14 year old feels something is stuck in his throat

[mum2boys123]

Hello, for the last few days my 14year old boy feels as though something is stuck in his throat. He’s able to swallow alright but just feels there’s something in his throat and he’s really upset about it. GP has given him omeprazole 20mg and has asked for stool samples. He said if this doesn’t get better in 2 weeks then he’ll do a referral. My question is has anyone had experience of this with their children and what has helped them? Thank you

Anxiety can cause this. Theres a physical reason for it due to anxiety, but I can’t remember off the top of my head.

probably anxiety

see what happens in 2 weeks

I googled "feeling something stuck in throat" and most of the info says it is a sensation called 'globus pharyngeus' so you could see if the symptoms match with that.

Thank you for your response. I do feel it could be anxiety too however as a Gerd sufferer myself I’ve had this sensation and am worried that he too has reflux. The gp scared me even more as he started talking about cancer.

It can also be a symptom of anaemia. Severe anaemia can cause a web to grow in your oesophagus which can feel like something stuck and eventually interfere with swallowing.

I had one of these at a similar age and was palmed of with ‘anxiety’ and potential ED until it got taken seriously after a blood test for something completely unrelated came back with unusual results. Had to do a Barium Swallow which was disgusting and have it broken apart during an endoscopy to find out what was going on.

Definitely worth a blood test to check iron levels…

I've had this, and it does feel exactly like that, including not affecting swallowing. In my case I likened it to a table tennis ball stuck in there with a hole to breath through, which my ENT consultant said was a very clear description!

Have they scratched or burnt their throat with something they've swallowed? Enlarged glands? (Presume the doctor would have seen this if they examined them). Worth drinking some full fat coke which will deaolve anything that actually might be caught or stuck there?

I've had this sensation before with anxiety, but I don't suppose it's possible that he's swallowed something without chewing it properly is it? I only mention it because my DH once managed to get a piece of chicken lodged in his oesophagus after wolfing it down without chewing properly. Drinking etc wouldn't wash it down, he had to have it hoiked out in hospital. It was unpleasant (I didn't realise it could actually happen until it happened to him) but he was fine after.

If you've scratched your throat it can feel like there's something stuck in there.

I’m really pleased your GP is taking it seriously. Some wouldn’t as he’s so young. It’s incredibly unlikely to be anything sinister but if it hasn’t passed in 2 weeks at least you can be sure he’ll be checked out.

I've had this sensation for 15 years. Just about got used to it. I think mine is silent reflux but after scans and the awful camera down my throat nothing sinister, as they say now, was found. Gerd was mentioned at one point but I'm just more careful what I eat - chocolate seems to make it worse.

Tonsil stone?

Thank you. I asked the gp for a blood test but he said to do the stool tests first. I’ll chase it up again and mention esophageal webs too.

Oh no sounds awful. I’m glad your husband is fine. Thank you for your response. I’ll schedule another visit to the gp as he didn’t check his throat.