Throat closes can't breathe

[jappel2]

I am a 62 yr old man. When I was 17 I was taking a shower, and out of the blue, I couldn't breathe. It felt like my throat closed (it probably was) and air couldn't get it or out. It lasted for about 30 or so seconds. Then it relaxes on it's own, slowly and air started flowing in and out. After a few minutes I was back to normal.
This happens infrequently. As many as months or a year or so between bouts. I had an attack last night that was brutal, seemed to last well over a minute, and I panicked. Now, this can happen while i'm sleeping, or awake during the day.  I all of a sudden jump out of bed and can't breathe. Feels like i'm trying to breathe through a straw with a thickness the size of a toothpick. Now for the strange part, this has happened in the middle of the day sitting at my desk. I'll jump up, and have the same symptom for a minute or so. It's scary. I have had two instances the last 30 days. I am reading that it could be VCD (vocal cord dysfunction). It's not sleep apnea ( I don't believe) because it happens while i'm awake. It happened while I was watching tv one night but only lasted 10 or so seconds.
Any thoughts?
Ant, it's very very frightening.

[c0meplay]

I've had this problem for about 20 years. Im 39, female. Use to go to doctors but got tired of being told its asthma or acid reflux. Do NOT use an inhaler if you are having a sudden throat closing attack. It made it so much worse for me I thought I was going to die. With asthma, I feel a tightness in my chest/lungs and shortness of breath. That's the time to use an inhaler. I don't know what causes the throat closing but its good to know I'm not alone. I've noticed what triggers mine most (aside from acid reflux while I'm sleeping - this is a trigger but not the problem) is when something hits the back of my throat unexpectedly (spit, water, food, or aerosol sprays that you accidently inhale, fumes from vinegar, etc). If anyone finds any answers to help with this problem I would love to know. Thank you!

[nanomanpa]

Wow, this sounds EXACTLY like what I've experienced for many years (but, fortunately, it's been pretty rare).  I told my wife I'm finally going to make an appointment to see my doctor about it this week although it's not entirely clear what can be done to prevent these throat spasms.  I guess the main thing I want to find out is whether something a throat spasm can kill a person.  If I can be CERTAIN that just waiting for a throat spasm to relax on its own will always occur quickly enough that I can resume breathing without brain damage ... or worse ... I can just force myself to relax, stay calm, and wait.  However, I'd really like to find out what to do in a worst case scenario, where the spasm does not relax within 30 seconds or so.  Should a always carry a tube with me that someone can jam down my throat if I don't start breathing on my own?  Should I carry some sort of injector that another person can use on me?  Is there some sort of portable air pump that I can attach to my face that would force open my airway?  Would the Heimlich maneuver work?  I'd really like to figure out if anything can be done to get me breathing again if I can't just wait it out.

[mich414]

I was having the same problem. The frequency of not being able to breathe was increasing during the day and night. I was only getting a few hours sleep each night because I had to keep jumping up in a panic. During the day I was trying to manage the problem but as afternoon wore on I was struggling to swallow and breathe. In desperation I googled for a few hours and hit upon some things that have really helped.
1. I gave my vocal cords a rest- no humming or singing and less talking
2. I boiled caraway seeds and drank the tea from it
3. I swallowed raw honey and let it slowly slide down my throat
I immediately felt relief and was able to sleep for about 8 hours that night.
I think they relax the throat and the honey and caraway seeds are meant to help with bacterial infections.
Hope this is helpful for others :)

[pataya]

For me it's triggered by some physical irritant.  Like inhaling crumbs or maybe saliva going down the wrong way.  I try to relax so the muscles can unclench.  But I also can't help trying to draw in air.  The result is a truly awful sound that must be quite frightening to those around me.  I'm quite worried that it might happen while I'm driving.  Is there nothing that can be done when it happens?

[k0508]

I'm so glad I found this thread and I'm not alone. I just started having this happen to me within the last two months. I had another "attack" last night that felt like it lasted a minute. It was the longest so far.  I recently had blood work done and everything came back normal. The next steps are a thyroid scam and a pulmonary test.

[shasire]

I have had only 5 attacks in the last 8 years. I was unable to get any air in at all or swallow. It was the scariest thing! My husband and another time, fellow teachers jumped up to do the Heimlich but I frantically shook my head "no" since I knew I was not choking on food or anything. I did think I might never breathe again, however. A swallow test showed nothing.   It seemed to have started with only saliva or even a grain of salt.I started to panic everytime I had to have any dental work like extractions because I was scared it would happen during this time.So, I did inform the dentists and I am to raise my hand if I feel it coming on. Crazy, but I feel better with them knowing about this.I did some research years ago and I am trying to locate it again about this condition which they called a spasm. The best part was that relaxing will help and to remember that even though you can not pull in air through either your mouth or nose,  you can use the air left in your lungs to breathe out through your mouth.It said to make  butterfly lips pursed almost together and let a little air out. This will relax the muscle and can really help. Bad news was they said sometimes people have to have a trac(sp) and even pass out. An ENT said it is simply stress and people don't die of this.I realize he really is not familiar with this condition or he wouldn't have made light of the situation. My vocal chords were checked before thyroid surgery and they found I have thick vocal chords probably from talking so much from teaching , drinking too hot or cold drinks, etc.So, I think that might play a part in this and maybe my sleep apnea since I was told from tests that I stop breathing when sleeping on my back. If I find that article I will post the link.