I hope this post will help others who suffer from this horrible sensation. I got globus sensation 6 weeks ago, after a week of little to no sleep, due to a lump I developed on my tonsil. The doctor prescribed anti bionics and the growth turned black and fell off. I probably swallowed it in my sleep. Even though the growth was gone I was still incredibly anxious due to tiredness from lack of sleep and the anxiety I felt at bed time.
The lump in my throat developed in that period and naturally I assumed it was connected to the growth I’d had on my tonsil. To top it all off I was suffering from sleep apnoea so now there there was even more anxiety at bed time. I had to overcome the sleep apnoea first; so I dieted, ate healthy, did an hour CV everyday and some weights and did a lot of mouth, neck and throat exercises designed to strengthen my tongue and throat muscles to stop the obstructive sleep apnoea. However, it turned out I was having central sleep apnoea; most likely due to the 2 co-codamol tablets I was taking every night, for aches and pains. Codeine is a major contributing factor of central sleep apnoea. I was also taking 2 ibuprofen each night and these can also cause breathing problems, so I stopped taking both and within days I started to get some sleep, but was still terribly anxious at bed time.
I then turned all my attention to diagnosing what the lump in my throat was and came to the conclusion it was globus sensation. These forums and a lot of other sites helped me come up with a strategy to manage and eventually overcome the affliction.
Firstly I had to address the crushing anxiety and panic attacks I kept having every time I felt like my throat was closing up and it was worse in the evening and night time. So here’s what I did, roughly in order, over the space of a few weeks. I’m sure you can put this into a schedule of some sorts.
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I downloaded the ‘head space’ app for free and an hour before bed I did 2 of 3 on the basic breathing meditation exercises. I would listen to the app outside, in the cold fresh air, wrapped up warm, and often in the presence of either my wife or daughter for moral support. It’s important not to suffer alone and a loved ones company is a comfort and an anxiety buster.
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I bought some Olbus oil and put half a dozen drops on 3 separate pieces of kitchen roll. I placed one at either end of the inside of my pillow case and then would fold the third piece of kitchen towel into a square and cup it to my , while deeply breathing in and out. While I inhaled I would picture the word RELAX in my mind and when I exhaled I would count down by one. I would do this 20 times and by the time I reached one, my sinuses were pretty clear (I was attacking the globus sensation eliminating post nasal drip as the cause).
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I downloaded a free app called "Relax melodies’ and set it to play a mixture of sounds which comfort me most - rain, wind, thunderstorms, train sounds etc… and it would play all night. Alternatively you can just tell Alexa to play thunderstorms or rain sounds.
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An hour before bed I would take the following:
a) 1 x HTP5 plus tablet with vitamin B6, which promotes well being, due to the Serotonin and helps regulate sleep, due to the Melatonin.
b) 1 x vitamin D tablet
c) 1 x vitamin C tablet
d) 1 x Piriton antihistamine tablet (the doctor told me to up this to 2 tablets which I did)
e) 1 x propranolol tablet the doc prescribed me with (anti anxiety medication) -
I would rub my temples and pulse points (wrists) with anatomicals sleep balm (called ‘you’re cruising for a snoozin’)
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I would spray my bed with a deep sleep pillow spray by ‘this works’. It’s a nice lavender spray.
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I bought an essential oils diffuser and filled it with… yep you guessed it… lavender oil. I have that spraying in my bedroom a few hours before bed.
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My air purifier runs all day in my bedroom.
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I bought a snake plant for my bed room; which is the best plant for removing toxins and promoting sleep.
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I bought a bottle of saline sea water nasal spray and would give both cavities a good dousing, then blow my nose. Do this a few hours before bed, so as not to have excess moisture in your nasal cavities when you lie down.
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Before bed I would drink a cup of hot lemon and honey (bought some manuka honey and a bottle of lemon juice)
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Finally my last bed time preparation was to lather my neck and chest in vicks vaporub and get warm under the covers to stop my neck and chest from getting cold.
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One of the hardest things to beat was the urge to constantly swallow. Swallowing just saliva would generally make the lump worse, so depending on the dryness of my mouth (if too dry or making too much saliva - its an indication of dehydration) I would take a mouthful of room temp water and hold it in my mouth until the spit was absorbed and my mouth was moist, then do a forceful swallow. Rinse repeat (excuse the pun) until your mouth is moist enough.
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If my mouth still felt dry, even after several mouthfuls of water, I would suck on a lemon and honey strepsil until sleep was upon me and either finish it or take it out.
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Its really important to get really really REALLY hydrated. As soon as you wake up and sit up in bed chug down a 500ml bottle of still water (important! make sure you only drink room temp water as cold water can make the lump feel bigger). Chug down at least 4 x 500ml of room temperature still water bottles every day, more if you can. Avoid coffee, tea, drinks with caffeine in, they don’t count towards your tally and can make you feel wired when it comes to bed time.
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Do the following exercises throughout the day:
a) With your arms at your side and shoulders back, look to the ceiling, as far back as your neck will go. Jut out your chin. Slowly turn your head left and the right. Feel your neck and throat stretch. do this half a dozen times. Repeat throughout the day and whenever you become aware of the lump.
b) Whenever you feel the urge to clear your throat- resist the urge- it can exacerbate the problem. Instead take a deep breath through your nose, hold your breath for 3 seconds, gulp that air deep down, then do your best impression of a trumpet player and slowly, with your cheeks blown out and your lips pursed, blow out. Do this several times until the urge to clear your throat has gone. If the urge doesn’t pass, then take in a mouthful of warm water, swish it in your mouth and then take a big swallow. If you do have post nasal drip then you can do a snort to help clear your nasal passage of dripping mucas and then blow your nose.
c) Other exercises can include breathing exercises, meditation, cv, weights.
d) I slowly found my sleep apnoea neck mouth and throat exercises to help. Google them they are too numerous to list.
e) Yawning is also a good manoeuvre when you become aware of the lump. Yawn on the intake of breath and sigh on the out take. You can find you can actually make yourself yawn quite effectively. -
invest in a smart watch (I got got a Samsung galaxy one), but any which record your sleep and daily activity will do. Make your focus about getting fit, being active, eating right, hydrating and getting good sleep - all of which can be recorded in an app in tandem with your phone.
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Get that
sleep The real good stuff; a minimum of 8 hours. 10 or 11 if you can! I kid you not. Once I was managing my anxiety I was getting upto an 11 hour sleep session, after which my globus sensation had all but disappeared. But after a bad nights sleep (of less than 5 hours) and the sensation would raise its ugly head. But I now know how to control it and deal with it rather than letting it control me. -
Oh yes, I want through ALOT of lemon and honey strepsil lozenges. Boxes and boxes of them and they really helped; they allow you to swallow in confidence. So when you are not afraid to swallow, because its not aggravating the lump in your throat, it will therefore help reduce your anxiety. Suddenly you are no longer focusing on the need to swallow every minute of your life, which helps you forget about the lump in your throat.
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Finally, I guess what really helped me staying very busy. I started decorating the house and was busy up to 8 hours a day and was doing alot of looking up; as I painted high walls and ceilings, so I was naturally exercising my neck, as described in the exercise section above, but was doing it alot. Keeping busy kept my mind off the lump and as I worked I was also drinking alot of water.
To summarise; keep calm, get moral support, set a routine, get lots of sleep, keep very hydrated.
I hope this helps. I was manic until I figured it out.
je me manque et je suis sûr de pouvoir surmonter ça.