Originally Posted by gt_croz
I've had one or two episodes where I've had irrational anxiety on a plane. I think it's probably similar to what you describe. Sometimes before takeoff I feel like my neck is tightining up, it's hard to swallow, and the more I dwell on it, the more intense it gets. I'm not scared of anything in particular, it's just a feeling of not being in control. It's just an irrational attack that builds on itself.
I've had something similar a few times but soon after takeoff, usually if I've slept through the ascent. I have a very small throat for my 3XLT frame as well as a bad gag reflex, and there are times where I have built myself into believing that my tounge has swollen to become too big and I'm going to choke. (Now, I know it's not completely physical because 30 minutes later it's not true any more.) The first few times, it really freaked me out, but now I realize what it is. I've also had this at home in the middle of the night, and that's when I figured out how to mitigate it. (At home, I immediately start doing laundry and cleaning the house to distract myself)
What I do is (and no, I'm not a doctor - YMWV):
1) Try to use the bathroom immediately.
2) Take my Albuterol - I'm not really choking, but it makes me feel better
3) Take out my laptop and start playing any game that I have on it, the more intense the better, or start planning mileage runs in my status-tracking spreadsheet.
4) If I have my MP3 player with me, start using it - again, it's all about distraction plus my NC-20s change the pressure in my ears which fools me into thinking that I'm making progress.
5) Take my thumb and middle finger of one hand and start massaging both sides of my throat underneath the jawbone, and of the other hand and start massaging the back of my neck at the skullbone.
Last time it happened (on an RJ back from Albany), I was able to defeat it in about fifteen minutes.
I hope the OP can find a way to get some relief.