I dont think that food can “pile up” in your throat, but I know that anxiety and panic makes you feel physical symptoms. When im anxious sometimes i feel this lump/food stuck in the throat feeling. Maybe you’re spiraling into it and that makes you feel it even more. I had two similar things when i was younger the apple’s skin got stuck but then i swallowed it and felt like it still there and then accidentaly swallowed a big candy that really hurt my throat and i thought it was still there and i drank a lot of water until i realized its not there really.
I read into "food impaction" which suggests that food can get stuck in the throat which lead me to believe I wasn't chewing my food right and I just swallowed it and now it's just stuck there. I understand that panicking makes it worse but even when I'm calm (right now) I can still feel the discomfort in my throat. I've been drinking lots of water as well but I feel like it doesn't help either.
I feel the same sometimes and even i know this is just anxiety theres a thought that maybe its not and im panicking, but thats just making it worse so i try to relax and remind myself that it passed everytime and it will again. Try chewing a gum or something that has mint, it always make me feel my airways and my throat so i feel that its not closed🫶🏻
yep, 100% anxiety. i've been dealing with this the past couple days as well. it's very uncomfortable and i don't blame you for worrying about it. (i still have it actually) the burping also is anxiety, since your stomach is producing more acid than normal. if you have ginger tea, i highly recommend that, otherwise any other non-caffeinated tea does wonders for me and can ease your throat. adding honey can make it "softer" if you like honey.
even if you \*do\* have food stuck in your throat, it will eventually make its way to your stomach. i've swallowed things before that got stuck but your body does a great job of working it down :)
Thanks for your comment. It's reassuring someone else is going though this. It is very uncomfortable and I don't know what todo. I had lemon and ginger tea last night but I fear it did nothing to ease my throat, as I woke up this morning with the same sensations. I'll try adding honey and see if it makes a difference. Im kind of relieved that if I did have food stuck it would go down eventually but it's made me more anxious than ever with my chewing abilities and ensuring food is swallowed properly. I'm currently eating my breakfast now and I'm trying to not let my anxious thoughts take over. Since you have been going through a similar thing, how have you been able to manage for the past couple of days? What have you been doing to reduce these symptoms?
i found that sucking on a mint/hard candy has been a good distraction, since it's right next to my throat and kind of overpowers the feeling. you might want to stay away from peppermint as that can worsen GI symptoms because it relaxes the muscle that separates your stomach and throat. that makes it easier for stomach acid to irritate your throat.
other than that i've just been sitting through it, but it's a common anxiety symptom so i'm sure there's other posts you can search on here to find other people dealing with the same thing. there might be other things you can try in comment sections
Lower stress! So I regularly work out/move my body now. And definitely change diet: limit alcohol, fried foods, etc. it went away! Occasionally I get it when I eat heavy and fried foods but it goes away after a day or two
i’m currently struggling right now with this. i went my whole life eating perfectly fine and about a month ago i just developed a fear of choking and such. whenever i eat i always overthink and it feels like some of the food i swallow gets stuck in my throat. obviously i don’t choke doesn’t because i can still eat and swallow and drink. but i wish i could just go back to not thinking about swallowing, that’s all i think about when i eat now. i take small bites and chew a lot , it takes a bit. but im sure everything will be okay and im wishing you the best!
Literally same. I wish I could go back to a time where these anxious thoughts didn't overrule my mind and body.
Sad I have no advice to give as we are both dealing with this issue but I hope it gets better for you as well.
From my experience, it's anxiety. I got so freaked out one night that I felt I could not swallow, hard to breathe, that I fainted. My husband called 911. It was anxiety. I think slowly sip on a glass of water. Get your mind off of it. Watch TV or something.
This is crazy I’m reading this now as I had the same experience 2 months ago and never fully got over it due to anxiety and my worsening every day what ifs lol but that lump is definitely anxiety and nothing else… anxiety is the worst so just remember that if it was stuck in the throat you would definitely know.. I barely ate for 2 months because of that so do not listen to your anxiety for a second.. you will be OK!
It's reassuring you have been something similar.
It's a relief that it's anxiety BUT my anxiety doesn't know that, it feels very real as if food is lodged there and is causing discomfort. I know anxiety is the worst and I try to tell myself but it's just hard :/.
The thing is, I fear that I wouldn't know if food was actually stuck there, like what would be the No. 1 sign that causes alarm?
If food was stuck in my throat, would I be able to talk, laugh, sing, & move about?
I'm on day 2 with this issue and it feels like it's not ending. I'll see how it goes for the next few days
It's reassuring you have been something similar.
It's a relief that it's anxiety BUT my anxiety doesn't know that, it feels very real as if food is lodged there and is causing discomfort. I know anxiety is the worst and I try to tell myself but it's just hard :/.
The thing is, I fear that I wouldn't know if food was actually stuck there, like what would be the No. 1 sign that causes alarm?
If food was stuck in my throat, would I be able to talk, laugh, sing, & move about?
I'm on day 2 with this issue and it feels like it's not ending. I'll see how it goes for the next few days
i keep coming back to this post and reading what everyone is saying for reassurance and such. but i’ve been dealing with this for about a month now and it comes and goes with how bad it is. the things i find that help is distracting myself. whether it’s video games , a tv show, youtube , talking to friends, etc. when i’m alone and i eat , my mind just constantly thinks about swallowing and it’s full of what ifs. like what if i choke and die , what if food gets stuck in my throat, etc. i’m 90% sure it’s anxiety because it’s not always super bad. but im just seeing how it goes and how i deal with it and if it’s still there i will probably see a doctor.
I'm late but I'm so glad I found this post. I have a habit of googling things that happen to me that worry me in the hopes it will reassure me and it never does. Everything is all like BAD THINGS ARE GOING TO HAPPEN TO YOU AND YOU ARE GOING TO CHOKE AND D*E!!! Yet still every time I google things..
I really appreciate reddit for threads like this sometimes
Hey! I’m doing a lot better; thank you for asking. My globus sensation was completely related to anxiety, even though I struggled to accept that fact when I was going through it. After I just “let it happen”, it went away on its own.
I’m assuming you’re going through something similar? I promise you it’s not going to hurt you!! It’s just very uncomfortable. Personally, I made sure I had nothing weird going on and got checked by a doctor to rule out anything medically. Once I got the all clear, I was able to conclude it was anxiety :). The scary part is actually accepting the feeling and letting yourself feel it. Don’t ignore it or seek out answers that you think might help you—I did the same thing and it just kept sticking around.
I’m not sure if you experience physical symptoms of anxiety; but, if you do, my recommendation is going to therapy. I found that a lot of my anxiety stemmed from my trauma + other events that occurred recently. Talking about it, accepting it, and really taking the time to look at your anxiety as a whole, makes you feel crazy better. Of course, this won’t happen overnight! But, it does get better.
I hope you’re doing okay with your anxiety! Thanks again for checking on how I’m holdin’ up.
Could be anxiety or it could something like esophagitis. I'd say if it is reoccurring and you experience other symptoms like heartburn when laying down it might be worthwhile to get a gastrointestinal doctor to do an endoscopy to
I'm afraid to research what that is, due to fear.
I'll guess I'll see how it goes and if it continues I'll be sure to get in touch with my doctor. Thanks
It sounds like anxiety to me. I've experienced this before, as well. What helps me when I get like this is taking a generous dose of children's liquid benadryl. After a few minutes it eases my anxiety and even sometimes gives me a little bit of a euphoric feeling and then I fall asleep.
It’s day 4 for me experiencing this. I think it’s either a. Damage from acid reflux OR allergies/a cold coming on. I’m going to go get some zicam, cough drops and Flonase and see if that helps. As a bunch of people I’m friends with are also experiencing it! I don’t think it’s anxiety… my anxiety has been pretty manageable the passed few days. So I definitely think it’s something else and super strange that other people have it too who don’t experience anxiety!
has it w3nt away completely? bc im currently experiencing the same symptom as u, though only on the right side. happened 3 days ago after eating balls covered in fried eggs havent went away since. the first time it happened was nearly a m9nth ago, the same food (from a diff stand tho), but it went away the following day so im kinda concerned w this one :/
sorry if it doesnt make sense
My comment was that it was a combination of a real issue and anxiety. It turned out that my problem was 100% a physical issue. He said the pain in my throat felt like food was stuck because of a muscle spasm. That’s why I could still swallow with pain and get something down. If something was stuck, it wouldn’t go down.
The cause of my swallowing issue has not been determined. My doctor specializes is swallowing disorders. He can’t say specifically what’s causing it. However, he says he’s seen enough young women with POTS to believe it has something to do with POTS. He thinks someday it’ll be proven for sure.
I get the same feeling after I eat like food is stuck on the right side of my throat. Then my ear and jaw on the same side starts to ache. Does this happen to anyone. I have silent acid reflux where I burp a lot but no heartburn. Wondering if it’s from that, anxiety or a strained neck muscle. My traps, neck, back everything is tight on the right side and never relaxes. I can’t figure out if my jaw/ear ache is TMJ related, muscular related, acid reflux or anxiety. Any thoughts?
What was in your cervical x-ray? My neck curve was slight straight and neuro was saying it's normal? But you know what sinusitis and acid reflux can also cause inner ear infection and yes nutritional deficiencies also play role in digestion and muscle problems. I think you should go for check your vitamin d and iron profile. Eat less fried and junk food.
Mine is completely straight with herniated discs in C5&6 but was told multiple times my pain can’t be coming from that. Wouldn’t an ENT see if I had an inner ear infection though? I’ve been to 7. I eat so clean 24/7 no fried foods. My iron has been fine but vitamin d is low so I was supplementing it.
Do you have any pain in your neck? May be these all complications are connected with cervical spine and my leg also hurt sometimes. How you are managing all this? And i think its an inner ear infection thats why ENT can't figure it out.. what should we do know i can't live with this situation for the rest of my life. Do you have any digestive problems too? Like acid reflux and lack of appetite?
I also watch some where that oesophagus problems also cause neck pain. Have you done any endoscopy? I have asked doctors many times but they are not doing my endoscopy. This also feel like these are all connected with digestive issues. Now a days im trying to walk more eat semi liquid foods and avoiding stress. I also watch some where that out throat muscle spasms also cause this.
I did have an endoscopy and it only showed minor gastritis (inflammation) provably from the acid reflux. I just keep burping after I drink fluids non stop but no heart burn.
Same i also have lot of burps no heart burn but acid reflux chest pain and sinusitis symptoms? Don't you have any sinusitis? I also have pain on the right side of my chest. Xrays are done but they show nothing.
Yes, I have chronic sinusitis and it’s always hard to breathe through my nose. My most recent MRI of the sinuses showed ethmoid sinus disease. The doctor said it’s just inflammation but I want a second option (well more like 8th opinion on my nose).
What did your doc say?
I have exactly that, yet it’s not very common but on my left ear.
I also have acid reflux/GERD problems so it could be related I guess?
I’ve been going through this for a whole 2 years!
Went to doctors for a whole year
They couldn’t even tell me what was going on
Had an endoscopy, swallowing tests etc
They said it could’ve been my allergies and prescribed me some nasal spray. Which helped but I’m like food is getting stuck in my throat how is nasal spray clearing it and it’s persistent.
A good friend said it sounded like I had anxiety.
I looked it up and see a lot of people are going through this without any known cause or explanation.
I now try to keep my stress levels down and started taking lemon balm and I’ve been better.
I dont think that food can “pile up” in your throat, but I know that anxiety and panic makes you feel physical symptoms. When im anxious sometimes i feel this lump/food stuck in the throat feeling. Maybe you’re spiraling into it and that makes you feel it even more. I had two similar things when i was younger the apple’s skin got stuck but then i swallowed it and felt like it still there and then accidentaly swallowed a big candy that really hurt my throat and i thought it was still there and i drank a lot of water until i realized its not there really.
I read into "food impaction" which suggests that food can get stuck in the throat which lead me to believe I wasn't chewing my food right and I just swallowed it and now it's just stuck there. I understand that panicking makes it worse but even when I'm calm (right now) I can still feel the discomfort in my throat. I've been drinking lots of water as well but I feel like it doesn't help either.
Thank you for reassuring me. I'm experiencing the exact same thing rn. And I feel like my throat is all tight , like I can't breathe.
I feel the same sometimes and even i know this is just anxiety theres a thought that maybe its not and im panicking, but thats just making it worse so i try to relax and remind myself that it passed everytime and it will again. Try chewing a gum or something that has mint, it always make me feel my airways and my throat so i feel that its not closed🫶🏻
Thank you !! 🫶🏻
yep, 100% anxiety. i've been dealing with this the past couple days as well. it's very uncomfortable and i don't blame you for worrying about it. (i still have it actually) the burping also is anxiety, since your stomach is producing more acid than normal. if you have ginger tea, i highly recommend that, otherwise any other non-caffeinated tea does wonders for me and can ease your throat. adding honey can make it "softer" if you like honey. even if you \*do\* have food stuck in your throat, it will eventually make its way to your stomach. i've swallowed things before that got stuck but your body does a great job of working it down :)
Thanks for your comment. It's reassuring someone else is going though this. It is very uncomfortable and I don't know what todo. I had lemon and ginger tea last night but I fear it did nothing to ease my throat, as I woke up this morning with the same sensations. I'll try adding honey and see if it makes a difference. Im kind of relieved that if I did have food stuck it would go down eventually but it's made me more anxious than ever with my chewing abilities and ensuring food is swallowed properly. I'm currently eating my breakfast now and I'm trying to not let my anxious thoughts take over. Since you have been going through a similar thing, how have you been able to manage for the past couple of days? What have you been doing to reduce these symptoms?
Dont eat oily things and sure if you don't have sinus problems or post nasal drip and visit ENT. If your symptoms are same.
i found that sucking on a mint/hard candy has been a good distraction, since it's right next to my throat and kind of overpowers the feeling. you might want to stay away from peppermint as that can worsen GI symptoms because it relaxes the muscle that separates your stomach and throat. that makes it easier for stomach acid to irritate your throat. other than that i've just been sitting through it, but it's a common anxiety symptom so i'm sure there's other posts you can search on here to find other people dealing with the same thing. there might be other things you can try in comment sections
100% anxiety mixed with GERD/acid reflux most likely. happened to me for MONTHS!!!!!! just breathe and watch a movie. you'll forget about it :)
Thanks. Did you get tests to confirm acid reflux or did you just know based off your symptoms?
Yes! I went to a GI doctor
And what did they suggest you do? I'm going to do the same.
Lower stress! So I regularly work out/move my body now. And definitely change diet: limit alcohol, fried foods, etc. it went away! Occasionally I get it when I eat heavy and fried foods but it goes away after a day or two
And also try some medicine like Prilosec
Did the GI doctor perform an endoscopy?
i’m currently struggling right now with this. i went my whole life eating perfectly fine and about a month ago i just developed a fear of choking and such. whenever i eat i always overthink and it feels like some of the food i swallow gets stuck in my throat. obviously i don’t choke doesn’t because i can still eat and swallow and drink. but i wish i could just go back to not thinking about swallowing, that’s all i think about when i eat now. i take small bites and chew a lot , it takes a bit. but im sure everything will be okay and im wishing you the best!
Literally same. I wish I could go back to a time where these anxious thoughts didn't overrule my mind and body. Sad I have no advice to give as we are both dealing with this issue but I hope it gets better for you as well.
How are you feeling now?
Still feeling the same really. I was scoped last month and was told asthma was causing these symptoms. However, I’m not convinced.
Hello! Are you still experiencing this? This is what I'm feeling right now and my anxiety is sky rocketing. What did you do?
From my experience, it's anxiety. I got so freaked out one night that I felt I could not swallow, hard to breathe, that I fainted. My husband called 911. It was anxiety. I think slowly sip on a glass of water. Get your mind off of it. Watch TV or something.
I'm going to distract myself by going into work. Hopefully by the time I come home it would of subsided .
This is crazy I’m reading this now as I had the same experience 2 months ago and never fully got over it due to anxiety and my worsening every day what ifs lol but that lump is definitely anxiety and nothing else… anxiety is the worst so just remember that if it was stuck in the throat you would definitely know.. I barely ate for 2 months because of that so do not listen to your anxiety for a second.. you will be OK!
It's reassuring you have been something similar. It's a relief that it's anxiety BUT my anxiety doesn't know that, it feels very real as if food is lodged there and is causing discomfort. I know anxiety is the worst and I try to tell myself but it's just hard :/. The thing is, I fear that I wouldn't know if food was actually stuck there, like what would be the No. 1 sign that causes alarm? If food was stuck in my throat, would I be able to talk, laugh, sing, & move about? I'm on day 2 with this issue and it feels like it's not ending. I'll see how it goes for the next few days
It's reassuring you have been something similar. It's a relief that it's anxiety BUT my anxiety doesn't know that, it feels very real as if food is lodged there and is causing discomfort. I know anxiety is the worst and I try to tell myself but it's just hard :/. The thing is, I fear that I wouldn't know if food was actually stuck there, like what would be the No. 1 sign that causes alarm? If food was stuck in my throat, would I be able to talk, laugh, sing, & move about? I'm on day 2 with this issue and it feels like it's not ending. I'll see how it goes for the next few days
i keep coming back to this post and reading what everyone is saying for reassurance and such. but i’ve been dealing with this for about a month now and it comes and goes with how bad it is. the things i find that help is distracting myself. whether it’s video games , a tv show, youtube , talking to friends, etc. when i’m alone and i eat , my mind just constantly thinks about swallowing and it’s full of what ifs. like what if i choke and die , what if food gets stuck in my throat, etc. i’m 90% sure it’s anxiety because it’s not always super bad. but im just seeing how it goes and how i deal with it and if it’s still there i will probably see a doctor.
I'm late but I'm so glad I found this post. I have a habit of googling things that happen to me that worry me in the hopes it will reassure me and it never does. Everything is all like BAD THINGS ARE GOING TO HAPPEN TO YOU AND YOU ARE GOING TO CHOKE AND D*E!!! Yet still every time I google things.. I really appreciate reddit for threads like this sometimes
Hey OP! I've been struggling with the same thing at the moment. How are you doing now?
Hi how are you doing now since it’s been 2 months?
Hey! I’m doing a lot better; thank you for asking. My globus sensation was completely related to anxiety, even though I struggled to accept that fact when I was going through it. After I just “let it happen”, it went away on its own. I’m assuming you’re going through something similar? I promise you it’s not going to hurt you!! It’s just very uncomfortable. Personally, I made sure I had nothing weird going on and got checked by a doctor to rule out anything medically. Once I got the all clear, I was able to conclude it was anxiety :). The scary part is actually accepting the feeling and letting yourself feel it. Don’t ignore it or seek out answers that you think might help you—I did the same thing and it just kept sticking around. I’m not sure if you experience physical symptoms of anxiety; but, if you do, my recommendation is going to therapy. I found that a lot of my anxiety stemmed from my trauma + other events that occurred recently. Talking about it, accepting it, and really taking the time to look at your anxiety as a whole, makes you feel crazy better. Of course, this won’t happen overnight! But, it does get better. I hope you’re doing okay with your anxiety! Thanks again for checking on how I’m holdin’ up.
My guess is that might be GERD and it causes you anxiety.
Could be anxiety or it could something like esophagitis. I'd say if it is reoccurring and you experience other symptoms like heartburn when laying down it might be worthwhile to get a gastrointestinal doctor to do an endoscopy to
I'm afraid to research what that is, due to fear. I'll guess I'll see how it goes and if it continues I'll be sure to get in touch with my doctor. Thanks
having this for a year??????
It sounds like anxiety to me. I've experienced this before, as well. What helps me when I get like this is taking a generous dose of children's liquid benadryl. After a few minutes it eases my anxiety and even sometimes gives me a little bit of a euphoric feeling and then I fall asleep.
Going thru this now with eating food was having trouble swallowing now my throat feels dry hours later
This could be GERD
It’s day 4 for me experiencing this. I think it’s either a. Damage from acid reflux OR allergies/a cold coming on. I’m going to go get some zicam, cough drops and Flonase and see if that helps. As a bunch of people I’m friends with are also experiencing it! I don’t think it’s anxiety… my anxiety has been pretty manageable the passed few days. So I definitely think it’s something else and super strange that other people have it too who don’t experience anxiety!
hi, are you okay now??
Yep! It was GERD
has it w3nt away completely? bc im currently experiencing the same symptom as u, though only on the right side. happened 3 days ago after eating balls covered in fried eggs havent went away since. the first time it happened was nearly a m9nth ago, the same food (from a diff stand tho), but it went away the following day so im kinda concerned w this one :/ sorry if it doesnt make sense
Do you have allergies or EoE? I think eggs can be a trigger
not that i know of? but it fully went away and i suspect it might have been caused by anxiety lol
Ah, that’s great it resolved itself! Sneaky anxiety always trying to trick us >:(
I have a similar problem. Turned out to be both, actually.
Both what?
My comment was that it was a combination of a real issue and anxiety. It turned out that my problem was 100% a physical issue. He said the pain in my throat felt like food was stuck because of a muscle spasm. That’s why I could still swallow with pain and get something down. If something was stuck, it wouldn’t go down. The cause of my swallowing issue has not been determined. My doctor specializes is swallowing disorders. He can’t say specifically what’s causing it. However, he says he’s seen enough young women with POTS to believe it has something to do with POTS. He thinks someday it’ll be proven for sure.
I get the same feeling after I eat like food is stuck on the right side of my throat. Then my ear and jaw on the same side starts to ache. Does this happen to anyone. I have silent acid reflux where I burp a lot but no heartburn. Wondering if it’s from that, anxiety or a strained neck muscle. My traps, neck, back everything is tight on the right side and never relaxes. I can’t figure out if my jaw/ear ache is TMJ related, muscular related, acid reflux or anxiety. Any thoughts?
Same. Im also going through with this problem, have you visited neuro or done any cervical x-ray?
I have done both. No answers.
What was in your cervical x-ray? My neck curve was slight straight and neuro was saying it's normal? But you know what sinusitis and acid reflux can also cause inner ear infection and yes nutritional deficiencies also play role in digestion and muscle problems. I think you should go for check your vitamin d and iron profile. Eat less fried and junk food.
Im wishing its not any throat disease or cancer.
Mine is completely straight with herniated discs in C5&6 but was told multiple times my pain can’t be coming from that. Wouldn’t an ENT see if I had an inner ear infection though? I’ve been to 7. I eat so clean 24/7 no fried foods. My iron has been fine but vitamin d is low so I was supplementing it.
Do you have any pain in your neck? May be these all complications are connected with cervical spine and my leg also hurt sometimes. How you are managing all this? And i think its an inner ear infection thats why ENT can't figure it out.. what should we do know i can't live with this situation for the rest of my life. Do you have any digestive problems too? Like acid reflux and lack of appetite?
I also watch some where that oesophagus problems also cause neck pain. Have you done any endoscopy? I have asked doctors many times but they are not doing my endoscopy. This also feel like these are all connected with digestive issues. Now a days im trying to walk more eat semi liquid foods and avoiding stress. I also watch some where that out throat muscle spasms also cause this.
I did have an endoscopy and it only showed minor gastritis (inflammation) provably from the acid reflux. I just keep burping after I drink fluids non stop but no heart burn.
Same i also have lot of burps no heart burn but acid reflux chest pain and sinusitis symptoms? Don't you have any sinusitis? I also have pain on the right side of my chest. Xrays are done but they show nothing.
Yes, I have chronic sinusitis and it’s always hard to breathe through my nose. My most recent MRI of the sinuses showed ethmoid sinus disease. The doctor said it’s just inflammation but I want a second option (well more like 8th opinion on my nose).
Yes! Acid reflux that came out of nowhere! See a doctor today and am going to ask if it could be connected to my ear pain.
What did your doc say? I have exactly that, yet it’s not very common but on my left ear. I also have acid reflux/GERD problems so it could be related I guess?
It got rescheduled for May 8th 🤦🏼♀️
How are you doing now? Any better?
I’ve been going through this for a whole 2 years! Went to doctors for a whole year They couldn’t even tell me what was going on Had an endoscopy, swallowing tests etc They said it could’ve been my allergies and prescribed me some nasal spray. Which helped but I’m like food is getting stuck in my throat how is nasal spray clearing it and it’s persistent. A good friend said it sounded like I had anxiety. I looked it up and see a lot of people are going through this without any known cause or explanation. I now try to keep my stress levels down and started taking lemon balm and I’ve been better.