i went to several doctors when my throat starting clicking, especially when lying down to read, watching tv or sleeping, or when turning my head. it did not happen when i swallowed. the first two doctors, an ENT and a GP, couldn't help, but i found a really good ENT who was confident he knew what it was: he said there is most likely calcification on the ligaments connected to my larynx. he said many changes happen to ligaments during pregnancy and that may be when this began to develop. he said that this condition can develop and "mature" for about two years then will level out and probably get less noticeable. he said the only way to know for sure if this is the condition is to get a CT scan but that he was confident his diagnosis was accurate, so did not recommend i do that. he also said that if it's tolerable then he did not recommend any intervention as it will cause no harm to have the condition and he thinks it will become less annoying over the next year or two and there isn't a course of treatment he recommends.
I don't have any ideas really... but it makes me feel better to know that I'm not the only one suffering from this. Mine started doing the whole clicking/popping thing about 2 years ago, and I even remember mentioning it to my sister because she is a nurse, and she told me everyone's throat does that, and it's nothing to worry about. But, over the last couple of weeks, it has gotten alot worse. I caught a cold from a friend of mine, which went away and then turned into a bad cough, which thankfully, made me decide to quit smoking but, the clicking seemed to get worse after this. I'm so scared that if I go to the doctors they will tell me it's something horrible :(
i got punched in my throat by an id**t at my school, he walked past me and with the side of his hand he sort of karate wacked me in my addams apple and it went painful and a numb feeling developed for a few minutes. ever since i keep on getting a weird clicking or cracking when i swallow (unless it's a drink) and sometimes i feel my addam apple is going to far up my throat and ive had so much worry over this and my parents wont take me to a doctor because they think i worry to much and because when ive gone with other problems they said nothing was wrong but this is really bothering me. any help or can you tell me if it will be damaged? he hit me hard with the side of his hand. (ive hated that damn chav ever since)
I was searching for answers to this new clicking I have in my throat, along with a feeling like something is in it.. like sticky phlegm or something. It's always there unless I turn my head a certain way, but it does make me feel a little panicky, like my throat is closing up. I had to get a fine needle aspiration of a nodule on my thyroid. About a week after this, (maybe a hair less), this clicking started along with the other symptoms. I asked the doctor about it, and he said that it had nothing to do with my biopsy, which seems impossible to me, since I didn't have it before. I have to get another biopsy done Friday and honestly, I'm more afraid to go because of the fear this will get worse and my throat will close up. The biopsy was done in the lower part of my neck.. the clicking is in the middle of my throat.
So the thyroid cartilage post really interests me. Too much of a coincidence!!
So the thyroid cartilage post really interests me. Too much of a coincidence!!
I have been suffering from this debilitating problem for around 4 years now. Here is how it all started:
I had done something foolish that I regret to this day, I had just taken a shower and afterwards I had a sensation that my left ear was blocked, so I decided to do the valsalva maneuver, the bad thing is, that I did it very very strong and for a long time and then, boom I feel something pop in the right side of my throat and neck and then a pain (numbness) over my right eye and along the right side of my face.
Now everyday is a struggle for me and this is what I go through and my symptoms:
Everything starts in the back right side of my tongue, when I flex and move that part, there is clicking and grinding in the right side of my neck and throat, every time I swallow, there is a clicking.
Now the problem is when I swallow food, as I am swallowing, in that area (in the back right side of my tongue) some mechanism in that part of my throat seems to be displaced and gets caught and the clicking and grinding is worsened, and then these symptoms occur:
My throat gets very dry, feels like something is caught in my throat, I get horrible breath, the hole right side of my neck and throat feels abnormal, like something is interfering with everything, I get numbness on the right side of my face over my right eye and my right cheek bone, back of my neck gets sore, but that’s not the worst of it. Here are my neurological symptoms this is what is bothering me the most:
Dizziness, nausea, headache, I cannot concentrate, I feel although my brain is being tampered with or something is squeezing on my carotid artery. I feel so extreme tension in the right side of my neck and my head.
Now all of this is intermittent, I feel these symptoms mostly after eating, after moving around a lot, like when I play sports, if I turn my neck, I hardly ever turn my neck, The symptoms last several hours to several days, now over the years I have discovered ways to alleviate the symptoms, here is the way that works a lot of the time: I drink a lot of water, then I make myself through it up, this seems to release whatever is caught and then the symptoms are temporarely alleviated but this doesn’t always work. or I cough really hard, make myself sneeze, flex my neck a lot, I know right away when the symptoms are alleviated. It is such a comfortable feeling.
These are the test that I have done:
-CT of the neck
-MRI Brain
-X-Ray of sinuses
-Barium swallow
-mri of the neck
everything is negative
I had done something foolish that I regret to this day, I had just taken a shower and afterwards I had a sensation that my left ear was blocked, so I decided to do the valsalva maneuver, the bad thing is, that I did it very very strong and for a long time and then, boom I feel something pop in the right side of my throat and neck and then a pain (numbness) over my right eye and along the right side of my face.
Now everyday is a struggle for me and this is what I go through and my symptoms:
Everything starts in the back right side of my tongue, when I flex and move that part, there is clicking and grinding in the right side of my neck and throat, every time I swallow, there is a clicking.
Now the problem is when I swallow food, as I am swallowing, in that area (in the back right side of my tongue) some mechanism in that part of my throat seems to be displaced and gets caught and the clicking and grinding is worsened, and then these symptoms occur:
My throat gets very dry, feels like something is caught in my throat, I get horrible breath, the hole right side of my neck and throat feels abnormal, like something is interfering with everything, I get numbness on the right side of my face over my right eye and my right cheek bone, back of my neck gets sore, but that’s not the worst of it. Here are my neurological symptoms this is what is bothering me the most:
Dizziness, nausea, headache, I cannot concentrate, I feel although my brain is being tampered with or something is squeezing on my carotid artery. I feel so extreme tension in the right side of my neck and my head.
Now all of this is intermittent, I feel these symptoms mostly after eating, after moving around a lot, like when I play sports, if I turn my neck, I hardly ever turn my neck, The symptoms last several hours to several days, now over the years I have discovered ways to alleviate the symptoms, here is the way that works a lot of the time: I drink a lot of water, then I make myself through it up, this seems to release whatever is caught and then the symptoms are temporarely alleviated but this doesn’t always work. or I cough really hard, make myself sneeze, flex my neck a lot, I know right away when the symptoms are alleviated. It is such a comfortable feeling.
These are the test that I have done:
-CT of the neck
-MRI Brain
-X-Ray of sinuses
-Barium swallow
-mri of the neck
everything is negative
I have had the clicking swallow for about 6 months now... drives me nuts. Try to forget about it but it is always there. Seems be a little worse from time to time. When to three physicians, and an ENT for the camera thing. Same as the rest, nothing found... must be stress, anxiety, depression.... If I have any of those things It originates from the clicking throat, it definately worries me. I thought I had a tumor or something really bad going on... good to hear I am not the only one with this, sorry if you do have it though. My ENT was great, went to him twice... he said that could be a calcium buildup and/or the cartilage could be rubbing. Said that the surgery to fix could end up being more harmful than helpful. I am 33, so he said I very well may recover completely from surgery but unless it was truely causing me problems, like eating, that I shouldn't risk the harm. Well that was 3 months ago and I am considering going back for the surgery. Let ya know if I do. Swallow... click.... ahhhh.
I have had this clicking too when I swallow for a few months. I also felt bad too. Extreme anxiety, heart palpatations, vertigo, fatigue, and more. I had my thyroid checked and have Graves disease. My thyroid gland is enlarged. Don''t know if this is what causes clicking but I think it is odd that it started along time of my thyroid problems. I also noticed someone else has a post about this and also states that they have Graves disease too. I think they are related.
Hi,
These are the exact symptoms I have. I have a strong suspicion that it started when the doctor told me I had infection of the sinuses and put me on a 10-day antibiotic therapy. I should have not taken those antibiotics knowing that I went to the doctor for hypertension problem.
Right after I finished taking Cephalexin, I noticed my tongue getting pale. Went to the doctor again to test for Candidiasis but turned out negative. Doctor told me it's Acid Reflux and prescribed me famotidine which did not help at all. Went to another doctor and I insisted that it's not Acid Reflux after reading tons and tons of boards and assessing my symptoms. But the doctor gave me protonix which is a stronger medication for Acid Reflux. I was also given Amlodipine Besylate for my hypertension. I had been taking these meds for 2 months when my tongue became a bit furry and extremely dry. I was also given a magic mouthwash that did not help.
Went to the doctor again and had me tested for Vitamin B12, TSH, Calcium, H. Pylori, SSA (test for Sjorgren's syndrome) and some other tests and everything turned out negative. Each time I ask why my tongue is turning white and each doctor's response is "I don't know about that." It's just so frustrating that so many boards exist talking about these symptoms and it's as if these doctors did not graduate from med schools. I just can't believe that a doctor would say "I don't know about that." Normally, one would do research, study the case, will ask you to come back and assess the problem. But I guess these doctors are so incompetent.
I also came to believe that Acid Reflux is a lame excuse for doctors who do not know how to diagnose or who lacks the mental capacity to assess the problem. The worse thing about that is they put you on medication that you don't even need and which alters your system.
The fourth doctor I visited was a neurologist and he let me tell him everything from the beginning. He listened and tried to analyze it. Then he told me to stop the amlodipine besylate. True enough, after 2 weeks of stopping it, my mouth is now 95% not dry. But ocassionally my tongue still gets white and dry but not as bad as before. I am still hoping that it would go away.
However, for the last month, I have been having an annoying clicking sensation in my throat when I swallow. There is also a very slight tolerable pain all throughout.
I am not sure when this symptom will go away, but I am pretty sure it was caused by the wrong diagnosis by the first urgent care doctor I went to. I really think it was the antibiotics which caused all these. I wonder how it's going to be reversed.
Anyone who has insight? It's been 4 months now. Please help.
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Guest wrote:
These are the exact symptoms I have. I have a strong suspicion that it started when the doctor told me I had infection of the sinuses and put me on a 10-day antibiotic therapy. I should have not taken those antibiotics knowing that I went to the doctor for hypertension problem.
Right after I finished taking Cephalexin, I noticed my tongue getting pale. Went to the doctor again to test for Candidiasis but turned out negative. Doctor told me it's Acid Reflux and prescribed me famotidine which did not help at all. Went to another doctor and I insisted that it's not Acid Reflux after reading tons and tons of boards and assessing my symptoms. But the doctor gave me protonix which is a stronger medication for Acid Reflux. I was also given Amlodipine Besylate for my hypertension. I had been taking these meds for 2 months when my tongue became a bit furry and extremely dry. I was also given a magic mouthwash that did not help.
Went to the doctor again and had me tested for Vitamin B12, TSH, Calcium, H. Pylori, SSA (test for Sjorgren's syndrome) and some other tests and everything turned out negative. Each time I ask why my tongue is turning white and each doctor's response is "I don't know about that." It's just so frustrating that so many boards exist talking about these symptoms and it's as if these doctors did not graduate from med schools. I just can't believe that a doctor would say "I don't know about that." Normally, one would do research, study the case, will ask you to come back and assess the problem. But I guess these doctors are so incompetent.
I also came to believe that Acid Reflux is a lame excuse for doctors who do not know how to diagnose or who lacks the mental capacity to assess the problem. The worse thing about that is they put you on medication that you don't even need and which alters your system.
The fourth doctor I visited was a neurologist and he let me tell him everything from the beginning. He listened and tried to analyze it. Then he told me to stop the amlodipine besylate. True enough, after 2 weeks of stopping it, my mouth is now 95% not dry. But ocassionally my tongue still gets white and dry but not as bad as before. I am still hoping that it would go away.
However, for the last month, I have been having an annoying clicking sensation in my throat when I swallow. There is also a very slight tolerable pain all throughout.
I am not sure when this symptom will go away, but I am pretty sure it was caused by the wrong diagnosis by the first urgent care doctor I went to. I really think it was the antibiotics which caused all these. I wonder how it's going to be reversed.
Anyone who has insight? It's been 4 months now. Please help.
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Guest wrote:
Hi Denise & everyone else,
I hear a clicking sound & feel movement when I press inward on the right side near my adam's apple inside my throat. Does anyone know what the name of this part of the throat is called? It sometimes feels slightly painful & sometimes it's painless. It feels like something has either torn or been damaged. I am a singer & might have injured that area. It doesn't click when I swallow but it does when I press inward on the area. I have been to an ent specialist & he saw redness but no internal damage or growths. I have also seen a GI specialist who thinks I have a form of reflux & gave me prilosec. I didn't take the meds & instead opted for an endoscopy which will take place this month. I have had many symptoms in the past 2 months & went from a weight of 231 pounds down to 175 pounds by changing my diet. My new diet which consists of organic vegetables & alkaline foods have supressed some of my symptoms. I am avoiding all acidic, greasy, fried, sugary man made foods. Hear is a list of my past & current symptoms:
white tongue when my throat has no saliva (comes & goes)
dry mouth when my tongue is white (comes & goes)
red cancor soares on side of tongue (past)
feeling of bead stuck in my throat or lower neck on right side (past)
constant throat clearing (current)
constant mucus build up at center base of neck. Post nasal drip? (current)
bad breath when my throat becomes dry (comes & goes)
ear ache on right side & feeling of pressure (comes & goes)
soar throat when I clear my throat (comes & goes)
cold hands (comes & goes)
hoarseness (comes & goes)
burping (comes & goes)
fatigue (comes & goes)
stomach growling (comes & goes)
I'm having a blood test to check for diabetes, my thyroid & anything else.
I am treating this as if it's LPR, Candida, Diabetes or? I am wondering if anyone else has these symptoms & can shed some light on the clicking & movement i'm feeling? Who is the best specialist to go see about the clicking? Is it a neck surgeon? Can anyone please add to this thread?
Sincerely,
J
Keeping hope!
Has anyone found relief from this? I have had the exact thing on the right side since Jan 08. Please reply.
Jill
Jill
I have the click. but I believe it is at least partially psychogenic in nature, as it appears most often when I am holding in stress, anxiety or any other high frequency emotion. I find that if I make a conscious choice to swallow correctly, then it diminishes. I also believe that I will eliminate it from my body eventually through sheer will. Watch me!
Good luck with yours!
Good luck with yours!
Hi everyone. I had some of these same problems. A clicking/popping sound and feel when I swallowed. It happened more often when swallowing liquids and only while my head was in certain positions. I thought I was going crazy until I finally went to the doctor. They stuck a camera down my nose into my throat and sent me for a CT scan. I had what's called a thyroglossal cyst. It's a cyst on the hyoid bone which is located at the base of the tongue. It was not a dangerous or life-threatening problem but was very annoying and painful. I recently had a Sistrunk Procedure which is simply just a removal of the cyst. I have a small incision across my neck and after one night in the hospital and a week of recovery, I'm good as new!
Don't give up hope, you're not crazy!
Don't give up hope, you're not crazy!
I TOO HAVE A THROAT CLICK , MORE PREDOMINATE WHEN I TURN TO THE RIGHT.I AM IN NO REAL PAIN AND HAVE NO LUMPS. A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF STIFFNESS IN THE SHOULDERS AND THE SIDE OF THE NECK. BOTH THE DOCTOR AND THE CHIROPRACTOR AGREE IN THIS CASE . AN OVER HEAD CHORE I WAS DOING THIS SUMMER CAUSED SOME STRESS ON THE TRAPEZOID MUSCLES. HOT BATHS . ICE PACKS PLACED BETWEEN THE SHOULDER BLADES BRINGS SOME LASTING RELIEF BUT STILL IT DOES SEEM TO BE HARD TO CURE COMPLETELY. TRUE IF I WERE MORE DILIGENT WITH THE EXERCISES I WOULD SEE MUCH BETTER RESULTS.
I signed on tonight and was seeking answers to my annoying clicking. My clicking started on the left side, only when I was lying down, and I could position my head to make it stop easily. That was about 4 months ago. It has now progressed to a lump feeling with a constant clicking on the right and middle when I lie down. It is impossible for me to find a head position to make it stop now. Between the lump sensation and this clicking sensation it makes it difficult to go to sleep. Currently, it does it when I am upright on occasion. Now, what I have noticed by reading everyone's post is that most people mentioned either post nasal drip, acid reflux, or cervical neck degeneration. I have all three. Has anyone gotten any answers from doctors? I am afraid this may continue to get worse. Thanks!
Yes I have been to so many doctors trying to figure out what this is after a minor neck injury left me with clicking and a foreign body sensation at the the hyothyroid level in my throat. In my case the clicking with head rotation was a result of a cartilage abnormality in the superior cornu of the thyroid cartilage in which it is slightly displaced hitting up against the hyoid. There are studies on the internet "Clicking in throat: Cinematic Fiction or Surgical fact" that document many of these throat clicks and symptoms on these sites coming from an abnormality of the thyroid superior cornu cartilage which can become bent out of place and start rubbing against the hyoid or transverse process. My abnormalites also showed up on a special CT scan in which images where taken using the neutral head turn method, imaging shows that the superior cornu is indeed in direct contact with the hyoid on rotation which explains the source and noise of the click as these anatomical structures are hitting eachother upon rotation. Surgery involves exicision of the superior cornu cartilage an successful surgeries have been performed and documented at UCLA and Salt Lake City Utah Medical Centers. Message me if you have further questions.
I was in a head on auto accident last year, and have been having clicking and discomfort in the throat since. It becomes more noticable as the whiplash symptoms (headaches, referral pain) flair. I'm being passed from ENT to endocrinologist, and have been diagnosed with hypothyroidism. THey want to medicate me for it (there clearly is a goiter or inflammation of the thyroid), but I'm afraid that they are missing the big picture. Is this classic hypothyroidism? They can not explain the clicking sensation (which is easy to feel while swallowing). I pulled an article on Pubmed.org on "post traumatic hypothyroidism" but as far as I can see, it's fringe medicine, and not widely accepted or even heard of by doctors. Can cervical degeneration (which I now have as a result of the accident) or simply seat belt related trauma to the anterior neck soft tissue be creating this condition... causing hyperemia (swelling and increased blood supply) of the thyroid? If I go on thyroid medication, will I be perpetuating permanent thyroid dysfunction? Or should I try to treat it homeopathically and with chiropractic?! Could this qualify as "subacute thyroiditis"? They know that it can be caused by viral infection... but what about localized injury which causes swelling... which perpetuates more swelling, affecting the gland? Sorry, guys... more questions than answers at this point. But I'm 29 and refuse to be put on medication for the rest of my natural life without knowing WHY.