long term sore throat..help please!!

[balde79]

Hi all....im a 35 year old male..6ft2 14.5stone healthy active person. I have had a sore throat for near 4 months now.it only hurts when i swallow. I drink in moderation and for years i smoked 2 ciggs a day..no more but recently i quit altogether. Ive been to the doctors 4 times recently and have taken antibiotics and ibprofuen but with no success. Ive bought a de humidifier and am going to try it out tomorrow onwards... has anyone any ideas of what could be wrong witj me. I suffered from anxiety in the past and feel like its coming back as im worried about cancer etc... ive 2 young sons and im terrified for them. Am i jumping the gun thinking the worst..im waiting on an ENT appointment..any advice will help me so much..thanks

[Spacedextra]

Hello pal,

Have seen here that nobody has responded, so just wanted you to know you're not alone. I've had other throat symptoms, not your ones in particular, but they can be scary and you can feel alone. I often think, with muscular problems, we barely think about them, almost happy for them to take their time going away. But the minute it's inside our body, we assume the worst and fixate upon it.

Being from London, I'm waiting on the NHS for an ENT appointment myself and know having to wait is hell. It can take forever.

I don't wish to make this about me, but I will say that having people constantly say it's anxiety related can be boring! I've had a lump feeling in my throat for 5 weeks now and have almost stopped worrying completely, yet it's still there. I think the trick is to really force yourself not to worry. Accept that it's something you've got, it's something that you are trying to get sorted and when the ENT appointment comes, it's something you'll get treated.

Worrying that it's cancer (which I've done with mine daily up until recently) got me nowhere. It ruined my days and made me sad. It never helped. Learning to live with it, I've actually also learnt to ignore it somewhat. Not wholly, but it's better than fixating.

I can't make you ignore it, you gotta do that alone, like we all do. But you can take reassurance from people on this board that have had worse symptoms than you and I and have found comfort on here and eventually found that it wasn't ever as serious as their worries made them believe.

Hope all is well buddy,

SpacedExtra.

[Ingenious]

I had an odd sore throat for quite a long time, only felt it when I swallowed, like a dull feeling. Anyway to cut a long story short, when I became teetotal is cleared up, turns out it was likely to be from snoring loudly, which I used to do and now I am quiet as a mouse because I sleep better going to bed sober and not just a little bit smashed I also get an occasional irritation when I have some tonsil stones coming out and often feel bad during hayfever season.

You've been to your GP which is good because they'd have noticed anything major I would have thought but obviously always wise to get it looked into anyway if it's worrying you.

[Katiex]

I have a sore throat almost constantly due to gerd/reflux burning and swelling the back of my larynx. I found that warm milk with manuka honey helped and gave me some relief for a few days. Also peptac regardless of whether you have been diagnosed with reflux or not helps by making your throat a better environment basically coating it all from further damage whether its caused by reflux, allergies etc.

I know its hard but try not to clear your throat much too.

[balde79]

Thank you all so much for your replies.....I do snore when I lay on my back, the mrs says it drives her mad. So I bought an anti snoring ring to see if it helps. I also noticed my throat hurts alot more if I drink fizzy drinksor a beer. If I have tea or water doesnt hurt as much.
the pain isnt extreme but noticeable if you know what I mean. My chest seems tighter, harder to breath but this also isnt that bad. The main pain is the front of the adams apple, quite tender. Its not a constant pain, only when I swallow. When its at its worst both areas in below my jaw and cheeks hurt..is this where my glands are? Finally I feel slight pressure in my ears as if they need to pop..its not wax as ive had them checked.

As im a worrier I am scared of the big C.....but Im patiently waiting on the ent appointment. ? Thinking of going private...does anyone know how much this could cost approximately?

[JEFF_OZ]

have you got any progress?