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What is wrong with my throat, causing a gagging feeling!!

I have bad allergies and possible LPR. Since I was little I always had this problem in my throat that I just assumed was normal until now.

My problem is something in oropharnyx area (right where your gag reflex is) I would get an involuntary urge to gag or retch. I however have never actually gagged because when ever I get this feeling I immediately have to "force myself to control it" by swallowing hard or holding my breathe and and tensing that area or w/e. I have noticed this happening when I am running and even normal things when I am just talking and today when I was practicing the flute. My dad and I came to a conclusion that it might be my tonsils because my mom has abnormally LARGE tonsils that hangs down her throat and this problem seems to be in that area. My opinion, it has something to do with the way I breathe and with the way the air is going down. This makes me believe that part of my throat isn't properly structured. I have had an endoscopy and my ENT put that fiber optic scope up my nose and looked at the top part of my throat. We originally thought it was my tonsils but he said my tonsils were normal size.

The main thing that is really bad about this, is my inability to run and exercise because of this problem. Normally when you run you eventually get tired and you stop once you reach your limits. When I run, about 30 seconds into running I get that feeling of having to retch and gag. I am barely able to even do 1 mile, that's how bad it is. This is why I really need someone here to shed some light on this and give me some good information so I can take it to the doctor and figure out what to do.

I have told doctors about this and one doc said about the post nasal drip causing it and the other brushed it off and said I had a hyperactive gag reflex and I just have to live with it which is impossible.

What I want to know is
Is it possible that there is a structural abnormality in my throat that can cause it. I really need someone who knows a lot about this. Many people have told me anxiety and some random other things but I've had this ALL MY LIFE and it's never gone away and its not anxiety or anything like that.
If anyone has any other idea what this could be please help me out here
14 Responses
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Avatar universal
I had the same feeling too. I took reducer medicine(Omeprazole) and it went away.
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1 Comments
Acid* reducer
Avatar universal
I'm dealing with the same problem. I have had it for two months now. Has anyone figured out their problem???
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Hey everyone,

I'm sooo glad that I'm not the only one who suffers from this. The gaggy feeling and the sensitive gag reflex has been hell for me. Although it usually goes away once I engage in anxiety producing situations such as public speaking, facing my fears - it is paralyzing. You feel like you can't take control of it and avoid social situations. I've been on 1mg of Xanax and a combination of muscle relaxers which have worked in the past along with an antidepressant. I'm going to research this thing more and find an answer/cure one way or another.
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Avatar universal
I have been experiencing gagging for several years now.  I never have thrown up because of it.  The gagging usually occurs when I am tired, overheated or something touching my throat.  I assume that it is due to the artery on my right side of my neck either contracting or expanding too much and too rapidly.  I have been to the doctor and they tell me that it could be acid reflux or panic attacks.  Neither of which it is.  Maybe it's my uvala.  I just gagged a couple of times here at work which was a first and why I came here.  The weird thing is that I'm not tired, stressed, hot nor any other obvious reason that caused it.  I would like some answers but don't know who to go to since no one seems to have any.
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I'll follow up with a post on how things work out after the surgery and putting it to the text by exercising.
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Avatar universal
Hey man....I'm 23 and have been dealing with this for years. No one knows/can figure out whats wrong. I have been told it's stress (bull s***), I have been told it's acid reflux..had an endoscope done and the whole 9 yards....I hear ya when you say about working out and you get the sick feeling. Fortunately I kept fighting through it (while on acid reflux meds) and have built up my stamina on that line but still notice it there all the time...working out or not and I'm pretty sure I could vomit at any given time. I stopped the reflux meds and still feel the same...I have vomited while working out. I was blessed to get hired as a full time firefighter, and though I have been on  a good number of fires, I threw up on 2 of them. When you career/life depends on you NOT getting sick at a crucial time, you tend to look at it with even more caution. God forbid if I ever got sick in a burning building and couldn't pull off my mask..i dont know what I would do, but have been close to it... I went to a heart Dr. and was put on a halter monitor for 24 hours to make sure my heart and everything is good and things checked out perfect... While no dr. could help me out and me being on my last straw before driving to a pittsburgh hospital/doctor, I remembered my tonsils are huge (touching my uvula). No one ever asked me about them...so I went to an ENT and she agreed. I'm getting them removed in 1 month (not looking forward to it) in hopes that this will fix this issue...if not, then back to the drawing board. If anyone else has any input that would be great. I've listed everything I could think of that I did for myself...hopefully the tonsillectomy will help...but I feel your pain folks.
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Avatar universal
ya i went to the appointment and he said that mine was enlarged and may be the problem.  Im going to have a surgery to get it removed in october, i pray that this works.  Im sorry to hear that you havn't got it fixed i thought for sure that would have been the problem but at least your focusing on school and stuff that is great, im trying to finish through college myself.  but i will let you know if anything changes after i have the operation
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Avatar universal
I have a similar problem. I already have been diagnosed with Vertigo, Severe headaches, and  panic attacks. Until this summer I've been able to control everything and the gagging feeling in the back of my throat wasn't that bad. First my eating habits went bad, then I got the flu, then I had an "episode" where my stomach hurt so bad I hardly ate for a fear of throwing up. That went away with a gluten free diet and taking my double dose of acid reflux meds. But ever since then I feel like I have a post nasal drip, which my mother has. I constantly feel like I'm going to gag, which for me causes anxiety and now just breathing causes problems I get out of the house for one hour of school and even just that I can hardly stand it. I don't hang out with anyone and my parents hate it. I stay home all the time because of fear. I also feel like my throat is as big as a pencil. My mom had hers stretched before but when I had a colonoscopy and endoscopy they said I had slight acid reflux and no celicas. That was last sept. I can't live with this feeling in my throat it makes me feel crazy and it's making me feel very depressed. When I try to relax it seems to sometimes get worse. Please if anyone can help me I'm 17 and at my wits end. I have to many problems already!  
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Avatar universal
Hi, kidkoopa. It has been years since I've tried to solve this problem and eventually I just sort of gave up going to doctors as I had other priorities I had to focus on for school. You mentioned an enlarged uvula as being the possible problem. When I was researching this originally, that was one of the main problems I came across. I went to an ENT and inquired about that possibility about my uvula and he checked and said they were normal sized but I just had a lot of adenoid tissue. I still have the same problem today, I was never able to solve it. If you find out anything else please let me know.
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Avatar universal
hey im sorry im so late with this but i have had the same problem for a year but i researched alot and found your posts alot.  However i think i know what your true problem is.  I believe it is your uvula.  In case no one knows the uvula is the dangling thingy in the back of your throat (not your tonsils)  I found out that when the uvula becomes enlarged it can rest on your tongue.  IT IS NOT SUPPOSE TO BE TOUCHING YOUR TONGUE.  I looked in the mirror last week and what do you know, mine was super long and touching my tongue.  I have an appointment with the ENT to see if i can get it shorten or completly removed.  but look it up it is uncommen but does happen to some people and i believe that might be the issue.  I havn't seen any recent posts so you may have already discovered it or something else but i will let you know what happens after the appointment, peace.
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Avatar universal
I posted this topic over a year ago and much as happened since.
I have had a barium swallow which did not show anything I got this done because when my reflux was really bad, it irritated my throat so much that when ever I swallowed food it would hurt. I have been diagnosed with acid reflux and have been on medication for it. I am also on allergy shots because I have really bad allergies.

I've been through a few ENTs and Gastroenterologists. I've had two endoscopies done and they also put that scope up my nose and down my throat with everything looking ok including my tonsils. My most recent visit was to philly in august and when I had that procedure done the doctor noticed I had a lot of adenoid tissue but not as much as it were to cause problems.


What I know now is that the post nasal drip is triggering off my gag reflex because everytime I get that feeling I have to swallow to push all that mucous down. So for what ever reason my gag reflex is sensitive to PND. I am currently researching stuff about adenoids and also trying to get an appointment with my ENT to get it xrayed.
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Avatar universal
My daughter has the same exact problem, for over a year now & the doctors in our area acted the same way....like it's no big deal, but it is a big deal when it starts to interfere with your life! My daughter won't even talk sometimes beacuse of that gaggy feeling. We finally took her to a different Dr. at Childrens Hospital of Pittsburgh and they said her tonsils are too big & they actually think that's what's causing her problem. Have you had a Barium Swallow done? It's like an x-ray of your throat to show how things go down when you swallow....hope I was of some help
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Avatar universal
As your doctor about VCD!!! Go see an allergist/asthma specialist who can do a pulmonary function test or a methacholine challenge. Your vocal cords may be closing when you are exercising (no worries - not enough to make you pass out - you're still getting oxygen, but causing you to get these sensations). It can be treated and is very common among athletes (ie 8% US National Olympians!!).
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306810 tn?1192871784
allright, first off the people who say "oh, its stress, and in your head" can s*** my d***. im sorry, but its totally ****.  Its plenty real, and they'd feel different if they had it.  I have the same issue, i dont even stray far from my house anymore, and its runing alot of my teenage years here. iim fed up, alot.  im not sure if you've been tested for Acid Reflux, but its well worth a shot, and what about celiac disease? bring them up with your doctor, this undiagnosed illness is really, really, REALLY hard to work around. erggggg
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