I was at my wits end. Didn't sleep for months. Saw my doctor, went on a bland diet, and started taking every antacid medication there was. Got a wedge pillow, even pilled pillows on that and slept vertical. Even putting my bra on caused the globus pain to increase. Suffered terribly with a constant pain like someone pressing a finger into the front of my throat just under the adams apple area. And I was burping which was strange, leaning to the left or sleeping on the left would help get them out.
Went to ENT and GI doctors. Nobody could help, they all said everything looks amazingly fine on the inside, no signs of acid reflux but they called it that anyway. I thought to myself what kind of doctors are these, there has to be a cause. I knew I did not have reflux just a terrible constant pain. In factI had what friends would call an 'iron stomach' my whole life and never took one antacid product. It's not stress, I am not a stressful person, (but the event did totaly stress me out). The pain was constant, distracting, and I thought I was going to loose it. And I felt the antacid products were actualy starting to cause a pain behind the sternum so I stopped them.
I went over in my mind what happened. And then I remembered a meal I had 2 days before. To make a long story short I decided that perhaps I burned myself on excessivly hot food. Too simple? That's what I thought because I've eaten and can tollerate very hot food as well as spicey food. But I decided that perhaps I had an internal burn that now had my thyroid or the flap to my stomach or something inflamed and pressing on something. So I embarked on a cold food and cold liquid consumption diet. Iced tea, iced coffee, iced everything. Not even room temperature, everything cold and I made sure I consumed something cold every hour to constantly try to heal it. I also stayed away from foods high in iodine like kelp etc. I got myself pain free within 6 weeks and back to absolute normal after a few months. That was 3 years ago. So why am I here writing this now?
It's the winter and I am frankly tired of eating and drinking everything cold to this day for 3 years now. It makes you cold and people don't understand and I miss hot food and hot drinks. I decided for the recent Christmas holidays to have a little hot food. Well I am here to report that it did NOT go well at all. Sorry to report that the pain came back so bad -- just like it never went away. So I am resigned to cold food and cold drink consuption the rest of my life. Not ideal in the winter but it has worked for me to put my life back to normal and that is all I want.
What do I have? I do not know, an internal burn that has triggered an internal inflamation that presses and causes pain. I am writing this in the hopes that I can help someone. I think internal burns unlike external take months to heal, and that once it's happened may remain sensitive for a lifetime who knows. If you are going to try this you have to do it 100%, not even warmed food or warmed drink, everything cold. And I wouldn't recommend the constant consumption of ice either as you don't want to go overboard the other 'frostbite' way and cause some different problem. Good Luck. This worked for me but I also did it about 2-3 months after onset when the doctors all said there was nothing that could be done. When I was left to my own sleuthing. And I am 100% complient (until this past Christmas when I tried to go off it). I do not know if this will work for you, if you have the same thing, or if it can work after years of the pain. I can't imagine if I kept on drinking and eating hot foods for the past 3 years what I would be like. I sincerely feel terrible for all the people suffering with globus sensation pain, worst worst worst experience of my life. To this day I can't find anyone pointing to the temperature of food and drink as a trigger.
Thanks for sharing, I'll certainly give it a try. Maybe temperature is a factor, I do remember going on a freezing walk the day before it first appeared, so I thought it was a soar throat, but that was 4 months ago and it still bothers me. I am getting an endscopy soon. One thing I am sure about is that it gets worse the more worried or axious I am, not sure what may be the mechanism behind this.
... talking about anexiety, I should also mention that I was worried sick about something else around the time it appeared.
Sorry to hear you're suffering for months. I don't know about outside temperature having an effect or worrying and anexity having an effect. My experience has been different than others I read about, it is not a soar throat, not raw feeling, no reflux, not worried at all just a terrible globus sesation pain morning noon and night untill I got rid of it myself (buy consuming cold food and ice cold liquids morning noon and night, small amounts).
The food in question I ate 24-36 hours before the onset of severe pain was I will admit excessivly hot. I had a fever and a head cold at the time and couldn't taste or smell a thing when I sat down to eat. I shouldn't even have been out. Anyway I misstook the food for spicey instead of piping hot and gulped it down. There's got to be someone out there who has had this happen but I have searched for years and have found noone else who got rid of their globus pain by no longer eating or drinking warm or hot food and liquids. But if I can help just one person out of their pain it will be worth it. It's a terrible pain.
I wouldn't really call my globus a "pain." It's just a sensation, like something is pressing against my throat, but it's not terribly painful. Sometimes it's uncomfortable to the point where I might say it's pain, but it's there with or without the feeling of pain. Honestly, if I have to do nothing but eat and drink cold things for the rest of my life, then I don't think it's worth it. I would rather live with this than restrict myself so much that I cannot experience my life fully in fear that it will come back. Good job on finding some kind of solution, though. It's not a complete solution, but it's something few people have mentioned or thought of yet. So thanks for that.
I know, I have searched everywhere and for years and still can not find anyone talking about an internal burn causing inflamation that presses on something and hurts. You are lucky it is more of a sensation. I have heard others describe it more that way than how I experience it. Or connected to emotions which is not my issue. Mine is from hot food consumption and grows straight into a state of distracting discomfort and pain that is unrelenting. Well I say straight but it's more like 24 hours later it will start. I'm totaly fine now that my little test of hot food is over and I'm consuming only cold food and icy cold drink. It's not so bad, it works which is why I came on here to tell my story. There was nothing left to try to make it go away and I knew I did not have reflux or any stomach problem..... everything was just pointing me to something else.
Out of curiosity, have you tried applying an ice pack to your neck? As you said, it might be the temperature that's a trigger, but it seems like it might be easier to apply it from the outside instead of just making everything you consume icy cold.
No, never thought of that. Interesting, but I ski alot, walk dogs, and am active outside in the bitter cold, breathing in the air and getting it on my throat and it had no impact. At the time I was going to all the Doctors looking for an answer one told me that although I am feeling the globus sensation up in my throat, that the nerve ending for the esophagogastric junction is up there -- so I could be feeling the sensation up high but it's something from below. I never researched that further but it has stuck in my mind that although I can get myself pain free and normal -- that perhaps all my cold consumption might be icing something somewhere low at the junction that gets inflamed by hot drinks and hot food and it's not actualy at the site of the pain up in my throat that needs it. Great point though as I miss hot and even warm food very much (but not at all enough to suffer that sensation)
Perhaps you should try it and see how it goes. Couldn't hurt, could it? Well, maybe a little but I guess it's up to you. Applying ice is different than cold weather or breathing cold air because your body automatically regulates the air that comes into your body. Applying ice directly is meant to stop inflammation.
Hi,
How are you? Just newbie here and it's here where I can find comfort.Appreciate your tips will surely try it.Hope we feel better soon.
Just want to report that the culprit of my globus sensation is indeed still the consumption of warm or hot liquids and food. Can't do it. I mean I could do it, but it's really not worth the discomfort coming back so terribly. I must have a perminent burn or something, or a swelling? And cold stuff just reduces that swelling I have decided. Anyway I remain discomfort-free living a lifestyle of iced coffee, iced tea, cold food. I really don't mind as anything is better than the maddening discomfort of globus. Good luck everyone, if I help one person that would be a great thing. My issue is not stress, not anxiety, not muscle stretching.
Hi Wendy,
My globus sensation is just that too, a sensation so unfortunately I cant relate too much to what you say pain wise. Although its still very uncomfortable and debilitating. I feel like something is always stuck in my throat and I cant clear the phlegm ever. It has gotten better as I think mine is a lot to do with anxiety and awareness of the feeling which amplifies it. So the more I learn to ignore it the easier it is to live with.
However the reason I am replying is your spicy and hot food comment. My whole ‘experience’ started with spicy food - spicy pakora to be precise. I woke up one morning with the feeling I couldnt breath - only to realise I could but if I breathed out a specific way through my throat it felt as if something was stuck badly. I went to emergency and they stuck a camera down my nose - the nurse was very rough and Im sure that ‘trauma’ is whats caused my globus.
Long story short Ive come to the conclusion its my uvula that was the cause of the choking sensation. It seems to react badly to very hot food and spicy food - it swells and seems to get in the way. This only happens once or twice over a 6 month period but its very uncomfortable. I take an antihistamine which seems to help and recently read chewing ice chips can help too. Almost like an allergic reaction.
Not sure if this is any help to you but wanted to flag up the uvula thing in case you ever get a choking feeling - maybe the food is actually aggravating your uvula and causing some kind of pain? Just a thought. I havent read all of your comments but Im assuming you have tried reflux medicine in case it is GERD giving you heartburn?
Mike
Same feeling but feeling better by avoiding hot foods !! One day up will update after a week
Hi to all involved in this conversation, I've had this globus for 2 years, and it really has not improved. I don't tend to eat over hot food and never eat spicy foods. Only really hot drinks. Lots of people have many different severities. I just wanted to know if anyone can help with the dryness feeling always at the back of my throat. I've also done exercises, which seem to help for a moment and that's, that. Just need some help as I'm out of suggestions.
Sorry, haven't been back to this site for a year. I feel very bad for everyone who has golbus -- it was the worst thing I ever went thru. Like someone pressing on the front of my throat constantly. (I would over eat to try and make it go away.) Anyway, I just swung back to say I am living my normal life still with no globus.
But I DO NOT consume hot tea, coffee, soup etc. I let all my food cool before eating it. I eat my eggs cold, sorry, I drink all my beverages with ice. What can I say other than --- it made it stop. I can relate to your story Mike, that yours started with a spicy food and that it gets triggered with hot and spicy food ... (but I don't have the spicy problem,) I can eat very spicy food, for me it's just an internal burn from gulping down extremly pipping hot sauce. Discomfort started 48 hours later and was unrelenting. I can not consume Hot things anymore, so it is what it is. But I'm very happy years later to remain without globus.
I suspect some people with globus have burned themselves on something that was too hot and then unknowingly keep it going. Who doesn't eat hot food every day and hot drink? I can't be the only one who did it. And I believe the internal burn site is much lower down in my esophagus than the site of the globus discomfort at the front of throat. I think maybe that Doctor who told about the nerve endings originating some distance away was on to something.
Good luck everyone! I wish everyone well.
Curious if this worked for you? Hope so!
Don't know about the dryness feeling. You say you comsume really hot drinks. All I can say is I ate sauce that was so incredibly hot that I wish I had let it cool. It was a red sauce too and no doubt the meat fat made it worse. I tried every antacid, went to every doctor, tried everything and for me going cold worked after a few months of it. I do not know, but I imagine if someone has a burn on their skin, even years later, a hot shower on the site of the burn does not feel good. I wish you relief, it was a terrible experience.
Hope you tried it diamond owl and hope it worked!
I think the nerve you are talking about is the vagus nerve it runs from side of neck on each side of the thyroid area. Then heads down the esophagus to the stomach Fyi
Wow Wendy i hope this fixes my problem so scared😓😭😰😦