Something in my throat?

[King Herald]

I've had this feeling for a week or more that there is something in the back of my throat, a 'touching something' feeling when I swallow, and a vague sensation there is something there most of the time, like when you have a cold and get phlegm stuck back there.

The ships medic has had a good look with his metal 'throat searching device', whatever it is called, and says everything is normal.

I had the same thing a couple of months ago, but that was accompanied by lots of pain, and another guy I work with had the same thing.

There is no pain, no fever, no cold, or anything you'd normally associate with it.

Any ideas?

[King Herald]

No the dangly thing is all okay, nothing visibly amiss back there.

[King Herald]

Mr Pointy said:

Not a Quinsey is it?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peritonsillar_abscess

http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Quinsy/Pages/Symptoms...

A mate had it in Bangladesh. Not nice when the doctor sliced it open to drain it.

There's no pain or redness, so sounds unlikely.

[King Herald]

Rach* said:

theleader said:

Tonsil stones?

My first thought too

None of the symptoms yet, no pain, redness, swelling etc. The medic can't see anything either.

What I've got feels like it is in the centre if anything like you get clogged up a bit when you have a cold. It has gone in the morning when I wake up, but seems to come back during the day. Today I have cut down to two cups of coffee, instead of my usual six or seven, and it is only 1pm now.

[King Herald]

Rach* said:

oooh yes defo.

are you a smoker dude?

I'd get a second opinion, but there is only one medic on my ship.

Nope, never smoked, and rarely drink.

Later I will get in the bathroom with a flash-light and start poking around at the back of my throat I reckon.

This is NOT me:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8U7hKwpQ4v0

Edited by King Herald on Saturday 3rd November 19:59

[King Herald]

Rach* said:

Shaw Tarse said:

You're dying!
Not long ago you were asking about a "rash" vvvv now you have a sore throat?

Did you watch the programme from Manchester STI clinic last week too? Young lad had Chlamydia and gonorrhea in his throat!

Oh god, now I'm worried sick!!!!

[King Herald]

Rach* said:

Sorry!

I was browsing TV last night and saw some medical program about a guy who was having throat problems. It went on for two years, he nearly died, then he had a CAT scan and they found a beer can ring pull in his trachea.....!!!

He thought he had swallowed one by accident a couple of years earlier, but it had actually gone down his wind pipe.

[King Herald]

BlackVanDyke said:

That video is repulsive!

How about a second opinion PH style - take a picture!

I have no camera.

Phoned the wife last night, she tells me she had a similar thing to mine a few years ago when we were in England. She had a cold, kept feeling this horrible thing every time she swallowed. Coming from a third world country where parasites and worms are common, she was convinced she had one inside her throat......

The doctor (private, as NHS just told her 'it is nothing') did a thorough examination and told her it was some inflammation of the back of the tongue, like taste buds, but they're not, that you can feel if you shove your fingers right down the back of the tongue.

Sure enough, I 'went deep' with my fingers last night and I could feel several little lumps that feel pretty 'unusual'.

[King Herald]

I did actually have a bit of acid reflux/acid indigestion type thing a week or so ago, can't remember if it was before or after this throat thing started though. Could be related.

I used to get acid reflux a lot years ago, but then it stopped. My little 'medical stash' has half a dozen different types of antacid tabs in. Also used to get mouth ulcers a lot after about four weeks offshore, but then they too stopped a couple of years ago. Thus the three or four tubes of old Bonjela in my kit.

[King Herald]

No drip as such, though it feels like there is, but nothing gets coughed up, and my sense of smell is okay.

[King Herald]

steveT350C said:

Excess drinking, smoking, being overweight, stress, diet.

Heavily starchy foods such as pastry or mashed potatoes can aggravate reflux.

Hmm, does ten cups of coffee a day work?

I have cut down now, but I did go on a bit of a coffee binge for several weeks as work was slack and it relives the boredom.

maturin23 said:

As a normal male I self-diagnosed this as terminal cancer; had a couple of miserable weeks worrying about it, planning video messages for the kids once I was dead (usual sort of stuff).

Hell yes, five minutes on Google and I KNEW it was cancer, so I came straight to PH for an expert diagnosis to alleviate the fear.