Persistent sore throat nearing 3 weeks

[plantingandpotting]

Have a history of health anxiety (lots of very helpful CBT and currently on meds).
Although I can rationally address most niggles, I've now had a sore throat for almost 3 weeks and I'm feeling the temptation to Google.

The pain has changed, in that it began with a very scratchy tickly cough, whereas the cough has gone and it's now only painful to swallow and my neck/jaw glands are enlarged. I feel like I need to clear my throat constantly.

Rational brains, please help - is this a case of wait it out?

Hello! Fellow health anxiety sufferer here.

Strangely enough I’m also experiencing similar to you. I’ve been non stop clearing my throat with sore throat symptoms. Been over a month now.

Thinking rationally, yours could be a spot of laryngitis. Do you have a hoarse voice? Or it could be a simple summer ‘tickle’.

I’d probably monitor for another week or 2 to see what else happens and then speak to the doctors.

Have you been medicating at all?

Thank you @abet08x

Since I wrote this I've tried antibiotics, lansoprazole and antihistamines with no luck.

I have an appointment with the ENT under a 2 week referral now so just hoping to get to the bottom of it quickly.

I hate to be doomy but it's so hard to concentrate on anything else when you don't feel right!

I had a sore throat in January that lasted nearly 6 weeks. It was constant and really worried me. I was referred to ENT but just as the appointment came round it started to go away (to be replaced by almost constant nausea, then headaches, and now stomach issues - I am pretty sure anxiety may be the cause of all of these for me, but it’s hard not to be anxious when you have very real symptoms reminding you all the time!).
The sore throat hasn’t come back at all though, so that’s good!
Hope yours clears soon too.

It could be stomach acid related. Have you tried Gaviscon or omeprazole?

I was going to suggest stomach acid related too, I have had this on and off for a while but can manage it with omeprazole.

Yeah, axid reflux.

Thanks all. I've been taking lansoprazole which is in the same group as Omeprazole.

I've also stopped drinking alcohol and coffee to see if it helped but alas, no.

Those who've had reflux, did you notice it being worse at certain times of the day?

Have you had further investigations? You might need gastroscopy to check your oesophagus.

@terhou I've got my ENT referral this week and I'm hoping they'll have a look the same day as it's still painful to speak and swallow. 2 months now
My feeling is that it's acid related (niggly cough at night) and I've since read that LPR can come off the back of a cold, which this did.

Just thought I'd come back and give a little update after my ENT appointment today.

The Dr found a white patch in my throat, on the side that's been hurting.

The good news is that I'll have a biopsy under general anesthetic within the next couple of weeks. Thankful as ever for the NHS.

Slightly worried of course but trying to keep in mind that if it is something sinister, it's only a small patch at the moment.

Just a thought but I had similar and it was oesophageal candida, try not to worry x

Thank you @kissmelittleass. Did you have throat pain also?

Any update OP? Have had sore throat for weeks now. Antibiotics helped initially but symptoms have come back. Hope all worked out for you.

@foreverbaffled the laryngoscopy showed that it was just that one patch of irritation and the results came back fine.
A follow up appointment showed that it was still there, when the consultant expected it to have healed some by then. So I have to go back in a few months.

Ultimately we decided that it was LPR and a combination of lifestyle changes plus nightly Omeprazole have made a massive improvement. Although my throat is still sore most mornings!

I hope you get to the bottom of it. It's so distracting to have something like this stick around without any improvement 😔

Hi OP how are you now?

@Foreverbaffled and how are you doing? Hope better. I'm Hong through the same thing.

Sorry that was for @plantingandpotting

@ininsomniac1 I still have to take Omeprazole every day. If I run out and skip taking it for even a day my throat hurts again in the morning, which is kind of worrying! There are some lifestyle changes that massively help with laryngopharyngeal reflux (not eating late, decreasing portion size, cutting alcohol) which I'm trying to keep to.
Hope you feel better soon!

Thanks OP!

I'm just getting over a sore throat that's lasted since the beginning of March. It was finally diagnosed last week as acid reflux. I was told to have a swig of Gaviscon last thing before I go to sleep as that's when stomach acid can flow up to the throat. I also have a Lamoprazol (sp?) every morning. It's slowly getting better, thank God. It's been awful. I feel for everyone who's suffering 🙁