Sore throat for 5 months, not many other symptoms

[tylerfromspace]

Has anyone ever had a persistent sore throat lasting for multiple months? Mine seems to come and go but never fully go away. It's usually noticeable most days, some days significantly worse than others. It's usually noticeable 5-6 days out of the week, with the occasional day where it's about 90% unnoticeable, and i think it's about to go away, but then the next day it's back. I've been to my GP 4 times now, and after months of being told to wait for more symptoms to develop and nothing changing, they finally after 5 months referred me to a specialist for my throat.

I had what i think was really bad bronchitis about 6 months ago that kind of followed a slightly similar pattered, where i would get sick for a week, it would got 80% away, then come back again. This happened 3 times over the course of 6 weeks. At the end i had this sore throat that still has yet to go away.

The only other symptom I have is i get headaches sometimes when the sore throat is it's worst, but is over all usually fairly mild. Sometimes it hurts a bit when i talk, and my voice cuts out, but that has become less common recently. I don't have any breathing issues, and am not coughing other than maybe a few times in the morning. Nor is my nose stuffy or anything. Feels lower in my throat than a typical sore throat from like strep or post nasal drip which i have had before. And feels a bit like a cut, vs a raw patch. My neck glands feel a bit tender, but theres no swelling, and i haven't had tonsils since i had them removed when i was 7 years old. I'm also fairly able to go about life business as usual, as it's more of an annoyance than a hinderance. I do however find it annoying to do physical activity a sore throat, and thus have stopped running as a result. I was thinking maybe i have acid reflux, but i don't exactly have heart burn all that often, and it's never severe enough for me to notice. Not burping all the time or anything.

All the googling i have done has gotten me no where, from what i can see i either have throat cancer or an ulcer as those are the only 2 diagnosis's that seem to point to a sore throat for longer than 2 months. If anyone else has any ideas it would be greatly appreciated.

[banskuwansku]

Do you snore? My throat was sore every morning until I got a snore guard. Now I snore less and no sore throat in the mornings.

[tylerfromspace]

No i don't snore, I'm as far as i know, a silent sleeper

[shazkiwi]

A sore throat is how I know my acid reflux is playing up. Generally I don't feel anything because it happens when I'm asleep - its only when its really bad do I get burning/burping symptoms during the day. Have you tried Omeprazole. Your symptoms would probably improve within a few weeks of taking it if it is caused by reflux.

[tylerfromspace]

what does your sore throat feel like? How long does it last? Do you have any other symptoms other than just the sore throat? How does the sore throat fee in comparison to say, a sore throat from strep or post nasal drip?

[shazkiwi]

A sore throat from an infection feels much worse to me & I'll have other symptoms similar to cold or flu. It can feel like I've strained my voice & I feel a bit hoarse. Its always worse on waking & eases off during the day - sometimes disappearing altogether until the next morning. No other symptoms unless reflux breaks through during the day & I can feel like burping, food may come up & intense burning in stomach.

[tylerfromspace]

hmmm okay. How long does the sore throat from GERD usually take to go away once you start taking the meds? Or do you not take meds?

[shazkiwi]

In the beginning I was on medication for months, & I have over a very long time managed to taper off them. I only take them now for a flare up & my sore throat will improve within 2 or 3 days. When I first started taking medication it took about 2 weeks to see improvement.

[tylerfromspace]

Interesting, did like the glands in your neck ever feel tender as well? like just barely hurt? Also how long did you have the sore throat before you figured out it was GERD? What tests did you do to come to that conclusion?

[shazkiwi]

My gp diagnosed me based on symptoms. The only test I had was for H Pylori - which was negative. I had a trial of Omeprazole which helped. My glands don't get swollen/sore with it. I had a persistent sore throat for a few weeks & googled & found Gerd can cause a sore throat. I wasn't taking medication at the time so I went back on it & the sore throat disappeared. This has happened a couple more times so I'm pretty sure Gerd causes my throat to get sore sometimes.