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fractured thyroid cartilage

Hi, my names Darren and i live in the UK, ive been scouring the net (yet again) looking for answers and came across a post on here from 2009 which had very similar symptoms and medical letdowns but not the same diagnosis. In sept 2011 i was having a drink with a friend in a quiet pub when out of no where i was punched hard by sumone from the side in the right hand side of my throat, forcing it to the left, i was instantly on the floor, slight breathing difficulty, lot of pain, my voice had gone to a whisper, ambulance was called but they didnt seem too worried and as my breathing didnt seem life threatening they told the landlord it would be best if i go home.
Being a builder im used to cuts, knocks and bangs so thought they knew what they were doing, unfortunatly my symptoms stayed and others materialised, after 3 wks and the swelling had gone down i was left with a protruding and miss-shapen adams apple (not as it was before), i had lost 60% of the upper pitch in my voice, when i swallow my thyroid cartilage clicks on the cartilage above it, food is a problem to swallow, i have to swallow again and again to get some foods down, pain still persists in the right hand side but the worse thing is the feeling of being strangled and breathlessness, more so it feels as if some one is pushing their finger into my throat realy hard in the hollow at the bottom of my throat below my thyroid.
I was healthy with no problems i am 6'2" and i weigh 13 stone, but now i feel as if i have emphysema because i get out of breath quickly and the pressure in my throat gets worse...i am at my witts end, suicide has been an option on a lot of occasions when the feeling of being strangled is bad.
My local hospital gave me an Ultrasound after a month of the injury as i went back to my doctor as symptoms were bad, the result was 'suspected thyroid fracture "URGENT ct scan required', my scan was booked for 'A MONTH' later......I had also been booked in for a camera down my throat 2 wks later which when i went the chap said i had 'no problem i'll be ok in a week, and he said there was no need for a ct scan, i wasnt happy, at all !!, after a few words he said ok he would keep the appointement open, and the result was 'Vertical overlap fracture of the thyroid cartilage.
When i got home i researched the injury, diagnosis and intervention, it doesnt look good...i went back to my local hospital 3 further times and saw all three ent surgeons who seemed to have nothing to say, shrugging their shoulders, i exlplained about the clicking when i swallowed, i was told it cant because the thyroid cartilage doesnt move ?? er yes it does, i can feel it and see it in a mirror when i swallow, the clicking doesnt happen if i tilt my head back to swallow, ie creating a bigger gap between that and the cartilage above.
Almost everything i have read on the net about this says 'surgery', a butterfly plate or somthing similar should be used to bring the two pieces of cartilage together, and to try to help stop the annoying feeling everytime i swallow, and the diffuculty in swallowing plus the feeling of being strangled but my hospital wasnt going to do anything at all for me....It was driving me mad by this point so i got refered to 'The Royal ENT kings cross London', thinking they must be the best..oh my god, they are 120 miles from me so its a days journey into London and back, on my 1st visit they hadnt got my scans from my hospital, gave my throat a feel and told me (this is the main surgeon for throats) i didnt have a fracture, i was drinking too much tea and coffee?? OMG, home i went, my next visit i had prepared a letter explaining my suicidal symptoms (especialy the strangling feeling) and telling him that IT IS driving me to jump out of a high window...at this point he explained that he had my ct scans and 'i did' have a fracture (i already knew this) he told me i needed to come back for a 'Live xray swallow test., this yest showed up that there is a ridge that catches food next to my voicebox and the right hand side of my throat isnt working properly to swallow, plus my thyroid cartilage 'IS' clicking on the one above.
Great i thought perhaps they will say they are going to get me in to realign my overlap fracture, it may be that that is the feeling of being strangled where its now pushing against my larynx....but oh no, when i went back, again, i was told all they were going to do was give me some physiotherapy?? and because i told them in my letter that the strangulation feeling was driving me mad they said i obviously have underlying pychological problems?? and suggested a 'psychiatrist', how is that going to stop the feeling of being strangled.
Its now Dec 2012 and ive been tollerating (just) this for over a year, holding on to the hope that the next person i see is going to do what 'everything i read' on the internet says...surgery....nothing says what my hospital said??
I havnt worked since this happened because of the breathlessness and the constant severe discomfort and frustration when i swallow, even saliva plus the strangling feeling which at times feels like there is a marble pushed into my throat, i dont go out as im wary of anything near my throat as it always feels fragile, also when im in bed my breathing becomes more difficult when im laying on my back and breathing becomes raspy as if theres a kink in my airway, it becomes a bit better if i lay on my side instead of my back, also the more i talk the more painfull it becomes, aching untill i dont want to talk.
Im sorry that you have probably spent your whole evening reading this but the more info the better as im at a loss as to what to do, no one is listening to me, i know its very rare and to any one i look fine but im going mad inside.....
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Avatar universal
Hi Darren. It's been two years since you posted here. I have your exact symptoms. How are you now? Did you find surgery or other help?
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Avatar universal
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Hello and hope you are doing well.

Understand your predicament. But try the physical therapy, to see if it helps with your symptoms. Fracture of the thyroid cartilage due to an injury is classified under three categories: nondisplaced with minimal associated laryngeal injuries , moderately displaced with intralaryngeal defects and severe fractures with intralaryngeal avulsion injuries. So, based on the extent of damage, therapy can be conservative, nonsurgical management or surgical management.

Hope this helped and do keep us posted.
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