About 3-4 months ago, I had a bad cold with a terrible sore throat. The cold went away, but the sore throat and raspy voice hung around for a few weeks. The hoarseness gradually progressed to a sensation of there being a lump in my throat. Also, I began having difficulty swallowing saliva, although I could (and still can) swallow all food and drink just fine. It was not that I couldn't swallow...it was more like the "timing" of my swallowing was off. The 1st ENT I went to looked down my throat with a tube and diagnosed me with severe pharyngitis. He prescribed Prednisone and nasal spray, but these did not help. Symptoms got worse, and I ended up in the ER feeling like my throat was closing. I was given a mega-dose of Prednisone and some Benadryl and sent home. Prednisone did not help, and did nothing but make me dizzy and light-headed.
I went to see a 2nd ENT, who looked down my throat with the tube, and said there was no obstruction or redness in my throat. He diagnosed me with a globus sensation caused by acid reflux, and prescribed Nexium. My first week on the Nexium, the symtoms went away completely. (Incidentally, during that week, I was on a cruise vacation). The following week, the tightness/lump in the throat, difficulty with the timing of my swallowing, and feeling of something moving around in my throat returned as severely as ever. I also began to experience dizziness and a feeling of being off-balance.
I then went to see a GI doctor referred by my ENT. GI doctor prescribed a double-dose of Nexium (and then switched me to twice-a-day Aciphex because of the dizziness). The dizziness and loss of balance got worse, so, per my doctor, I stopped taking the Aciphex. I have been to every doctor from neurologists to ophtalmologists for the dizziness/disorientation, and taken every test in the book, including a brain MRI, all of which came back normal (no sign of a tumor, MS, or anything else). I finally went to see a neuro-otologist, who said that the dizziness and imbalance were probably due to labarynthitis (sp?), and scheduled me for further balance testing and vestibular rehabilitation.
But of course, this still leaves the throat problem, which is worse than ever. I am also experienced almost constant gurgling in my neck/thoat. It does not increase or decrease when I eat or drink. The globus sensation, tightness in the throat (which sometime extends to tbe upper chest near near the breastbone), and feeling like something is moving around in my throat are all continuing as severely as ever.
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