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Strange sensation / tightness in chest and upper throat

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rai27
rai27

I'm hoping for some help please..I have been feeling this strange sensation in the chest and lower throat. It's a sensation which I can only describe as a heavy feeling (no pain) and a tickling cough sensation in the chest. This then moves upwards to the lower throat area and makes it as though it is becoming tight. It makes me clear the throat and try to get the mucus out. I can feel a bit coming out but not much. The sensation makes me want to cough.I have been to doctor many times and he has listened to my chest and back. He's said that it's all clear. In the end he gave me antibiotics which I took for 7 days but it made no difference. He's also given me ventolin but it made no difference. I had chest x-ray and that showed clear. He referred me to ENT specialist who did a nasal endoscopy and that was clear. I have also done a barium swallow and that was also clear. However, I am still having this problem. I have also noticed that when I cough, I hear a grinding noise in my chest which sounds like friction. I've now been referred to a respiratory specialist and my appointment is next Friday. I'm really worried as I don't know what it can be. Has anyone else has this strange feeling? Can it be infection of the lower airway which has not cleared up? All this has been going on for 3 months now and I'm really worried and not sure what to do...Any help would be really appreciated. Thank you..

6 likes, 439 replies

439 Replies

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  • anoop57062
    anoop57062 rai27

    Posted

    Hey bro.

    I also suffering from same problem which u had 4 yrs back.pls help me to find the solution.

    • daniel45262
      daniel45262 anoop57062

      Posted

      Mr.Anup,i was experiencing throat irritation, chest tightness,which made me anxious and depressed.The symptoms imitate that of heart attack.i was told i have no cardiac problem,then i was told that i have GERD problem.i had no remedy for the treatment for reflux.By God's grace,i found out that i have some problem in T1,TE region in spine which caused all the trouble.i am taking treatment for this.

    • anoop57062
      anoop57062 daniel45262

      Posted

      Hey,

      What are the precautions and treatment u r taking.

      How u find out that finally it is GERD? Any particular test and method for it??

  • daniel45262
    daniel45262 rai27

    Posted

    Hi Mr.Rai,i was experiencing throat irritation, chest tightness,which made me anxious and depressed.The symptoms imitate that of heart attack.i was told i have no cardiac problem,then i was told that i have GERD problem.i had no remedy for the treatment for reflux.By God's grace,i found out that i have some problem in T1,TE region in spine which caused all the trouble.i am taking treatment for this.

  • rai27
    rai27

    Posted

    Hi all,

    It's been 6 years since I first posted this thread - thank you all for all your posts, it has been of great help. Just an update from me. After all the tests, that I had under taken, they had found that I had Hiatus Hernia. This was causing acid to come up from the stomach and giving me these strange sensation. As the throat was constantly aggravated, mucus was regularly building up. I had been prescribed esomepazol for a long while. I have recently been weaned of them as long term is not very good.

    Rai27

  • vashti06086
    vashti06086 rai27

    Posted

    it could be a serious virus infection.i had a similar sensations.going on for 3yrs now.nearly died few times from it.i got no answers from doctors about it.just scared reaction s from nurses.lolit can be quite an uncomfortable unpleasant feeling in the exhaling

  • laura76997
    laura76997 rai27

    Edited

    EXACT symptoms- exact line of doctors!! My chest and lower throat pressure is gone when I lay flat. I am 6 months post covid- with asthma- but this is not my asthma- feels worse. So constantly uncomfortable - thinking about breathing all waking hours. waiting to do an echo and chest ct- very frustrating

    • rai27
      rai27 laura76997

      Edited

      Hi Laura76997,

      Sorry to hear you are going through the exact symptoms 😦

      Try to break the cycle of thinking about something that happens naturally ie breathing..I know it's hard as I was doing the same and then my anxiety increased which in turn made my symptoms worse. It's a viscous cycle and breaking out of it is the key.. I do hope you don't have to wait long for your appointments and the results come back normal..I do agree, it's frustrating..

      Rai27

  • Susie647
    Susie647 rai27

    Posted

    i have had the same thing too. I too plan on going to Dr for this. i feel like its ever since i had the Covid in November of 2019 before it had a name... since then i have had it. please update if you know anything more.

  • sam33225
    sam33225 rai27

    Posted

    hello.

    i have the same problem. did your problem go away?

    my story:

    Symptoms bothering me

    i am 40 male, father of two children. I smoked from age 14 until 22.

    9-10 weeks ago I did have a rough cold with a chesty cough with mucus, runny nose and raised temperature. The cold did go away. The cough turned from wet to a dry cough. Before this cold I did not have any problem.

    10 weeks have passed and I have following symptoms:

    tickling in throat and in chest and 2-3 time a short dry cough per day

    tickling changes sometimes sides, sometimes it feels being left then being right (chest and throat)

    the cough did get better, but constant tickling stayed now and does not go away

    the tickling and the feeling having to cough comes 30 minutes after eating breakfast

    throat clearance

    some belching

    in the morning I have the feeling that my back between nose and throat is full of mucous and this runs down

    no problems during sleep and when getting up early in the morning

    when I drink beer the feeling does go away and I feel nothing

    I went to the ER one month ago. They did a chest x ray (including a lateral view one). Both X rays are clear.

    For a month I have taken inhaled steroids like pulmicort and also ventolin. They did help. I do have the feeling that the cough has got less, but it does not go away completely. Now the next treatment is PPI's for reflux. Reflux is now suspected.

    I don't have any other symptoms. No alarming symptoms. During night I can sleep, no coughing, no tickling. No appetite loss, in the contrary I have gained 6 kg of weight in some weeks.

    In the past I have been diagnosed with health anxiety, IBS and BFS.

  • bob47378
    bob47378 rai27

    Posted

    hi guys does any one have any answers as i have developed all the same syptoms and had many tests and scans done and cannt find anything wrong some advice from others would b helpful

    regards bob

  • rai27
    rai27

    Posted

    Hi all,

    An update on my symptoms..

    It been ok most of the days...I am convinced the sensations I had in the throat were caused by acid reflux...I would like to share a situation that happened a while ago..I was drinking tea in the morning and somehow choked which made me cough excessively. After a few hours, the sensation I had that started many years ago came back for a few days..

    This time round, I was calm as I knew it was due to my throat being aggrevated and probably inflamed due to all that coughing and clearing the throat. Also because I knew, my anxiety levels were low and nothing like when it first started. This soon went away then..

    Reflecting back the time when it happened, a combination of acid reflux aggrevating my throat and all that anxiety and worrying played a big part in the sensations..With me constantly clearing my throat just made it worse which led to the symptoms lasting for ages.

    Today, I have Gaviscon at night, I'm exercising more, trying to eat healthy and enjoying the outdoors more to control the anxiety, especiallyin this pandemic...All this has helped tremendously..I've stopped taking the esomepazol, that I had been taking for years..

  • yogita2923
    yogita2923 rai27

    Posted

    I am facing the same problem from last two days, it feels like congestion in chest and on every breath there is a mild vibration in wind pipe and i always wanted to cough and try to spit the mucus out but nothing comes out, its a weird feeling and earlier i was not able to explain it properly to anyone, but when i saw your post, I felt like I had the same issue, please help me if you have any suggestion.

    • rai27
      rai27 yogita2923

      Posted

      Hi yogita2923,

      I'm sorry you are experiencing the exact symptoms I had felt many years ago. I don't know if you have read my previous posts but having done many tests, it turned out that acid reflux was causing the lower part of my throat to get aggravated and inflamed. It was then creating excessive mucus to protect itself. So the strange sound that occurs was due to the narrowing of the windpipe caused by inflation.

      You need to settle the area by:

      1. Speaking to your Doctor to give you something for the acid. I was prescribed esomeprazole.
      2. Take Gaviscon at bedtime to neutralize the acid in the stomach and protect the windpipe when lying down.
      3. Purchase a specialised pillow so you are slightly slanted when sleeping. Alternatively, extra pillows may help.
      4. Cut down on spicy foods or even foods that cause a lot of acid.
      5. Sip on water during the day.

      From what you describe, it's most likely to be acid related. You would never think it was but you'll be surprised. It's a vicious circle as you think of the worst which leads to anxiety which in turn makes the weird sensations in the through to be magnified.

      Please give that a go and let us know how you get on.

      Best of luck and hope it all helps.

      rai27

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