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I've been dealing with this excessive swallowing symptom for 1.5 years now and have yet to find a cause. Doesn't necessarily feel like Globus as many people describe it. In my case it feels more of a combination of the following: urge to ease my throat, restlessness of my mouth and tongue, and needing to clear the saliva in my mouth and it's been the sole cause of my anxiety. Never dealt with mental health issues before. Started very suddenly one morning in August of 2019 and it used to be very bad (multiple times a minute) to the point I'd have a panic attack. A year and a half later the frequency of the swallowing has lessened - once every 2 to 5 minutes on average and if I'm super lucky and distracted, I can go up to 30–45 minutes without swallowing. When it first started, doctors said it was allergies or post nasal drip since I had been dealing with Eustachian Tube Dysfunction the month before this started, but I didn't feel any phlegm or congestion and the nasal sprays/allergy meds didn't help at all. Went to a different doctor a couple weeks later and they believed it was linked to acid reflux or GERD since I was also simultaneously dealing with excess saliva, a lot of burping, occasional diarrhea and acid in my chest when I'd go to sleep. Tried about 3 different meds for reflux and the acid in chest/heartburn went away, but all other symptoms stayed. Did an esophagram and it came back somewhat clear - they found acid reflux in my system but it was such a small amount and it was too low in my system to be affecting my throat (according the doctor that performed the esophagram.) Many months have gone by and I had just accepted my fate, but the anxiety associated with my swallowing overwhelmed me and I decided 3 months ago to start once again looking for a treatment or cure. Moved to a new city recently and I'm seeing new doctors that are a lot more willing to help rather than just sending me home with some allergy meds like the previous 4 doctors I saw. Started protonix and Elavil in February for about a month and it helped a little bit, but more so just lessened the acid reflux symptoms (burping, excess saliva). Doctor switched me from protonix & Elavil after a month to protonix, Lexapro and flexeril, but to no avail. Currently the excess saliva is inconsistent and varies throughout the day and I'm still burping but not as much as I used to. Recently saw an ENT specialist and he hinted at the possibility of a dairy intolerance or gluten sensitivity since he saw my throat and tonsils were a little red. He said that dairy/gluten intolerances often present the same symptoms as acid reflux and I hadn't really changed my diet since the swallowing started in 2019 besides avoiding the typical reflux trigger foods like spices, citruses etc, and just being more mindful about the quantities I eat and trying to eat a little healthier when I could. So this whole time I was still consuming dairy and gluten on a regular basis. It sounds reasonable as he said that the reason none of the plenty of meds I've taken have worked are because I am still constantly exposing myself to dairy or gluten, which he believes has been the trigger all along and I didn't notice. Been dairy-free for about a week now and haven't noticed any improvement, but he said to give it at least 3 weeks as my throat has been irritated from swallowing for so long that it'll take some time. He said that if a dairy-free diet doesn't work, to try gluten-free next. Does anyone have any suggestions or theories as to what could be causing this? I'm so tired of it mentally draining me and I need to get ahold of my life back. I haven't been able to enjoy life since this all started. It very could well be as simple as going dairy or gluten free, but I'm still skeptical about it, but maybe I should just give it a try. I have an endoscopy scheduled in about a month's time, but it's really expensive and was hoping someone who's dealt with this could offer a solution or suggestion so that I don't have to go through the procedure. Or is it just better to just go through with it? I'm just scared that it's all in my head and isn't a physical medical condition. I don't want to be stuck with this forever and I'm tired of throwing money at doctor's visits constantly without finding relief. I really want to figure out whether it's allergies/food intolerance, acid reflux, anxiety/OCD or something I may be missing. I feel like I've been treating the wrong thing each time I start new meds and is the reason why I have yet to find anything to provide relief. Only times I have momentary relief are when I'm distracted at work or out shopping or something. If anyone could provide a suggestion that I have yet to try or maybe confirm the whole gluten/dairy intolerance thing that my ENT specialist suggested a week ago. Just started taking multivitamins and Vitamin B complex in case it's related to some vitamin deficiency. I feel so lost and just need some direction to find help. Willing to try absolutely anything.
Feels like I should also mention that 80% of the time I do exercise, I can break the swallowing habit throughout my workout session, but the moment I finish, my throat feels SUPER dry and irritated even though I drink plenty of water so I feel it's probably a medical condition more than a mental one, but nonetheless it causes lots of unnecessary anxiety and strength in my life.
Thank you for any help and sorry this was so long. I haven't talked to anyone about this besides my doctors and my mom and briefly mentioning it to some friends.
My details if that helps: 23 yrs old. Male. 6'2 230 lbs. Non-smoker/non-drinker.
List of current and previous meds: Loratadine, Hydroxyzine, Zyrtec. Famotidine, Prilosec, Protonix. Lexapro, Elavil, Flexeril.
I've been dealing with this excessive swallowing symptom for 1.5 years now and have yet to find a cause. Doesn't necessarily feel like Globus as many people describe it. In my case it feels more of a combination of the following: urge to ease my throat, restlessness of my mouth and tongue, and needing to clear the saliva in my mouth and it's been the sole cause of my anxiety. Never dealt with mental health issues before. Started very suddenly one morning in August of 2019 and it used to be very bad (multiple times a minute) to the point I'd have a panic attack. A year and a half later the frequency of the swallowing has lessened - once every 2 to 5 minutes on average and if I'm super lucky and distracted, I can go up to 30–45 minutes without swallowing. When it first started, doctors said it was allergies or post nasal drip since I had been dealing with Eustachian Tube Dysfunction the month before this started, but I didn't feel any phlegm or congestion and the nasal sprays/allergy meds didn't help at all. Went to a different doctor a couple weeks later and they believed it was linked to acid reflux or GERD since I was also simultaneously dealing with excess saliva, a lot of burping, occasional diarrhea and acid in my chest when I'd go to sleep. Tried about 3 different meds for reflux and the acid in chest/heartburn went away, but all other symptoms stayed. Did an esophagram and it came back somewhat clear - they found acid reflux in my system but it was such a small amount and it was too low in my system to be affecting my throat (according the doctor that performed the esophagram.) Many months have gone by and I had just accepted my fate, but the anxiety associated with my swallowing overwhelmed me and I decided 3 months ago to start once again looking for a treatment or cure. Moved to a new city recently and I'm seeing new doctors that are a lot more willing to help rather than just sending me home with some allergy meds like the previous 4 doctors I saw. Started protonix and Elavil in February for about a month and it helped a little bit, but more so just lessened the acid reflux symptoms (burping, excess saliva). Doctor switched me from protonix & Elavil after a month to protonix, Lexapro and flexeril, but to no avail. Currently the excess saliva is inconsistent and varies throughout the day and I'm still burping but not as much as I used to. Recently saw an ENT specialist and he hinted at the possibility of a dairy intolerance or gluten sensitivity since he saw my throat and tonsils were a little red. He said that dairy/gluten intolerances often present the same symptoms as acid reflux and I hadn't really changed my diet since the swallowing started in 2019 besides avoiding the typical reflux trigger foods like spices, citruses etc, and just being more mindful about the quantities I eat and trying to eat a little healthier when I could. So this whole time I was still consuming dairy and gluten on a regular basis. It sounds reasonable as he said that the reason none of the plenty of meds I've taken have worked are because I am still constantly exposing myself to dairy or gluten, which he believes has been the trigger all along and I didn't notice. Been dairy-free for about a week now and haven't noticed any improvement, but he said to give it at least 3 weeks as my throat has been irritated from swallowing for so long that it'll take some time. He said that if a dairy-free diet doesn't work, to try gluten-free next. Does anyone have any suggestions or theories as to what could be causing this? I'm so tired of it mentally draining me and I need to get ahold of my life back. I haven't been able to enjoy life since this all started. It very could well be as simple as going dairy or gluten free, but I'm still skeptical about it, but maybe I should just give it a try. I have an endoscopy scheduled in about a month's time, but it's really expensive and was hoping someone who's dealt with this could offer a solution or suggestion so that I don't have to go through the procedure. Or is it just better to just go through with it? I'm just scared that it's all in my head and isn't a physical medical condition. I don't want to be stuck with this forever and I'm tired of throwing money at doctor's visits constantly without finding relief. I really want to figure out whether it's allergies/food intolerance, acid reflux, anxiety/OCD or something I may be missing. I feel like I've been treating the wrong thing each time I start new meds and is the reason why I have yet to find anything to provide relief. Only times I have momentary relief are when I'm distracted at work or out shopping or something. If anyone could provide a suggestion that I have yet to try or maybe confirm the whole gluten/dairy intolerance thing that my ENT specialist suggested a week ago. Just started taking multivitamins and Vitamin B complex in case it's related to some vitamin deficiency. I feel so lost and just need some direction to find help. Willing to try absolutely anything.
Feels like I should also mention that 80% of the time I do exercise, I can break the swallowing habit throughout my workout session, but the moment I finish, my throat feels SUPER dry and irritated even though I drink plenty of water so I feel it's probably a medical condition more than a mental one, but nonetheless it causes lots of unnecessary anxiety and strength in my life.
Thank you for any help and sorry this was so long. I haven't talked to anyone about this besides my doctors and my mom and briefly mentioning it to some friends.
My details if that helps: 23 yrs old. Male. 6'2 230 lbs. Non-smoker/non-drinker.
List of current and previous meds: Loratadine, Hydroxyzine, Zyrtec. Famotidine, Prilosec, Protonix. Lexapro, Elavil, Flexeril.
The problem is you don't have gross symptoms that are pathognomonic for any specific disease.
"A pathognomonic sign is a sign whose presence indicates that a particular disease is present beyond any doubt. The absence of this sign does not exclude the possibility of the presence of the disease, but the presence of the pathognomonic sign affirms it with certainty. Diagnostic criterion "
There may be many causes or no known cause idiopathic that may be responsible. The only logical way to proceed is by way of elimination. You need to do as the ENT suggested even if you think it won't work because if you don't try it then you will never know. Forget about getting seduced with guesses that sound right and ignoring the step by step elimination.
Thank you for the honest response. I will continue to follow my ENT specialist's suggestion of the dairy-free diet and then try gluten-free if the dairy-free diet doesn't help. My biggest concern is running out of new things to try and alleviate the swallowing if these diet changes do not work, which is why I'm reaching out online to see if others have found methods/medications that have helped since I know my issue is a little more uncommon. I might just bite the bullet and go through with the endoscopy even though it's fairly expensive if that means it gets me closer to finding the cause.
No I have not. Can you elaborate on what that is? Completely unfamiliar to that term.
It's a technique that you can use to deal with just about any issue. EFT stands for "Emotional Freedom Technique."
You tap on meridians (same theory as acupuncture and acupressure, re: Chinese Medicine meridians).
If you're interested, go to YouTube and search for Brad Yates. He has tons of vids and you can tap along with him to learn the sequence - then you can do it yourself for your issue.
I use it in the shower every morning.
Good luck if you try it - I think you might be surprised (here are the words I would use):
"Even though I have no idea why I have developed this swallowing problem, I totally and completely love and respect myself." (Sounds corny, but it works).
"Even though I have a swallowing problem, I totally and completely love and respect myself."
"Even though I have tried many things to remedy my swallowing problem, I totally and completely love and respect myself."
Etc., etc. Customize the sayings however you want.
It helps disperse stuck energy and unhelpful thoughts.
Are you sure you even have a problem anymore? I mean, you can go up to 40 minutes without swallowing, and now you swallow usually every 2-5 minutes? It doesn't sound like a problem to me, it sounds normal.
That's one issue I struggle with in dealing with the anxiety associated with the symptom. Sometimes I get stuck in a viscous cycle of "is my anxiety causing this fake symptom? or is my symptom causing my anxiety and is a result of a medical condition I haven't found a diagnosis for?" It's frustrating because I'd never once struggled with my health both mentally and physically before. I know swallowing is perfectly normal and we all do it subconsciously, but that's the problem with me at the moment. I'm swallowing so often that I'm conscious and constantly aware of it 24/7. There must have been a warning sign my body gave me that I missed before this started, but I'm just not able to find the core cause. Going to get an allergy panel done tomorrow to see if I have allergies to anything, but it's a longshot as I've never had allergies before in my life. I guess anything is worth a try at this point.
There was a research article I ran across that specified that some people swallow 1000-1500 times per day.
Trying to make yourself go 40 minutes between swallows is unnatural and points more towards an OCD issue. Just my random non-professional observation not a medical opinion.
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