I finally got rid of the feeling of a lump in my throat, which my doctor diagnosed as globus pharyngeus. This is my story.
I had been experiencing an annoying sensation that felt like a lump in my throat for a while. Today I saw a head and neck specialist and found out it's not a serious cause for concern. The condition has several names, and is most commonly known as globus pharyngeus.
In this article, I will describe my symptoms, the diagnostic medical procedure, and the simple things I need to do to get rid of the feeling of a lump in my throat.
I am not a medical professional, nor am I offering any medical advice. This page only tells my story.
Elevate my head when I sleep, so my neck is above my stomach.
Eating certain foods only in the morning, like dairy, acidic fruits (oranges, kiwi fruit, etc.) and no more than one cup of coffee per day.
If I have a morning cup of coffee, I need to drink an equal amount of water.
Avoiding fatty foods a few hours before bedtime, and no eating at all within an hour of going to sleep.
One month of medication, with a follow-up visit to my GP at that time.
Update: After following these suggestions, the lump in throat sensation is now gone!
Globus Pharyngeus or Cricopharyngeus Spasm or lump in my throat.
Which Term Did Your Doctor Use?
So . . . What Is Globus Pharyngeus?
Globus pharyngeus occurs when the cricopharyngeal muscle becomes too tight. This muscle is located behind, and is attached to, the cricoid cartilage. The muscle acts like a sphincter to prevent food from coming back into the mouth after swallowing. When it goes into spasm, it feels like a lump sensation in the throat.
What causes the cricopharyngeal muscle to become too tight, you might ask? Most of the time, it happens as a result of reflux and stress.
My doctor wanted to see what was going on in my throat. First he sprayed a numbing agent into my nose and throat. Then he used a trans-nasal endoscope to see what was going on. He stuck it down my throat, entering through my nose. The numbing agent worked perfectly, so it really wasn't too bad—just odd-feeling. Even after the numbing agent wore off, there was no pain at all.
Have You Ever Felt a Lump in Your Throat?
Hi. I started feeling like I had a lump in my throat about 3 months ago. I visited a doctor who did an endoscopy and said I had GERD. He put me on omeprazole 20mg once a day. The feeling disappeared for two weeks but now it's back. Am also experiencing some chest pains esp on the right and some fizzy sounds on my throat. Has any one experienced this?
The doctor told me that it sound like what people describe when they have acid refux. It disappeared for one whole week last week after I had some healthy green drinks, ate edamame and nori (seaweed). I don't know if any of those things helped but it did disappear and I had been having the spasms every single day about ten times a day before that. I wondered if maybe I had low iodine and whether the nori helped, I wondered if it was the edamame....or if the green drinks helped with acid reflux. I don't know yet but will keep you posted. Today I felt one try to start after a seven day break as I was taking a sip of ginger ale. Looks like I definitely cannot drink soda still.
Hey, I'm a 15 year old boy who has a problem like when I eat, it feels like some of my food just gets stuck in my throat and I gotta burp and like it goes half way and then it stops and I gotta kinda push and that's when my food comes up and it feels like it's just coming from the throat. Its a really uncomfortable feeling I've been to the doctor and I've had neck X-rays and a barium done and he said everything looked fine it's been going on for abt 3 weeks now, I'm being sent to a ear, nose, an throat doctor for further test. I'm probably gonna have the scope done for more information too. I just wanna know if there's anybody else having the symptoms I have. Sometimes it feels like somebody's just standing on my neck or something. It only happens when I eat tho. I've lost weight after weight. I've played sports my whole life and worked out I thought I was a healthy kid. Does any else have the symptoms I do?
I am not a doctor, but my best suggestion would probably be to go to a different one. I was lucky, I went to one who knows and understands the condition as was able to help me.
As for elevating your head - there are two ways I know, one is with pillows, sort of building a ramp upwards. The other is similar but putting the pillows, or a wedge under the mattress so the entire head end of the bed is elevated. Again, I stress I am not a medical person, so I can only give my own thoughts.
Rhonda... I have been having the same thing for 5 weeks. Sometimes when the "lump in throat" is that bad (I tend to clear my throat a lot!), it turns it to an irritation, which then turns it into pain.
I don't drink coffee... I was prescribed acid reflux medicine. The ENT said I have nothing.
I did/do have stress (for dumb simple things).
I don't know how to "elevate my head" when sleeping.
Now it's been in lingering mode, and the "lump" NOW switches from the left to right side of uvula (depends on the day), but the feeling is just behind the uvula.
@paulahite: I never thought of acupuncture. Great idea.
I worked through my issue with an acupuncturist and Chinese herbals. I also changed my diet and now understand what my triggers are.
Fascinating lens full of great information.
@flinnie lm: I hope you found something that will help you.
@Doc_Holliday: Some days it's still hard to skip a second cup, but now I have tea or hot chocolate instead.
@moora84: Wow, thanks. Glad my experiences have helped you.
Hi lots of great info here, thanks for sharing.
Very informative and well done. Thank you!
Very educational. I actually have experienced this feeling especially when I have tried to hold back crying, like at a movie or something. I call it I'm having a heart attack in my throat. Thanks for informing us.
@CherylsArt: I guess there really is something to healthy eating.
@BarbRad: You are lucky it goes away quickly. Mine lingered and lingered and wasn't going away.
@tedwritesstuff24: I hope it helps you too.
@anonymous: I do both for colds. If you are going to eat it raw, take it slow, it feels really spicy.
@anonymous: I eat tons of garlic. Maybe that's part of why it doesn't bother me anymore. Great suggestion.
@moonlitta: It is no fun when it goes on for days, weeks, months and more.
@Aunt-Mollie: I completely agree, that is why I went to the doctor.
@anonymous: Sorry, I don't remember what it was called, and I haven't needed it for over a year.
@anonymous: I am really sorry to hear that. I guess I was really lucky to find a doctor who knew what it was and gave me tips to help me.
@happy-birthday: I hope it helped you.
Very informative lens! Thanks a lot for sharing!
@anonymous: Fresh garlic in food or do you just peel one n swallow it?
God, this lens is making my throat tighten..
I've had this for 4 years now. I can't get rid of the mucus in my throat. I've been to 5 ear nose and throat dr's and most had no idea. One said it was Globus, but didn't know how to treat it.
I'm glad to know that your condition wasn't more serious. Sometimes a 'lump-in-the-throat feeling' can be signs of cancer of the esophagus. Seeing a doctor is important.
Great lens! Very informative. Thanks for sharing!
Glad you were able to get it corrected. Interesting lens!
I think I only get this sensation after I swallow a bunch of large vitamin supplements, but it goes away quickly. I now try to take them one at a time if they are large. Very informative, though, and it's nice to know ahead of time how this can be prevented.
It's amazing how many things can simply clear up with a change to a healthier diet.
Congratulations on your Purple Star! There is nothing better than a story with a happy ending and learning right from the start that with simple changes to your lifestyle you were able to cure your lump in your throat got me hooked. I had never heard of the problem before. Thank you for writing such an informative lens.
@anonymous: Interesting solution. Glad it works for you.
Interesting topic to share. Thanks for the lens.
Hello, just wanted to share my cure for lump in throat:). Drink a carbonated beverage quickly (my choice is a coke zero) ..... &amp; burp, baby, burp! You will feel so much better!
This condition sounds awful. Thanks for the information you provide.
I have never experience a lump in my throat such as you described, but it sounds annoying. Glad you got it cleared up and that good diet and less stress helps prevent it coming back.
I have the Smart Medicine book and love it. Tells you naturalistic and typical remedies.
I had this problem really bad! I could barely swallow, great lens for anyone who suffers from a smiler condition.
the information from this lense make me make an ideea about how our body work.
@norma-holt: Sorry to hear you have it too. Glad you have also found relief.
@anonymous: Carri - remember, I am not a doctor. This is my story and the suggestions given to me. I hope they help you too.
thank you for this article. i was afraid i had the beginnings of a goiter until i read this. i think the symptoms of this condition matches what i have more than a problem with my thyroid. i will try your suggestions and hope it helps. thanks again!
This is a very informative lens about your condition. I have a neurological condition, I build a lens about my experiences like you, come and have a look at my lens.
I think sharing information about conditions like yours is important in order to educate others who may also suffer.
Many thanks for the info. I had this diagnosed some 18 months ago following a heart attack and was told the same as yourself about diet etc. Sometimes, albeit this might be psychological, when I feel the tightness occurring, I get a cool cloth/flannel and put it on my throat which seems to help - I find that trying to be more upright tends to push my head forward onto my chest and then any further down my asthma starts - hard to find a happy medium. So sorry many others have this condition but in some ways glad to find I am not alone. I also take Omeparazole but in combination with Gaviscon which I do find helps with the large levels of gastric reflux that I have. I hope others get some relieve as it can be a frightening experience.
Fascinating answer to a curious problem... I had absolutely no idea that it was triggered by any of these things, I thought it was a muscle/sore neck problem. Since I seem to be developing a lot of acid/heartburn and gallbladder problems with being overweight nowadays, this is a symptom I now know what to do about - thanks!
Exactly, exactly these symptoms. This article gas been a great relief for me and i will now go to my doctors ( first an ENT and then a gasterologist) with this information , who, for the last about a month of diagnoses , including barium swallow and CT Scan, have not been able to figure out what it is?. My greatest concern, like most others suffering from this is not the discomfort but 'is it cancerous.........?
My only symptoms ( to help this kind Doctor in furtherance of his research) which is different from what the doctor has described is that when i sleep on the side i face no problem but when i lie down straight and put some pillow especially, a fat and thick pillow , under my head, the problem of lump feeling appears.
@anonymous: Those were foods to ONLY eat in the morning.
Thank you for this information. I have a question about one of your tips. In tip three, are you listing foods NOT to eat in the morning? Are you able to ear those later in the day. The tip isn't clear. Thanks for your help.
Thank you for your article and tips Rhonda. It was helpful.
@anonymous: My Doc increased my Gabapentin to 300mg 3x's a day...this does wonders overall.You can Google it to see WHY it works for us with Globus. You must also know that Gabapentin (Neurotonin) and 5-HTP (Serotonin),(which you can get OTC), are CONTRAINDICATED and must be taken AT LEAST 2 hours apart.
@RhondaAlbom: Hi Pukeko, I have exactly the same symptoms that you have.. May I know what medications do you take? Can you explain in detail about that? Do you still take your medication?
@anonymous: I do hope you try the 5-HTP..promotes a better mood..can actually promote relaxation..the most important thing to end the Globus..IT CAN GO AWAY!!!!
and other supplements, if you want full list let me know.
@anonymous: Aloha Agung~ the Doctors are 'out-to-lunch' when it comes to Globus. They do attribute it to HIGH ANXIETY, and the causes are many. Myself, I was extreemly stressed back in January while and after quitting valium. I am remember when the feeling started, along with (what was recently Dx'ed) Erosive Esophagitis. The feeling of the acid going up &amp; down my throat, accompanied with the lump. I didn't know the word 'globus' then, was flown to Oahu to see an ENT, was VERY laskluster, he couldn't even remember if he looked in both ears! I have an appt with a Super-Specialis ENT, a Neirotologist/Otologistnext June 11th. I urge any of you to find a Neurotologist, as most ENT don't even know what you mean when you say you have a lump in your throat! Mine is at the very top of my esophagus. I am also thinking it may be a Spontaneous Esophageal Mucocele, as it is always there, and doesn't feel like it is In my throat, but along side the esophagus, to the right, and I can move my head in certain directions to swallow w/o feeling it . It clunks when I swallow, does yours? Thank you for asking.
What medication did you take?
Hi Terrie_Schultz..so you have been fully recovered now? It is amazing that you can recovered by yourself without any medication..I also started these symptoms due to extreme stess..but I thought we need to consume medicine (nexium) as steess actually give you stomach problem, and stomach problem will give you reflux which causes this lump sensation..thank for the response in advance!
I had this a few years ago when I was going through an extremely stressful period in my life. When the stressful situation was relieved, the lump went away. I never went to the doctor for it because I knew it was due to stress. Good info here, thanks!
I'm taking Omeprazole at the moment.
Go to a GERD doctor and ask about tonsil stones on back of tongue. Also, have them do an endoscopy through the mouth (not nose) and to stretch your throat a little. YES STRETCH. Mine was an esophageal spasm caused by stress and allergies. Exercise to reduce stress (exercise a lot). The stretching helped. I heard Reglan is affective as well. The important thing is to do an endoscope and too exercise daily (while also eating healthy).
How very interesting - I've never heard of anything quite like this before. Thank you very much for sharing your knowledge and experience! Blessed by a SquidAngel!
@anonymous: sorry, I am traveling now and I can't remember exactly what I am to eat, in the morning, but I can eat those things during the day as well. I generally eat oatmeal cooked with water and fruit, with LSA on top. No milk. It is yummy.
Wow, thanks for this page. Watching the video actually brought a tear! Because I finally think I might know what this is after 2 months.
I now plan to follow the advice you were given too. Could you please let me know exactly what the Dr told you to eat in the morning? Does that mean you don't eat these things at other times of day? Or do you mean you eat only these things in the morning?
@anonymous: PS: I found the diagnosis by my selves. I've not been diagnosed by healtpersonell (yet).
I got MUSCLE-RELAXING MEDICATION from a neurologist: RIVOTRIL (She didn't know about the diagnosis, but in the referral to the University hospital in Norway, she wrote that my observations and symptoms coinsided with several of my the symptoms mentioned in Crico Pharyngeal spasms).
The neurologist prescribed me using one tablet in morning and one tablet in. At the same time she stressed that the tablets where highly addictive. That scared out of me, so I startet reduce the dose - and last weeken I was on the Emergency (ER? - excuse my English I'm norwegian), who contacted the hospital who answered in returned that "they were not a 'pain hospital'...".
* constantly, stabbing pain to the right and left of my adamsapple (They've gone now, but I had the from desember-february 2012).
* the symptoms should go away by themselves. I've had them since May 2011, soon 11 months now. (Perhaps it's because I didnt start medication before the 10th months... I don't know).
I am on month 5 suffering with this. It really starts to wear on you. I am doing most of what you listed and have been for months. I do find that strong peppermint gum helps when its really bad. Peppermint is supposed to be an herbal anti-spasmatic. Ive been to the ENT who blew it off as reflux and the gastro specialist who confirmed minor reflux but doesnt think its being caused by reflux. I can not tolerate many medications as I am one of the rare folks who have strong side effects from most medications. I am going to find a new specialist this week. I can't stand it much longer. Good page, thank you.
@anonymous: Thanks for this comment. I am glad to know that sharing all this is helping others. I know that I felt that same relief when I understood what it was. And now, it is is hardly ever a problem for me.
I'm so glad you found relief to this irritating condition and now giving hope to others who just think they have to live with it...until now! Very well presented!
There is not very much helpful information about cricophangeal conditions on the internet. I have been struggling with this for 6-8 weeks now. It is so nerve racking! I am a vocalist, a middle school teacher, and a mother of 6. I truly do not have time for this! There are no words to tell you how incredibly helpful this article was to me! Thank you for both of the remarkable videos. They were so easy to understand, as I am not articulate in medical terms and procedures! My first visit to the specialist resulted in a very quick and unsatisfactory diagnosis off reflux! I've had reflux for years. That is NOT what I am experiencing. My condition is PRECISELY what you have described here! I have an appointment in 2 days to see another specialist and I am better prepared to provoke a dialogue that will help me get to the bottom of this! Thank you, so very much! I will rest a little easier tonight!!!!!!!
Thanks for making me laugh at you...I mean with you. I also sometimes feel like I have a lump in my throat and will have to see if your suggestions help with it. I also have something to mention to my doctor other than "lump in my throat".
@anonymous: Sorry to hear it. I am not a medical person, so I can't give you advice.