relies on the thyroid to function properly as it nearly enough is responsible for making every organ in your body work. I have a collection of asthma inhalers that docs fobbed me of with. I am now on meds and have waited to see a specialist which im seeing in 2 weeks and have a thyroid scan for then aswell. Good luck and please get the tests done as you will never know, it may be thyroid.

Hi Rita. Thank you for sharing your experience. I do not have coughing and my symptoms do not come on based on certain foods or eating. I have been woken up at 5am with the tight, heaviness feeling in my chest (but not have eaten anything for 8+ hours. My full blood work up has always come back perfect; do not have any heart/lung/or digestive concerns. What makes complete sense in my case is that like all my other symptoms of AS - they come and go without reason; nothing setting it off, and they often fade just as quickly. I have chronic pain (level of pain that never goes away), but I have other pain or more intense periods that are flare ups. I have noticed that when I experience a flare up in my upper back (in between my shoulder blades) for more than 3 or 4 days that is when my chest tightens. The tightness in my chest may last for 30 minutes then disappear or stay with me for 2 days. There is no rhyme or reason. It just makes sense that this would be caused by the inflammation. I am sorry to hear about your complications and difficulties with getting diagnosed! I wish you the best of luck with your health and we'll being.

Hi lori, just thinking about other possibilities do have a hiatal hernia that can give the same symptons as you describe, hace you had a endoscopy? Just a thought also do you have celiac disease? Good luck.

Thank you Rita, I appreciate that! It has been close to 6 years since I had an endoscopy and no, i have not ever been diagnosed with celiac disease. Thanks for the different ideas. It becomes so frustrating and overwhelming sometimes trying to figure out what is going on inside the body to create these different problems. I go get all these different tests and (although I am very grateful) they never seem to find anything wrong! My tests all come back normal, of course except for the diagnosis of AS. which I do for that diagnosis to a 'T'. Good luck to you as well!

The human body is a mystery, a gp said to me once that there are many occassions when medical professionals never find out what us wrong with us and sometimes we just have to accept it when all tests have been done. Not helpful when we are suffering though!! Maybe its time for another endoscopy? Maybe a stricture narrowing of the esphagus?Did anything show last time, is it anything to do with your muscles in your chest? ?just trying to help with little things that might have been overlooked. If it was me i would consider having another endoscopy as alot can change in 6 years. Just a thought. I think im right you are in the usa?

Yes I am in the US. I do not feel that it is an issue with my throat due to symptoms and timing. I do not have difficulties eating/drinking/exercising etc. Just had a chest x Ray 4 months ago and everything was "great". I am not trying to sound like I am shutting you down, as I really do appreciate your thought and comments. It's just you and I think alike and these issues have either been tested, explored, or ruled out. So I continue to monitor and seek thoughts or remedies from others.

No problems hope you find a solution to your problem soon.best wishes from here in the uk.

Hello - have you found anything out about your symptoms? I have had these symptoms now for nearly two years. Chest tightness, heart palpitations, difficulty swallowing, ear pressure, raspy breathing, fatigue, general abdominal discomfort. Original diagnosis after 4 ER visits in a month was gallbladder issues. Saw the surgeon to schedule surgery and he told me it was not my gallbladder and to see a gastric specialist. I had an upper endoscopy which was “perfect”. He also looked at my gallbladder and confirmed it was not the issue. My primary then put me on anti depressants and anti anxiety meds along with omeprezole and then later another GERD medication even though the gastroenterologist said I did not have GERD. At one point I was taking 9 different pills a day! I switched primary doctors and went through the whole gambit of blood tests, chest X-rays, CT scans, full cardio work up, esophageal manometry (which is the worst), barium swallow, abdominal sono,  etc. just for them all to be textbook results. Don’t get me wrong, the normal results are a blessing, but when your body is telling you something isn’t right, you know something isn’t right. i saw an ENT in 11/2016 due to a nodule on my thyroid that had been there for about 15 years causing hyperthyroidism. He recommended surgery to remove the right lobe of my thyroid and to see an endocrinologist. The endo did additional thyroid blood tests which showed my thyroid hormones were all over the place. A month later I had the surgery and have spent the greater part of the last year trying to get my thyroid hormones balanced and my body back to normal. All the while changing diet, cutting out processed and refined foods    Around November I started feeling somewhat better, but in the last 2-3 weeks the chest tightness, abdominal discomfort, throat issues and ear pressure are all back. Sometimes my chest feels like I have just run 10 miles or completed an extensive cardio workout. It gets so frustrating to start feeling better and then suddenly go backward. I thought I finally had figured this out and was getting past it. I just want to feel better. 

I understand where you are at completely!  I did have my gallbladder out and did have a large stone in it but it didn't change the throat and upper chest issues I have (upper chest was my point of injury 9 years ago).  I have found that when I get upper cervicial chiropractic adjustments it's a help.  Have you tried that?

Hi Cheryl!  That was something I forgot to mention. I did go in for chiropractic treatment early on.  I used to work for a chiropractor and had seen some awesome results and thought I should try. It was right before my 4th trip to the ER!  I received an upper cervical adjustment on that Friday at about 1 pm and woke up at 4 am, both arms and legs completely numb!  The ER doctor told me I wasn’t going to die (thank goodness) but likely would not be able to tell me what was going on. At least they did abdominal and head CT scans to check for any abnormalities, but found nothing of concern. I go back in tomorrow for a 1 year follow up abdominal sono. Praying for good results again. Secretly hoping something treatable can be found that answers why I have these symptoms. Surely with all these people having the same concerns there has to be something. In My last visit with the endocrinologist he did blood work checking for neuroendocrine disorders and all was normal. I think the only specialists I have not seen at this point is a neurologist and oncologist. I feel like I should mention I did have a case of shingles about 7 years ago. My endocrinologist found this interesting which is why he is starting to look at other neuro possibilities. The gastroenterologist I saw also had diagnosed overactive nerves in the digestive tract. I was taking nortriptyline for about 4 months but had no positive effect and the side effects were not worth continuing. I feel like I have tried everything and am not very hopeful I will find answers. 

I was also suferring from it abt 6 months but problem i ce across was GERD now by changing my foot habit and proton inhibitors it is fine so u can consult a gastrologist