strange throat sensations

Posted by medizac @medizac, May 22, 2021

I will preface this by saying I am a 21 year old male with a history of tonsil infection (never identified as mono or strep in any case), marijuana use and vape use.

Multiple months ago I was high, eating almonds, and doing a wheezy old man impression to myself, when suddenly I felt a pop in my throat. I was very scared, my heart was racing, and when I would breathe, it felt like air was going into a hole inside me. I experienced many other odd sensations (back left of tongue felt like it was gone, tongue felt like it would fall out if I faced downward, mouth felt like it was falling into my throat, soft palate felt like it was caving in, felt like I had internal bleeding). I had a nurse friend come by and check on me after a while and she decided I must have had an almond stuck in my throat because some of the more intense symptoms had quieted down by the time she arrived.

When I looked at my throat with a flashlight in the mirror, my throat cavity looked much lower and smaller than I remember, my tonsils were swollen but not infected looking, and the left side of my pharyngeal arch hung lower.

I continued smoking and vaping and dealt with symptoms, assuming I had just hurt my throat on the almond. My symptoms got worse when I would smoke, but I would deal with them, believing I would just hyperfixate on them while high. One night it was really bad, I got a fever and it felt like my throat was collapsing again. I went to the ER and was diagnosed with tonsilitis, even though my tonsils did not look infected. I was prescribed cephalexin and completed the entire cycle, while admitted smoking and vaping on it.

After symptoms continued, I decided to cut out smoking. The feeling of something in my throat like loose tissue from something ripped continued. After about two months, I made an appointment with an ENT. He looked in my throat and agreed with me that my tonsils were swollen but not infected. He said my right tonsils was bigger than my left and did not seem to worry about the uneven pharyngeal arch. For my own peace of mind, he ran a scope through my nostril and into my throat and concluded that there was nothing wrong. He told me it might be acid reflux causing inflammation.
I am currently on a 6 week acid reflux medication, but still feeling like something is in my throat.

I have cut smoking and vaping entirely now

For a week about two weeks ago, I had very irritating tightness on the right side of my neck and under my chin. That has since subsided, but I still feel like I have something in my throat. Throughout all of this, I have experienced hoarseness, postnasal drip, and at various times chest pain, jaw pain, ear pain, ear fullness, and weirdest of all I linked the feeling of something in my throat with the feeling of the left heel of my foot in shoes.

Most recently I have discovered that I can push in the left side of my adam's apple and feel a slight pop, but it is not the same sensation.

Any help or insight would be greatly appreciated!

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT) Support Group.

...gosh this sounds like some of the "odd' things that have happened to me over the years...am sure readers will answer with some suggestions; it must be nerve wracking to have gone through this and to still keep feeling this in your throat/area: hope you get some solution soon

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Hello @medizac and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. You have experienced a lot and are very in tune with what it is you are feeling in your throat. It also seems like you have done everything to eliminate outside factors to isolate the issue and symptoms, which is commendable.

I have no idea if this is something you have ever come across, however, when I was looking for a resource for you, I came across something called Globus Pharyngeus.

- What is Globus Pharyngeus?
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/318633

What resonates with you, if anything, from that resource and your experience?

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Wow, i have now experienced almost the same excact things youre describing. This is the closest outside explaination of the symptoms i have come across.
It is terrifying when it happens. It also comes when smoking for me. I would be higly grateful if you could share what it is, or how you treated it (if you have treated it), kinda how it went, as seeing this was some time ago. Im in the same situation as you, and im trying to find out what these weird and scary sensations are.
Thank you.

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@zeimasyou

Wow, i have now experienced almost the same excact things youre describing. This is the closest outside explaination of the symptoms i have come across.
It is terrifying when it happens. It also comes when smoking for me. I would be higly grateful if you could share what it is, or how you treated it (if you have treated it), kinda how it went, as seeing this was some time ago. Im in the same situation as you, and im trying to find out what these weird and scary sensations are.
Thank you.

Jump to this post

I have also been experiencing this for months and it definitely flares up after smoking. If you have any info you can share, please do! I have noticed one strange thing though, alcohol tends to make it go away.

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You should google Eagle's Syndrome. It's an often overlooked diagnosis.

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Welcome @zeimasyou and @jbirdtheword44. I'm happy to see that you connected with @sanderson7635 and @lacy2 who have also posted in this discussion. Unfortunately the member who started this discussion, @medizac, has not posted since starting the discussion.

@amandajro shared the following resource in her response to @medizac which you may find helpful:
– What is Globus Pharyngeus?
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/318633

There is also another discussion on the topic mentioned by @sanderson7635 that you might want to take a look at here:
-- Eagle Syndrome: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/eagles-syndrome/

Do either of the resources sound similar to both of your symptoms?

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