Anxiety symptoms.. are these normal?

[Heyguysswipeup]

I am unsure whether I will get any response or If this will make sense but here goes...

I wouldn’t say I am an anxious person but over the past year or so I have experienced situations where I feel like I’m going to choke... my main symptoms are:
Producing a lot of saliva
Feeling like I am going to choke
Struggling swallowing

It’s at the point where I have had to spit saliva into something (sorry tmi) as I am so worried if I swallow it I am going to choke!
I have noticed it only happens in certain situations which seem to be:
Driving to unfamiliar places
Going to the movies
Going out for dinner

I think what is the connecting thing is that I am in a situation where people are ‘around’ me and I feel as though if I were to choke I would be drawing attention to myself or could possibly hurt someone (if I lost control of my car). I don’t have any serious worries (financial/relationship etc) and haven’t struggled with my mental health in the past so I don’t know why this is happening.

I spoke to my gp about it last year as I had recently experienced a sudden loss in my family and he seemed to think it would go away but it isn’t.. it comes and goes in waves. When I drive to work I don’t have it but when I drove to pick up a parcel I had it?!? Has anyone experienced these symptoms before..? I really don’t know how to ‘train’ myself to swallow normal again but it’s at the point where I can’t even go to the cinema (when they were open) because I am so fixated on my swallowing..

If you have read this far thank you..

 

[Mamacita]

Yes I would say it's normal as anxiety can bring on weird behaviours and tics that you then subconsciously associate with stressful situations and they get even more reinforced. I think you really need to go back to the doctor and push for more help and for ensuring there's nothing else going on. They may be able to give you a course of therapy though waiting times are quite long, better than suffering in silence though!

 

[tskiry56]

I haven't had those symptoms.. but have suffered from anxiety.
I think everybody reacts differently and this is your body's natural way of coping with it.
Have you tried cbt or therapy which may help you with both?

 

[Heyguysswipeup]

Yes I would say it's normal as anxiety can bring on weird behaviours and tics that you then subconsciously associate with stressful situations and they get even more reinforced. I think you really need to go back to the doctor and push for more help and for ensuring there's nothing else going on. They may be able to give you a course of therapy though waiting times are quite long, better than suffering in silence though!

I haven't had those symptoms.. but have suffered from anxiety.
I think everybody reacts differently and this is your body's natural way of coping with it.
Have you tried cbt or therapy which may help you with both?

Thank you both so much for replying.. it’s strange how it manifests in different ways for everyone.. I wish it was all the same as treatment would be much easier. I think i will talk with my gp again as the talking therapies (for bereavement) I contacted were fully booked. I haven’t tried anything else so I guess it is my responsibility now.. I will look into cbt as I need to try and expose myself to these situations more to try and get rid of these symptoms...
thanks again x

 

[Muddlinleigh]

It's called globus hystericus and a well known anxiety symptom.

 

[tskiry56]

Thank you both so much for replying.. it’s strange how it manifests in different ways for everyone.. I wish it was all the same as treatment would be much easier. I think i will talk with my gp again as the talking therapies (for bereavement) I contacted were fully booked. I haven’t tried anything else so I guess it is my responsibility now.. I will look into cbt as I need to try and expose myself to these situations more to try and get rid of these symptoms...
thanks again x

Is there a reason why your anxious, there maybe a root cause that needs to be explored?

 

[Heyguysswipeup]

Is there a reason why your anxious, there maybe a root cause that needs to be explored?

This is what I’m trying to think of too, I don’t think it’s one thing in particular but a combination of things going on in my life. When I was in school I remember being really nervous about going back after the holidays and I would sort of choke from anxiety then but it went away for about 7 years and now has come back but has sort of manifested how I display the anxiety. It’s embarrassing lol

 

[Suzesnooze]

My daughter has anxiety and hers became more apparent the year she started Secondary 'a big change'. She developed an obsession with her saliva. She wouldn't swallow it and had to keep spitting it. It was hard to get her to admit to what she was so worried about but then she became obsessed with things poisoning her. She did have some counselling but after a few sessions they said she should be OK now but she's now 20 and still has bad anxiety and still worries about things poisoning her (eg. if she swallows a bit of shampoo). She also has bad health anxiety. A headache is a brain tumour etc.

There was no real reason for my daughter to develop anxiety but it does run in my family. However, the saliva thing did start after her Grandad died.

Also, remember with anxiety the brain is a powerful thing and it can make you have the symptoms but also because you are obsessing over it, you are constantly aware of it. Learning to distract yourself may help.

 

[tskiry56]

This is what I’m trying to think of too, I don’t think it’s one thing in particular but a combination of things going on in my life. When I was in school I remember being really nervous about going back after the holidays and I would sort of choke from anxiety then but it went away for about 7 years and now has come back but has sort of manifested how I display the anxiety. It’s embarrassing lol

Don't be embarrassed by it. I would definitely consider doing CBT which may help you find different ways of dealing with the anxiety rather than choking.

 

[Lollypad]

The thing I'd say about anxiety is pretty much anything and everything can be a symptom - your body's fight or flight reflexes do crazy things. Mine is usually feeling like a can't breathe, and a dodgy tummy.

Definitely persevere with a GP - I've had two courses of CBT. The first was helpful but I didn't really rate my therapist. The second changed my life entirely and I'm so grateful for it. You can also self-refer but the waiting list is long.

 

[Rowan]

This is very common. I know a few people to have experienced this.
One friend was prescr6an anti depressant by her GP.
10 mg for 6 months and it worked for her.
Good luck.

 

[absolutpink]

Yes, definitely! I have suffered with terrible anxiety for years and I've found that as soon as I accept something as being a symptom of the anxiety it goes away, but then another one just takes its place. All of the things you have listed have been anxiety symptoms for me at one point.