# Throat closing up...



## Craggy456 (Feb 22, 2011)

Last Saturday evening I felt the that out of no where my esophagus was tightening and I couldn't swallow. I panicked and drove myself to the ER and they set an IV and my body sucked a full L of saline in just 15 minutes.
The docs wanted to give me ativan? (why not a steroid IDK) but I wouldn't be able to drive home. So I called a friend to pick me up and they gave it to me...working in about half an hour, then sent me home with some valium tablets....?
It happened again monday morning at work. Went to urgent care. they said it could be caused by stress and to take a xanax when I got home and if it hadn't worked then go back to the ER. It took the edge off but I still wasn't 100%.
Does this sound like a normal symptom of anxiety or panic attacks? Even when I'm most rested and relaxed?


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## HerToo (Oct 3, 2011)

Anxiety attack is what is sounds like. Somehow, something triggered a subconscious thought and it took over. Have you been to counseling lately?


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## Craggy456 (Feb 22, 2011)

I can't afford counseling but I have joined a meetup group for ppl in the process of divorcing and they have meetings every tues night. I'm gonna see if this helps.


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## Homemaker_Numero_Uno (Jan 18, 2011)

It SOUNDS like an anxiety attack but could also be an allergic attack. Allergy testing and blood work to look for characteristics of allergies would be helpful...however Benadryl both works for allergies as well as a mild sedative, so in the absence of other meds...(don't piggy back on sedatives!) it would kill two birds or one or the other while waiting for allergy testing or definitive diagnosis.

Bear in mind, that stress can trigger allergies and exacerbate them. So it is very possible, that everything is caused by stress, just not in the way you might have been told, that is, directly.

Deep breathing will be helpful. Symptoms like fluid accumulation in lungs, the ****s, your ears filling up with fluid and 'cracking', things tasting bad, intense sweating, dizziness, hives in mouth or elsewhere...stomach aches that are intense, kidney pain or urge to urinate more than usual...are all signs of allergic attack that can also be confused with anxiety. So if your health plan covers allergy testing, you might want to explore that as a rule out before investing a lot of time and energy into therapy. Therapy is always beneficial, but if any of the issues are caused by an allergy (which can develop and worsen in adulthood) you won't solve the underlying problem...one issue is that after you have got a dx and rx for one thing, it is easier for everyone else, clinically, after that, to follow suit and assign the same dx and rx, and with anxiety, any protests to the contrary will be met with a reinforcement of the dx, along with a label on top of that as 'being in denial'. Sigh. (I have an epi pen).

IF you want a sedative that works for both anxiety and allergies, try a very very very low dose of Zyprexa (Olanzapine). It is the strongest antihistamine ever created, quite by accident. As for anxiety, a small small dose of this stuff goes a very long way. By small, I mean 0.25 mg or even less daily. I'm normally anti-drug but for a short-term course if you need to be well-stabilized and on your feet and can't afford to mess around with a missed dx, oh boy this stuff is great. But get the allergy testing first, because if taking this rx, that would come up negative.


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## Craggy456 (Feb 22, 2011)

The first initial signs actually started weeks ago and it was mild and I thought that it was allergies so I did start taking benadryl...to no avail. It just made me sleepy. I have several rx's for muscle relaxers, sedatives, ambien etc and only use them when I think I absolutely need them. 
My insurance is slowly closing in on my yearly "allowance" and it probably wouldn't cover much. my regular doc wants me to go back on an antidepressant because she's convinced this is caused by stress but I hate how I feel on those drugs. Xanax at least gives me the feeling that I've smoked a little and it relaxes me but doesn't knock me out. And voila!, my throat eases and I'm not drooling excessively.


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