I'm a 27 year old male. 6'1", 145lbs. I was on a benzo medication (Klonopin) for 5 years, and finally got off benzos completely last summer after a long and difficult taper. During and after this withdrawal, I had all kinds of bizarre muscle problems, so I'm not convinced that my current throat/stomach issue is not in some way related to the benzo - however, this is maddening.
In late Febuary, I developed something like globus sensation. It feels like there's something stuck in the back of my throat, right on the inside of the spot where my lymph node on that side is. Other symptoms are:
swollen lymph nodes on either side of neck
frequent burping
some "half burps",feels like my lower esophagel sphincter relaxes but not the top
occaisional reflux of stomach acid into throat (tastes like vomit in tha back of mouth)
sore throats
"fluttering" sensation at top of stomach, feels like my lower esophagel sphincter may be in spasm
Out of all of these, the sensation of something stuck there is the only one that's constant, and so it's the only one that really annoys me. Everything else is pretty infrequent; I've only brought stomach acid into my mouth three or four times over the past three months.
I've been seen by my GP, 2 ENTs, a neurologist, a speech therapist and even an acupuncturist. Tests have included:
barium esophography (showed nothing)
CT scan of neck (normal, except for swollen glands indicating some kind of inflammation)
basic thyroid test (normal)
I've been taking Prilosec at a double dose for close to two months now, which is starting to worry me in and of itself.
Doctors have variously diagnosed me with: post nasal drip, reflux, neuralgia, anxiety.
I am anxious by nature, but also convinced there's some kind of physiological issue here. When the "stuck in throat" sensation gets really bad, it feels more like "tissue at back of throat is twisted into a ball", and when I stick my finger in my throat and press hard against the area in question (right behind my left tonsil, more or less), it does provide some temporary relief.
What I've read online makes me think I'm dealing with a spasm of the upper esophagus, acid reflux, or both. People who have recovered from benzos have told me that they had weird symptoms up to 18 months off the benzo, and just to give it time, but this is really degrading my quality of life pretty severely.
edit: one other thing I should mention; twice in the past 3 months I have had severe pain in my stomach at the site of the lower esophageal sphincter. It felt like a hot knife was stuck there. Once this lasted for a good 5-10 minutes, the other time it only lasted for a minute. This would be a more distressing symptom except that it hasn't happened much at all. I've also had a very small amount of traditional "heartburn" pain, but not any more than I have for my whole life.
Does anyone have any advice on where I should go next?
Post Edited (pfcspengler) : 6/2/2008 9:07:52 AM (GMT-6)