My throat is driving me nuts... could it be the frostet thunder sterks?

[lynx23]

Hey friends,

I've been dealing with a very strange feeling in my throat for quite a while now (~ 2yrs) and I don't dare to face the possibility that it might be due to my snus consumption. I love the snus and It would be quite shattering if I had to quit it because of this darn feeling.

The best way I can describe it is that it feels like a bubble is constantly stuck in my throat. Also it feels kind of raw and when I move my head left or right the feeling gets stronger.

I've been to quite a few specialists and done a number of scans, ultrasounds and examinations but they couldn't find anything suspicious so I'm kind of stuck and believe me guys, it's a horrible feeling to have because it is constant and makes you feel like there is something majorly wrong with your throat.
Despite the reassurance by the docs. I can't shake the feeling that if I continue snusing with this feeling in my throat, this 'irritation' or whatever it is will end up developing into cancer.

Here in Germany, like in most countries, snus is rare. So when I show my docs the can they look quite astonished and surprised. Consequently they can't really judge what effect this 'stuff' can have on the throat or on the body in general. This of course doesn't make it harder to assume the worst when it comes to snus and health consequences.

I don't know about you but the frostet V2 Sterks do make my gums quite sore. My gums have been sore for years now and I'm thinking that the mint flavoring is quite harsh on the gums. can anyone confirm this?

I've been using snus quite intensely for about 8 years now and I use about 15 portions a day (I know it's a lot) and I keep them in quite long. So most of the day I have a portion in! I'm just too hooked to go a day without snus to see if it gets better :|

I can't tell you guys how miserable this feeling is. I'd even go as far as to say that it makes me feel like I am dying and that it's already too late to turn my health around. On that note I am surprised about the tenacity in which some posters here defend snus; making it almost sound like snus is beneficial to your health or completely harmless.

In my 30 years on this planet I've learned one thing that is universally applicable: If something is too good to be true, it probably is! And the same MUST apply for snus. It's nicotine and nicotine is by default detrimental to your cardiovascular and metabolic health by default. I don't want anyone here telling me that snus is probably not related to my problems and that there are a million other reasons (anxiety, thyroid disorders etc. etc.) that could cause the symptoms I am experiencing. I don't want to be rude guys but I come from the medical profession myself.

I'd love to hear your perspective on snus and the problem I've just described. Maybe some of you have a similar experience? I wish this feeling would somehow dissipate and so I can feel like a healthy 30yr old guy that loves to snus I'm almost sure that I'm not not the only one who experiences this.

I would welcome any ideas, suggestions in the direction of tackling this problem!!

Thanks!!

Best,

Thomas from Germany

[lxskllr]

Try a different snus. Maybe one of the ingredients, or strength of the Thunder is disagreeing with you. I've almost never not had snus in my mouth since 2007, and aside from occasionally getting salt burned gums, or indigestion from overusing snus with smoke flavor, I had no problems.

[lynx23]

Thanks for your quick reply, what brands can you recommend as a replacement for thunder frosted? I used to use skruf sterk but they banned it in Germany so since I've been resorting to thunder. A friend from sweden sent me some skruf a few months back but somehow I lacked the minty kick the thunder gave me. Apparently the mint enhances the feeling or buzz I get from snus.

[dinger44]

I used to get exactly that feeling in my throat when i started taking snus. I gave up sterks and it went away. Just use the regular portions now with no problems. The v2 thunder frosted did burn the gums off me as well.

[lxskllr]

Thanks for your quick reply, what brands can you recommend as a replacement for thunder frosted? I used to use skruf sterk but they banned it in Germany so since I've been resorting to thunder. A friend from sweden sent me some skruf a few months back but somehow I lacked the minty kick the thunder gave me. Apparently the mint enhances the feeling or buzz I get from snus.

I'd try something without mint, and of regular strength; preferably a brand that isn't V2. That'll get rid of most of the variables. If you still have problems, maybe snus isn't for you. If that fixes things, you can start adding variables back; stronger snus, mint, V2... until you find what's really causing the problem. Odens makes some good snus. I mostly use Swedish Match which of course doesn't help you much.

[lynx23]

@ dinger thanks for your post. that's good to hear that I'm not the only one. that feeling makes you feel like your going down with cancer. I absolutely hate it. I am going to drop the sterks for a while as you 2 suggested. Odens wasn't for me. Its going to be hard without the mint flavor but I think that this is what is mucous membrane

[Burnsey]

I used to get exactly that feeling in my throat when i started taking snus. I gave up sterks and it went away. Just use the regular portions now with no problems. The v2 thunder frosted did burn the gums off me as well.

This.....
I also notice that the sterks make my voice sound hoarse, but I'm a sucker for the stronger flavors......

[lynx23]

interesting to see that it has this kind of effect on more people. I really do wonder what the long term consequences of a sustained irritation are.
It is known that sustained irritation can lead to enlarged lymph nodes which in turn, if they become chronic, can lead to tumors.
Do you guys check your throat regularly?

[Skell18]

Happens to me with V2 Starks too, stop using them and it goes away. The frosted always hurt my throat, I just switch down to regular strength snus if it happens or, you can switch to the white portions, the drip on thunder is very harsh and comes on quickly. With whites it takes longer and there isn't as much drip.

mint snus will make your gums recede faster so I hear, I panicked when I found a white patch on my gums once,mourns out it was just dried out from the salt in snus as then I only used snus on one side.

[lynx23]

Skell, very useful info here - Thanks. I will stop the thunder sterks for now and see how it goes. I really hope it will go away.
What kind of snus are you using currently?

[Skell18]

No worries, I use mainly general OP or General ES.

[Polluted]

I used to have a feeling like a damn golf ball was in my throat related to untreated acid reflux. My throat still feels like crap, but not NEARLY as bad as when I was eating pizza everyday without any acid reflux drugs. Never had this problem with snus though

[lynx23]

thanks for your post. I've looked into acid reflux but It's not the case with me. It is when I lower the use of snus that my throat starts to feel a bit better. I've been off snus for 2 days now and it's already a big difference. Just bummer that we can't order General or Skruf here in Europe. there is really not much choice for good snus other than v2 ...

[squeezyjohn]

I get the same thing sometimes ... usually when I'm busy and throwing snus in without thinking how much I'm using. The drip can irritate the throat too - and after a big night out involving quite a lot of drinking it can be really apparent! I find that switching to different brands, moving on to lower strength snus and generally looking after myself will sort out any kind of throat irritation I'm getting.

By the way you can get Skruf in Europe via www.snusline.com or www.topsnus.com

[codyg140]

Snusline also carries odens and jakobsons