Posted by Henry F. on September 26, 19102 at 16:31:05:
In Reply to: Re: Lump in throat posted by Chris on September 11, 19102 at 13:23:47:
: What a relief to find that there are so many people displaying the same annoying discomfort that is the throat lump. After reading through a goodly portion of the postings, I've noticed a few people that had the gassiness/burpiness that I constantly feel. What I haven't seen mentioned though is the problem of trying to burp, and having food come up the esophagus instead. It isn't acidic, which leads me to believe that the food didn't ever make it all the way to my stomach. It seems a logical explanation for a lump in the throat, if in fact there is some sort of object lodged down there.
: I have been for a barium swallowing/upper GI, to no avail. Everything was normal. I somehow question the validity of that test though, since you're swallowing a liquid, and not solid food.
: Am I the only one here with this particular strain of the lump? Has anyone else experienced these symptoms?
: One other thing. I'm only 25, and relatively healthy, but I was convinced that I had throat cancer, due to smoking. I was finally able to quit a couple of weeks ago, only to find that the sensation went away about a two days later. Came back a couple days after that though, so I think the act of quitting might have relieved some stress, and made it go away. I'm speculating here, but that's what these postings are here for, right?
:How bicycling helped my cricopharyngeal spasm / lump in throat.
I’m a 42 year old male who incurred an injury to the vocal cords
through improper singing technique. I continued the pejorative
singing practice for several weeks and then continued to speak softly
after seeing a doctor. My vocal cords only healed when I ceased
from speaking altogether. A feeling of a lump in the throat remained.
It would show up as I spoke. This was several months after the initial
damage. After my doctor pronounced my vocal cords healed he
informed me that I had bowed vocal cords. This produced a hoarse
voice. A speech therapist was recommended. The doctor suggested
that the injury had weakened the muscles of the vocal cords and that
careful vocal exercise would rebuild that muscle helping to close the gap
between the cords. Adducting the cords to form a sound strained the cords.
I would feel a twinge in the throat within the Adams apple. This
would spread to other muscles and even up under the chin and around
the front and side neck muscles. Posture also had an influence. If I
craned forward over the computer keyboard the same spasm would
result. In that case I could slow the spasming process by straitening up
or leaving the computer and walking about. I was intent on seeing the
therapist only after the feeling of a lump and spasming in the throat had
subsided. It occurred to me that cycling might have a good
effect on the problem. My reason was that if I could get more blood
supply to the throat and even to the vocal cords by a good physical
workout, this would help with the healing and the spasms. I knew that it
would take more than just a mild ride in the country. I would need
over an hour of cranking pedals at a moderate rate to get any results.
I chose a mountain bike with street tires and kept it in the lower gears
to emphasize the cardiovascular action. I drank a lot of water.
I rode at a moderate speed of between 8 and 12 miles per hour for 16
miles late at night. After the first few miles I experienced discomfort
in the throat but was confident that I was not doing serious damage
because a doctor had assured me that the cords were healed. I
proceeded cautiously still maintaining a steady pace. Some discomfort
was experienced in the throat on and off throughout the first trip.
The result of the first ride was a slight waning of the intensity of the
spasm. I awoke that night having to fight for breath once or twice.
I thought this might be due to the tiredness of the larynx muscles after
the workout. I also used the bike to do some short trips around the
neighborhood at nearly the same speeds. After doing that exercise for
several days, I noticed a slight improvement in the throat. I also noticed
that I had more energy. The muscles within the larynx were also getting
a good workout holding the vocal folds open for more air flow. Most of
the brain activity will be used to signal the skeletal and cardiovascular
muscles as opposed to the swallowing muscles. Interestingly enough,
I managed to control the spasming until an unrelated injury forced me to
stop riding the mountain bike. The spasming returned so I switched to
a recumbent bicycle with very good results. No more spasming occurred.
The bicycle exercise was certainly responsible for relieving the spasms.
The most effective things to halt my lump in throat problem were:
1. Prayer
2. Drinking lots of water.
3. Starting a good cardiovascular exercise program.