Chronic Sore Throat or TMS

[Kellso]

Hi everyone. Thanks for accepting me to this forum! Im still straddling the TMS/structural fence. Symptoms include chronic sore throat & mouth (particularly one side), trouble swallowing, Globus and vocal fatigue for 18 months.

It began during a busy period with the birth of our 3rd child pointing towards TMS. However, I was violently sick and vomiting the day before the onset of this pain in my throat making me think I damaged my throat causing Neuralgia.

I had a brief reprieve in symptoms for about 2 weeks a year ago but it returned as Globus with pain getting progressively worse. 2 laryngoscopys have showed no inflammation and I was given an LPR (silent reflux) diagnosis. A speech therapist things I have an irritable larynx.

Perhaps I need further testing to rule out a structural abnormality. Any thoughts? Thank you

 

[Idearealist]

I have the same symptoms, and I believe it's stress-related. I had globus so bad that I couldn't eat solid food and was 100% convinced it was some sinister structural issue. It wasn't. LPR is a very en vogue (over)diagnosis imo.

 

[Kellso]

Hi @Idearealist, thanks for the reply!
I agree LPR is over diagnosed. I've read for reflux today read stomach ulcers of the 70's. Steve Ozanich Writes about Globus as a TMS manifestation on pgs63 and 346 GPD.

Structural damage is described in Wikipedia with surgery recommended. Horrific stuff. How did figure out it wasn't a structural issue?

 

[ssxl4000]

Howdy Kellso...my throat pain was not to your level, but a year long sore throat was among my many symptoms before I learned about TMS. It was usually mild, but sometimes swollen enough to make it hard to swallow small vitamins. It went away pretty quickly once I started the program.

 

[Kellso]

Thanks for the encouragement @ssxl4000. I think I need to rule out any structural problems first. My gut says it's muscle tension and learned pain.

There is a lady who posts on YouTube about TMS and muscle tension dysphonia , Liz bills. She recovered using a mixture of TMS therapy and speech therapy. Does this contradict Sarno who said cancel all physical forms of therapy?

 

[ssxl4000]

Does this contradict Sarno who said cancel all physical forms of therapy?

I think it depends on your mindset. If you are doing therapy because you think you need it to heal, then it can hinder your healing. However, if you are of the mindset that you have been super careful of over exerting your neck/throat muscles and they are therefore now weak, then the therapy can help. What matters is if you truly believe a structural issue is causing the symptoms or not. I was twenty pounds underweight when I started feeling better from my problems, so some PT could have helped me as long as I looked at as a way to get my muscles back in shape and not something I needed for the pain to stop.

Reading your first post again, I noticed you said you had a short reprieve in symptoms and that a therapist said you have an irritable larynx. I think that is good evidence that the symptom is TMS. Structural pains usually do not come and go. I doubt you did something like yelling loud for a prolonged time or eating something crazy spicy that would explain why your reprieve ended. I used to go through a similar thing when dealing with irritable bowel syndrome. My doctor gave me the "we don't know why it happens, but your digestive system is just easily irritated" speech. I spent over a year tracking what I ate to figure out why I would bloat, get indigestion, constipation, etc. It was infuriating...one day a food would go down fine, the next it would make me feel sick. Or, I would have a bowel of oatmeal for breakfast that would give me indigestion, but a big burrito for dinner would go down fine. I never found a pattern explaining the symptoms until I realized they were connected to stress and years of conditioning, and the food I ate didn't actually matter.

Have you noticed any such inconsistencies with your symptoms? For example, maybe your throat not bothering you when you are relaxed and doing a hobby. They are great ways to confirm a TMS diagnosis.

 

[Baseball65]

It began during a busy period with the birth of our 3rd child pointing towards TMS

You had me at 'Hello'.. (LOL)

My major ass-thumping TMS came right after the birth of my second, so that always gets my attention. Lot of turmoil and we almost lost him.... fear, guilt, anger....all repressed.

a short reprieve in symptoms and that a therapist said you have an irritable larynx.

and that's sort of the giveaway.
My back Pain went away one time in the year and a half preceding my introduction to Sarno. I had a screaming 104* fever and was miserable. Laying around used to exacerbate my pain, BUT with all of those aches and pains to distract me, I no longer needed the back pain. That little week reprieve was also a huge clue.

Sarno always said to rule out real stuff (mostly cancer) so if they haven't done that you might want to

testing to rule out a structural abnormality.

But, at first glance it is screaming of TMS.

 

[Kellso]

I think it depends on your mindset. If you are doing therapy because you think you need it to heal, then it can hinder your healing. However, if you are of the mindset that you have been super careful of over exerting your neck/throat muscles and they are therefore now weak, then the therapy can help. What matters is if you truly believe a structural issue is causing the symptoms or not.

Reading your first post again, I noticed you said you had a short reprieve in symptoms and that a therapist said you have an irritable larynx. I think that is good evidence that the symptom is TMS. Structural pains usually do not come and go. I doubt you did something like yelling loud for a prolonged time or eating something crazy spicy that would explain why your reprieve ended. I used to go through a similar thing when dealing with irritable bowel syndrome. My doctor gave me the "we don't know why it happens, but your digestive system is just easily irritated" speech. I spent over a year tracking what I ate to figure out why I would bloat, get indigestion, constipation, etc.

Have you noticed any such inconsistencies with your symptoms? For example, maybe your throat not bothering you when you are relaxed and doing a hobby. They are great ways to confirm a TMS diagnosis.

Thanks for the words of support. I'm delighted you have over come your TMS, well done!

My symptoms are much worse during anxious periods. Strangely they are at they're most severe in the middle of the night and wake me up. The opposite is also true. Symptoms are not so severe when I'm relaxed.

From a structural POW my GP has just suggested laryngeal neuropathy i.e. an exposed nerve in my throat is hypersensitive and causing pain/symptoms. He's suggesting amitriptyline

You had me at 'Hello'.. (LOL)

My major ass-thumping TMS came right after the birth of my second, so that always gets my attention. Lot of turmoil and we almost lost him.... fear, guilt, anger....all repressed.


and that's sort of the giveaway.
My back Pain went away one time in the year and a half preceding my introduction to Sarno. I had a screaming 104* fever and was miserable. Laying around used to exacerbate my pain, BUT with all of those aches and pains to distract me, I no longer needed the back pain. That little week reprieve was also a huge clue.

Sarno always said to rule out real stuff (mostly cancer) so if they haven't done that you might want to

But, at first glance it is screaming of TMS.

Thanks baseball. Congrats on overcoming your TMS. I dream of writing my own success story here one day. I find Dan Buglio inspiring and the idea of everything being structurally sound very liberating. The birth of a child is indeed turbulent.

If this occured without the vomiting episode, I would 100% believe it's TMS.

 

[Karim]

I have chronic sore ugly looking throat,smelly mucus and breath and super painful. ENT told me I have silent reflux, I am planing to go back again for him to tell me if I have some other thing of if it has progress of if it’s cancer or something. I have done so much bloodwork test and they comeback clear

 

[Kellso]

Rule out the physical Karim. A sore throat doesn't have to be the end of the world. I have had it for nearly 2 years now but I believe this is due to 'learned pain' and plain muscle Tension.

I've had a gastroscopy and 2 laryngoscopys which all came back clear. The ENT still diagnosed LPR! I have heard that more and more professionals don't believe in the silent reflux

 

[Karim]

Lpr silent reflux are the same thing

 

[Karim]

Rule out the physical Karim. A sore throat doesn't have to be the end of the world. I have had it for nearly 2 years now but I believe this is due to 'learned pain' and plain muscle Tension.

I've had a gastroscopy and 2 laryngoscopys which all came back clear. The ENT still diagnosed LPR! I have heard that more and more professionals don't believe in the silent reflux

I ruled out the physical everything is fine

 

[LisaMd]

Have you fixed this issue yet?

 

[LisaMd]

I ruled out the physical everything is fine

How did you fix the throat stuff? Dealing with the same thing for about two years...it's horrible

 

[aniseday]

In July 2021 I was on a cocktail of drugs for facial pain which I was told in was Trigeminal Neuralgia and began experiencing additional symptoms which were thought to be side effects of the pills, then possible LPR or maybe a viral response (pins and needles in my arms and legs, heaviness/numbness in my right arm/hand and right leg, trouble sleeping, shortness of breath while laying down, internal tremors, a swollen throat (not really sore), sinus pressure, occipital headaches, a low grade temp, globus sensation to the point of gagging, trouble swallowing and a hoarse voice. Now nearly a year later and after a home sleep study, a throat scope by ENT, nerve conduction study by Neurology, an upper Endo and 48 hour Bravo pH study by GI I have been deemed (mostly) normal. I may have mild central sleep apnea but it must be confirmed in a sleep lab which hasn’t been ordered. ENT saw mild vocal cord swelling. Neurology feels it is possible I had a virus in July that resulted in my brain stem/spine to become mildly inflamed and it kicked off my symptoms…which will most like just resolve on its own in a years time. ENT feels my symptoms are out of proportion with my clinical findings so laryngeal sensory neuropathy is suspected and they recommend a May referral. PPIs didn’t work (confirmed by pH test = no acid reflux episodes) Elimination diets and reintroduction of different foods didn’t reveal anything. GI feels non-acid reflux could be at play or esophageal muscle issues and they should be ruled out before neuropathy can be suspected. My stressor/frustration in July was definitely the cocktail of drugs that made me feel horrible and did nothing for my pain and the recommendation by the doctors was to take more of them. Today my stressor would be how our healthcare system works. What do you do when specialists don’t agree and most definitely don’t work together. My family is encouraging me to take Claritin as they think it’s just allergies. On the upside - this journey has been easier to bear knowing TMS is most likely the cause of the additional symptoms - just poor coping skills so my frustration turned into more physical symptoms. My facial pain is down to slight fullness/pressure. I still feel congested, feel like I have post nasal drip/swollen throat and my voice goes if I talk at any length - but there’s no structural damage seen.

 

[mads13]

Hi everyone. Thanks for accepting me to this forum! Im still straddling the TMS/structural fence. Symptoms include chronic sore throat & mouth (particularly one side), trouble swallowing, Globus and vocal fatigue for 18 months.

It began during a busy period with the birth of our 3rd child pointing towards TMS. However, I was violently sick and vomiting the day before the onset of this pain in my throat making me think I damaged my throat causing Neuralgia.

I had a brief reprieve in symptoms for about 2 weeks a year ago but it returned as Globus with pain getting progressively worse. 2 laryngoscopys have showed no inflammation and I was given an LPR (silent reflux) diagnosis. A speech therapist things I have an irritable larynx.

Perhaps I need further testing to rule out a structural abnormality. Any thoughts? Thank you

how are you doing now? I’m dealing with something similar and the pain with speech is the hardest part for me.

 

[Kellso]

how are you doing now? I’m dealing with something similar and the pain with speech is the hardest part for me.

I'm much better Mads. It was TMS. My throat and voice are vulnerable parts for me when I get overly stressed or anxious. It was a terrible time but knowing it was TMS was half the battle to be honest. Hang in there. Go back and ask yourself 'Was I going through a turbulent time when this all started?'.

You're stronger than you think.

 

[mads13]

I'm much better Mads. It was TMS. My throat and voice are vulnerable parts for me when I get overly stressed or anxious. It was a terrible time but knowing it was TMS was half the battle to be honest. Hang in there. Go back and ask yourself 'Was I going through a turbulent time when this all started?'.

You're stronger than you think.

Thank you so much for responding! I've been dealing with other health issues for 5 years. 3 months ago I screamed at the top of my lungs twice due to something traumatic and ever since then I've been dealing with chronic sore throat, globus choking sensation and painful speech/ vocal fatigue. It was so scary and upsetting when this happened because my voice was I felt like all I had so I became very lonely and depressed. It hurts to speak the longer I do and I can't speak over a certain volume without pain. Can I ask how you were able to overcome this? The speech issues can be very emotional and isolating. I'm not sure if I should be pushing through the pain or just doing gradual exposures while telling myself I'm safe etc. I'm very overwhelmed. I know it's TMS but I'm still scared and desperately want to talk freely like I used to. I was a very talkative person before. I fcel like I need to come at it with indifference to get better but I'm having a hard time having indifference about something that affects my ability to communicate. Are you able to speak again more freely and the sore throat is gone? thanks again for any insight

 

[Kellso]

I experienced all the symptoms you outlined and they are all very unnerving. I get it. I depend on my voice for my livelihood.

To overcome this I went the usual route of speech therapists, doctors, ENTs, gastroenterologists etc. You name it, I had an appointment. I even had an endoscopy to make sure my stomach was ok. It was an horrendous time. It was only when my nervous system calmed down that I really began to heal. I was in a constant state of flight or flight and my body was reacting. Even today when life can get busy, my throat tightens, my voice waivers, globus comes on but I know that's my body looking after me. It's letting me know I need to slow down and breathe.

From reading your post, you sound like you are dealing with a lot of stress and the symptoms you're experiencing are making the anxiety worse. I'm not a medical practitioner but it certainly sounds like TMS. It's a repetitive cycle but can be broken. The speech therapist helped in terms of some practical vocal exercise like warming up the voice e.g humming, silly sounds. Basic exercises that singers use before performing. I found these useful before beginning a days work but gradually, I was able to let these go and move on. Really, introducing joy and fun into my life was the most important thing. Opportunities to laugh and connect with others were essential. Reduce the stakes a little. Anything that relaxes the body and lets your mind know that you're ok. That's what made the biggest difference.

Like so many of us, you'll come out of this and you'll be all the stronger for it. You'll know more about yourself and where your boundaries lie. We all have limits and sometimes we have to go beyond these limits to realise where they lie. And that's ok. Nobody is Superman! Sticking with the superhero theme, I think of my TMS symtoms as my Spidey-sense! It tingles when my mind thinks I'm in danger and my body reacts accordingly. For you and me, we experience these warning signals in our throat. Others get them in their back. Others in their shoulder. It doesnt matter where. Just know you're ok.

 

[ficus]

I'm much better Mads. It was TMS. My throat and voice are vulnerable parts for me when I get overly stressed or anxious. It was a terrible time but knowing it was TMS was half the battle to be honest. Hang in there. Go back and ask yourself 'Was I going through a turbulent time when this all started?'.

You're stronger than you think.

Did you just ignore it as best you could ? Dealing with this - among other neuroapthies but for ages i thought it was allergies ....it's not...it's just chronic tms ..but advice welcome