Sore neck and painful to swallow - what could this be?

[Notcontent]

I don’t want to go back to my GP if I can help it, as have been recently - although I wasn’t being a hypochondriac - turns out I have very low iron and vitamin D.

But since Saturday I have had a sore neck and it’s painful to swallow. I suddenly noticed it on Saturday - soreness around my lower neck and collar bine and initially thought it was some tension or maybe a strain. But then noticed it hurts to swallow - not a sore throat but just soreness when I swallow. No fever or headache or anything, although don’t feel 100%.

could it be a weird virus? Hiding that not cancer or similar given it came on suddenly!

I’d say it’s likely a virus, and the sore neck + collarbone is actually enlarged lymph nodes as an immune response to this

Thanks @MaloneMeadow that makes sense.

I had that last week, it changed into a stinky cold, I ache all over now, stiff knock/ sore throat and a really bad head cold

Hi OP, how did things go after your last post, are you feeling better now?

I woke up yesterday morning with pain and stiffness on the left side of my neck. It's a dragging pain, pretty intense when I lift my head up from lying down, or try to turn over in bed. Not as painful when sitting up, but I can't turn my head much. While I was having dinner last night I got an irritated feeling in the left side of my throat and was coughing for ages, took antihistamine because throat felt a bit narrow and hot. Not coughing since but some congestion while sleeping, and then woke up with the weird heavy neck pain again. It's like a deep ache, but definitely neck not shoulder. Now wondering if it's a horrible symptom of a cold or flu, or something scary in its own right! Haven't taken painkillers because I was at home all day yesterday and didn't have any commitments, so just took things really easy. Starting to freak out a bit now though! Wondering if I should call 111.

Hope you're over the worst of whatever you had!

Hope you are ok
Start your own thread, maybe someone can help you :)

@baroqueandblue

Thanks @PeopleAreWeird 😃 (great user name)

I caved and took some cocodamol about half an hour ago, along with a swig of tickly cough mixture. Had a snack and watched an episode of Girls. It's definitely helping! Neck feels loser and less achey 😊

Hope it goes soon!! :)

Turns out I've got an infected lower wisdom tooth on the same side as the neck pain, which hasn't let up since it started on Tuesday. Only put two and two together earlier this evening and been onto 111 who are sending me to an emergency dentist in the morning. If I feel worse before then I have to go to A&E for antibiotics 😲 Thankfully I've got plentiful supplies of tramadol (I've got fibromyalgia) for the pain.

Hope everyone else is well!