To throttle my colleague who never stops clearing his throat?

[WanderingNotLost]

From 9 in the morning til 6 in the evening, several times a minute my colleague coughs/clears his throat. It's sort of a vocal 'hah-hah-hum' type of thing as opposed to a regular cough. He sits opposite me (with computer monitors in between) so he's about 5 feet away and doesn't cover his mouth, so I hear it loud and clear every time and it's starting to give me stabby rage. I've only been here two weeks

It’s an old thread (from 2016) that has been ‘resurrected’.

Ah thanks!

My oh dad does this and once I noticed I realised just how often he does it.... I agree can be very, very annoying!!!... (to say the least)

Its Called Misophonia, its a disorder that massively can impact your work life.

@FroggySoup that is interesting. I always clear my throat and twitch my nose. Have done all my life and i am 49 now. I too have reflux. I twitch my nose and throat clear more when i am stressed. I also used to pull at my clothing for no reason when i was a teen!

My mum had always put my throat clearing down to the fact i had my tonsils out when i was 7. It is not. I had a very unhappy childhood ( mum a big part of that) and i believe this is why i have been doing it.

This is the first time i have heard of someone ( and a child ) who nose twitches and throat clears like me! I know now as an adult my tics are due to stress. I am not a shouty person and a "coper" and not always had good friends around to help or talk to, so i tend to cope alone. It is like how my body releases stress and i cannot stop it ,how ever hard i try. My DC's notice it.

I wonder if DSD is worried or stressed about something? May be worth a chat with her to see if she has anything overwhelming her.

Op, i appreciate the throat clearing is annoying but as someone who does it myself, i feel terrible about it and very self conscious. Cut the guy some slack, you don't know what could be the cause of it. Could be reflux ( often brought on by stress) could be emotional. Please be patient and kind. Maybe he is anxious at the new colleague sat opposite him. Get to know him.

@bkp4 i stand with @ShtoppenDerFloppen .

What a horrible post you have written. Complete with capital letters to show you are SHOUTING!

If your co worker has been doing this for the last 4 days, perhaps something has happened to trigger his throat clearing. He may be worried about something or dealing with something stressful.

You yourself may benefit from some anger management sessions, your response is disproportionate. Maybe consider employing a little empathy, you never know when someone in your own family , whom you will love, may develop or arrive with similar.

You do not need to SHOUT at us to be heard.

This thread was started on Mon 11-Apr-16 14:23:17

2016!

@Bwlch Still relevant to some though. I am relatively new to MN and have found this thread identifiable.

Identifiable?

@Bwlch yes, because i throat clear.

There was also a poster with a step daughter who twitches her nose and i have been doing that and throat clearing since the 70's when i was a child. I clicked on this post as i saw the throat clearing title. I did not realise it was a zombie thread but i can see now it is.

Reading the post, i saw a poster who had a SD who twitched her nose, i do that. I "identified" with that. I have been called "rabbit" and "bunny" all my life. I do see it is very funny, i acknowledge that.

But the reasons i do that are not so funny. So yes, i saw this thread pop up and i " identified " with it.

Ah. Do you know why you throat clear? Is there something that triggers it, or do you do it all the time?

@Bwlch Yes, i know exactly why i throat clear. And no, I don't do it all the time.

Would you care to share? I have the same problem but cannot pin down the cause. I suspect an allergic reaction to something but my husband is convinced that it is stress related.

@Bwlch no. I would suggest you undertake some private counselling , as i have done over the last 30yrs.

Alternatively, please see your GP for additional support. Good luck to you @Bwlch

@Bwlch i did not mean to post that in bold! I hope you find the resolution and support you need.

Stress can play havoc with sensitive people. If you are experiencing "tics", pls seek help.

Thanks. I have an appointment scheduled with a consultant... June 2021

@Bwlch . Ok, that is a long way away. But, good first step.

In the meantime, its ok to twitch and clear your throat. Its ok @Bwlch. It is how you and your body respond to things and life and its ok. I always feel my tics and twitches and throat clearing are my stress relievers.

It is ok. You are not alone with tics and twitches and throat clearing. You are not alone and please continue on your path to help.

Bold text again! No idea why!

He also sniffs before, after and between each cough, but I don't think I've ever heard him blow his nose.

Christ. He sounds revolting. Utterly gross behaviour. He needs a quiet word. People can change.

I wonder if he has post nasal drip due to sinus problems.