I can't breathe

stormymaker24 said:From what I've gathered, that famous "globus hystericus" feeling is basically just a lump in your throat.
It usually pops up because of stress or anxiety, mostly in younger women.

It's interesting how many of us are dealing with this choking sensation... 😁
Grace Fisher31, for me, it feels like it's at the bottom of my throat. Like I need to burp but can't. There's this pressure, like the passage—whatever it's called, I'm no anatomy expert—has tightened up from the inside or outside. Hard to describe. Now my throat is burning and swallowing hurts. I'm actually heading to the doctor right now, so I'll let you know what they say. Though I suspect it's just a sore throat.
I'll ask her about your symptoms too.😁

I'm heading to the doctor in about an hour myself!🙂 We should compare notes later.🙂

stormymaker24 said:I actually prefer the anxiety diagnosis. Just classic hysteria. That’s all it is.
I'll stick to my green tea. 😁
thanks for the advice

Trust me, you don't want it to be anxiety. As an older woman who's dealt with panic attacks, shortness of breath, and pure dread... I was actually hoping it was just my thyroid... but nope. Three months on Prozac and I've been feeling this way for years...😳

I just left my doctor's office after a quick examination of my throat, and she concluded it’s likely just some viral infection causing all this inflammation. She prescribed me a Betadine antiseptic rinse to help manage the soreness.
Then, while checking my neck, she manipulated my cervical area and decided that my thyroid might actually be enlarged. Just wonderful. Naturally, she handed me a referral for a full hormone panel.
However, I am currently reading the instructions on the Betadine packaging, which explicitly warns against its use if one has hyperthyroidism, and further states that I must wait at least two weeks after using it before undergoing any hormone testing.
Does anyone here have any insight into how one goes about scheduling these specific tests, and more importantly, what the typical wait time is for results? If you happen to know, I would appreciate the information.
Oh, look at that, a storm is rolling in. 😁

stormymaker24 said:I shouldn't use it if I have hyperthyroidism,

Look, Maca, you don't even have hyperthyroidism! All you have is a primary care doctor's suspicion that your thyroid might be enlarged, which isn't even a certainty yet. If you actually had clinical hyperthyroidism, your symptoms would be significantly more severe than what you're describing.
Either head over to the local Mayo Clinic tomorrow morning to get your hormone levels checked—though I'm not positive if they're still doing mail-in orders—or just go to a private lab nearby to run a TSH, T3, and T4 panel so you can stop worrying.
Go ahead and use the Betadine.
If you have a referral for a thyroid ultrasound, try to schedule it at Johns Hopkins (though you'll likely need to see a specialist in nuclear medicine first).
Seriously, stop panicking.

mistymoose57 said:Trust me when I say you don't want anxiety. As an older woman who has lived through the full spectrum of panic attacks, shortness of breath, and pure terror, I can tell you—I was actually hoping it was just a thyroid issue. Instead, I’ve been on Prozac for three months now, yet I’ve been feeling absolutely miserable for years. 😳

It looks like we both hail from the same small town.😁

briskbison27 said:But Maca, you don't actually have hyperthyroidism!!! All you have is a primary care doctor's suspicion regarding an enlarged thyroid, which might not even be anything at all. If you were truly suffering from that level of hyperthyroidism, your symptoms would be far more aggressive than what you're describing.
Either head over to Washington, D.C. tomorrow morning to get your hormone levels checked—though I suspect they might not be ordering those tests just yet—or simply go to a private clinic, of which there are plenty throughout the city, to test your TSH, T3, and T4 so you can finally have some peace of mind.
Feel free to use Betadine.
If you have a referral for a thyroid ultrasound, schedule it at Mayo Clinic (though I believe you'll likely need to see a nuclear medicine specialist for an initial exam first).
Just please, stop panicking again.

Is it really a matter of inducing panic just because I am asking where or how I should go to have my hormones tested? I am perfectly inclined to believe that this is nothing, given that I am genuinely experiencing no symptoms, but I would much rather wait a day than inadvertently compromise my results. As for the remark about avoiding Betadine in cases of hyperthyroidism... that was merely a passing thought. Of course I intend to use it; my only intention was to ascertain the proper timing and location for bloodwork to ensure the data remains untainted, as I previously stated.

Furthermore, I never once suggested that I was presenting any symptoms of hyperthyroidism, so it is quite illogical for you to conclude that I have it, just as it is equally unfounded to assume I do not. It is the same principle by which I cannot draw any conclusions before the lab results arrive. briskbison27, regardless of your sincere intentions to be helpful, for which I am indeed grateful, you are behaving as though I am a small child in need of soothing. This attitude is neither justified nor particularly pleasant. So, please, let us move past it.

You're absolutely right. I’m done trying. As the saying goes... have a nice life, eat dirt. I guess I deserve it.🤣
I haven't even seen a "thank you" for the info I sent regarding where and how you can get those hormones processed most quickly in Washington, D.C.

Once again, my thanks to briskbison27 for providing the Vinogradski details along with those other helpful instructions. I had assumed my gratitude was already quite apparent, but it seems I was mistaken, so please accept my apologies through this medium. 🙏 🙏
Anyway, enough small talk; Susan Vaughn46, what exactly did the doctor have to say about your situation?

Grace Fisher31 said:So, how exactly does it feel for you? 😲 For me, it’s this intense sensation, almost like someone is physically tightening a grip around my throat.

👍 ....I feel the exact same way....and I honestly can't find any logical connection to what's happening.😕 For me, just ignoring it is the only thing that helps...actually, lately, it hasn't even been much of an issue anymore.
Even though my thyroid tests came back perfectly clear and I have this tiny little stone in my salivary gland that acts up whenever I eat something sour or even just look at delicious food...🤣 I used to think the two were connected, but they aren't...that would be too easy. It's all just playing tricks on the mind.👎
Besides, asthma is essentially a psychological condition too, isn't it?😲 Let's just hope it doesn't escalate into that for us.👎

Elizabeth Hill48 said:👍 ....I feel exactly the same way... I can't find any connection to it at all😕 ...ignoring it is really my only way through... honestly, it doesn't even bother me much anymore
..and I have a perfectly clear thyroid, plus a tiny little stone in my salivary gland that acts up whenever I eat something sour or even just look at delicious food🤣 ...I used to think it was related to that, but it isn't... life would be too simple if it were... everything is just in a smart person's head👎
Besides, asthma is a psychosomatic condition too😲 ...let's just hope it doesn't develop into that for us👎

I've suspected for a long time that I'm just being neurotic😬 It bothers me when someone touches near my throat or even mentions it... last night my boyfriend got fed up and started talking about how doctors can put tubes down your throat for air and food while you're in a coma and all sorts of things that would just be casual conversation for a normal person... but I ended up crying hysterically😳
neurotic😁

I’m going to have my shield checked out to see if everything is still in order 😢 but I find it hard to believe that there isn't a single private specialist in all of Chicago who handles this kind of thing.

The doctor barely looked at me for a minute. While I was sitting there struggling to breathe, he was just busy typing up a prescription for Claritin, which I guess means he thinks it's just allergies. Honestly, he didn't even need to say anything. The whole time, it didn't feel like a lump in my throat—it felt like I had a basketball stuck in there. I’ve gone out and bought every allergy spray, syrup, and ointment I could find, but nothing is touching it. So, I'm back to square one... 🙂

Indeed, I share that profound sensitivity regarding my neck; the mere suggestion of someone touching it fills me with an intense aversion. The very thought of undergoing a thyroid ultrasound is quite 😱
I made a trip over to the Mayo Clinic today, though the experience was rather taxing from the start; I managed to lose my way within the sprawling hospital corridors, only to discover after much wandering that I should have scheduled an appointment since it was my first visit. I looked utterly bewildered—which, truth be told, I was—so the nurse simply offered me a look of pure pity before directing me back downstairs. The entire procedure was over in five minutes, and they’ll be mailing the results to my home.
Now, I am supposed to gargle with this Betadine to soothe my throat, but the damn container is stuck! It simply refuses to budge, which is infuriating.
Susan Vaughn46, perhaps we are looking at a common virus rather than allergies if your throat has become so inflamed. Did the doctor even bother to examine your throat during the exam?

stormymaker24 said:The idea of having to get an ultrasound on my thyroid is just 😱

Just wait until they send you in for a biopsy😲 😱 ..needles🙂

Elizabeth Hill48 said:Just wait until they send you for that blood draw😲 😱 ...with needles🙂

even if it's just a finger prick🙂

stormymaker24 said:Susan, maybe it's actually some kind of virus causing the sore throat instead of allergies. Did he even bother to check your throat?

He barely looked... 🙂 I don't know, I'll wait a few more days, but if this doesn't work, I'm finding a new doctor. This one is useless. 😠

I find the sensation of needles far more tolerable than having some massive weight crushing my neck. However, we shouldn't get ahead of ourselves by jumping to conclusions; we need to wait for the lab results to come back, and I am desperately trying to convince myself that I won't have to undergo any further testing. 😁
Mantra, mantra, mantra.

Nacy, why don't you try starting with some chamomile or something similar just to see? It certainly won't hurt... and maybe some herbal tea as well.
By the way, that antiseptic wash isn't quite as revolting as I had anticipated, though I did nearly choke on the smell. 🤣