Hi, Kelly, It might help if you take the free anxiety test and print out the results to take to your doctor's visit. That's the reason the test was designed. While it does not diagnose, it can give some clues to your doctor to help in his diagnosis. All the best.

I saw my physchiatrist yesterday and he told me that the feeling could all be anxiety, but that i should see my family doctor to confirm, so that is my next step I suppose. I don't smoke, so can't identify anything with you there. Does your neck in the back ever feel tight too - I am wondering if it is a muscle spasm that sort of pushes on your throat? Just a thought. I work at a hospital and seeing all this stuff with people who are really sick just adds to my worry - back to the doctor I go AGAIN HAHA!!

hi! Yeah it is always good to know other people who have the same problem. I know ours is a bit different, but yet still the same. with me its weird, no matter if im swallowing dry crackers or just my saliva its the same difficulty. I think its even easier to swallow when I take a sip of water or coke. And just like you I also tend to think ive got a growth, or mabey my throat has something wrong with it. I think that all started because my tonsils had to get removed (I was 17 at the time), I can not figure out if im worried about my throat being to tight (because it feels like it is sometimes), or if im afraid of the fact there is a huge opening in the back because of no tonsils....or if its just anxiety that causes it. I do smoke about a pack a day, I know smoking causes you to tense up, but when im smoking it makes me focus on it and helps me take my mind off of swallowing...but in return when im done smoking my throat feels tighter. im sorry for my jumbled thoughts, its just so hard to express this in words when my own brain cant figure out whats going on! I wish you the best and I look forward to hearing from you again. Kevin

HI! You have no idea how wonderful you have made me feel to read your posting this morning. I too am having trouble swallowing. Mine is more when I eat something dry or very solid - like a sandwich on bread - I have to move my neck or stretch it to feel like it can go down. I don't fear choking, but it is terribly uncomfortable. I am trying now to figure out if this is just when I am away from home or if it happens here at home too. I am thinking that I am tensing some muscle in there somewhere that is causing this to happen,but I have worried about it being a growth, cancer,etc......I have been suffering from panic attacks since October 2002 when I fainted in a restaurant. They have recently gotten increasingly worse and then I ended up with depression on top of it. I am now taking Celexa and Xanax and talking my way through the panic, but some days are real tough! Good luck and I"ll keep you posted on anything I learn about this - I see my doctor today! Take care and feel free to post to me and I"ll check back!

hello I have read many posts about people with agrophoiba and problems swallowing..but mine seem to be a bit different. this may be long so im sorry. I am 22 and had extreme panic when I was 14.It all started when I overdosed on pot...I accualy ate a large amount of laced pot...I had no idea it was laced. I had no hallucinations, and I felt high for almost 3 days. and I suffered from panic for about 2 years, and I was on zoloft and atvian (only took it like 3 times). well once I turned 16 I seemed fine..I could not travel out of state like I once could (used to go to florida 2x a year), but I was ok, I drove around and just explored. Nothing was more relaxing to me than just driving on the highway exploring new lands. Well after 9/11 I just lost it again, panic did not come back, but I lost the ability to drive on the high way, and my "boundires" went from an hour from my home, to just about 10min. And it slowly got worse. It got to the point where I needed my Girlfriend with me just to go out. I got over that in about 2 months, and I was feeling great. I could not travel far (mabey 10min again) but I atleast had part of my life back. Well my Girlfriend moved out 7 months ago (very long story of her promising to move back, and us having kids and me getting my hopes up just to have them crash). About 2-3 months ago I sat in my appartment for a week, and when I tryed to go out and just hang out...It was almost impossible! For about a week I was able to go shopping and such for mabey 10-15 min tops. Well the problem is all in here. Before when I got panicy traveling I would think "its ok, i can turn around whenever I need to" and it went away. I feel I have mastered self talk in overcoming panic, because panic does not plague me anymore. but my problem is now this, when I drive away from my appartment, I feel fine, but my mind starts to race and I have problems swallowing.. now its not a real problem, I have never choked, but I hesitate RIGHT before I swallow and it makes me jerk my body. It has gotten to the point I do this all the time...even swalloing my saliva. I will twitch my arm ot leg when I go to swallow just to devert my mind onto something else. even in my own appartment now! I have been under great stress, because I wanted nothing m