I have a serious question for the Lounge, do not move to chit chat.

I quit smoking about a week ago, cause I was noticed a strange sensation in the back of my throat...it feels like a bug is camping out just beneath my larynx, or behind my adam's apple...I have no symptoms
of any kind, so I have temporarily ruled out infection...I have tried coughing, swallowing a lot, etc. to no avail...I can't dislodge whatever is in my throat. I cannot see whatever is in there, but i can say that swallowing makes me more aware of it. when I lay on my back, it really feels like a bug of some sort is trying to crawl out of my throat. All told I guess I have felt like I swallowed a bug for about 1.5-2 weeks at most.

Any ideas as to what this could be, how to treat it? I was going to try mucinex D (OTC) but I will wait for some input from you guys.
If I haven't given enough information, feel free to ask for more info.

Thanks,
Ben

1/20/2008 6:04:25 PM

I'd definitely go have it checked.

1/20/2008 6:06:58 PM

try warm liquids. might just be an iritation, or an allergic reaction.


if it's still around in a week, see a Doctor. Regardless of the cost, you don't fuck around with the Big C.

1/20/2008 6:07:00 PM

it may be little plaque build ups that are behind your tonsils. if you poke at your tonsils, they may come out and you can scrape them off

1/20/2008 6:11:32 PM

the big C?

and what do my tonsils have to do with it?

1/20/2008 6:14:10 PM

i had this feeling when i had stuff lodged in my tonsils as well. you will see them if you shine a light in your throat and look for one or both sides of your throat opening to be swollen, white spots may be visible.

in my case, i found them to be too hard to remove by scraping. another thing you can do is take a syringe and squirt it at the plaques. if they don't get better within a week or so you might need some antibiotics.

1/20/2008 6:17:07 PM

^^when i get them, it feels like somthing is lodged behind my adams apple like you said

1/20/2008 6:21:53 PM

a visual inspection by my gf (she knows what's up) shows my tonsils to be in perfect condition, free of debris, swelling, or white spots...that rules out strep.

and

Quote :

"if it's still around in a week, see a Doctor. Regardless of the cost, you don't fuck around with the Big C."

what are you referring to when you say "big C"?

1/20/2008 6:22:57 PM

the big C

cancer man.

don't fuck around with it.

1/20/2008 6:24:48 PM

have u eaten anything really hot lately? like burned your mouth? i get that feeling when im retarded and instead of spitting the hot hot chocolate out, swallow it. it usually ends up burning the back of my throat and causes it to peel...which gives that funny feeling.

1/20/2008 6:25:56 PM

^^ ahh - god i hope not.

^ i have had this sensation for almost 2 weeks. My first guess is that I caused it by smoking heavily
just prior to quitting smoking...

I just took my temperature - 96.9

1/20/2008 6:28:31 PM

how long did you smoke for?

1/20/2008 6:30:58 PM

9 years

1/20/2008 6:33:05 PM

go get it looked at

1/20/2008 8:36:27 PM

^i agree...you can never be too cautious...especially concerning something like this!

1/20/2008 8:42:28 PM

^another few days without improvement and i will.
like i said originally, i am not suffering any symptoms at all, other than the irritation, which i would classify as mild to fair. do you think mucinex will help or hurt the situation?

1/20/2008 8:44:16 PM

Did you smoke regulars or menthols?

1/20/2008 8:52:58 PM

Camel Lights the whole time.

1/20/2008 8:54:09 PM

I had this one time. It turned out to be a strep throat infection. It took like 3 or 4 days to mature. It wasn't fun. It felt like I had a pill stuck in the back of my throat.

1/20/2008 9:46:47 PM

Chew a raw garlic clove once a day for a week.

1/20/2008 9:48:50 PM

^why?

1/20/2008 10:00:46 PM

I don't know completely and exactly why, and what I do know is more than a few sentences worth. But just know that raw garlic works wonders.

1/20/2008 10:04:03 PM

I often have had this same feeling and have been a smoker in the past. However, I have found that taking allergy medicine, such as loratadine, for a few days clears it up.

1/20/2008 10:56:56 PM

I'd suggest gargling warm salt water a few times a day for the next few days and see if that clears it up.

1/20/2008 11:14:26 PM

I remember when we had the "drugs and alcohol and stuff are bad" people come talk to us in high school, they said that smoking kills the ... uh, whatever the things are in your throat that filter stuff out are called. So when you stop smoking and they start to work again, you'll experience irritation and stuff because they're growing back. Sorry I can't remember in more detail, but it was ~8 years ago.

1/20/2008 11:28:46 PM

the cilia

1/20/2008 11:32:10 PM

^^cool theory.

1/21/2008 12:28:39 AM

sounds serious man. you should post it in chit chat. you know... just to be sure.

1/21/2008 12:59:44 AM

yeah - everyone would know exactly what was bothering my throat

1/21/2008 1:17:36 AM

yo smoking 1 cig a week for a lifetime is probably not really THAT bad...

1/21/2008 1:28:06 AM

Eat raw garlic because it contains a chemical called allicin. It is strongly anti-septic.

I also recommend gargling salt water.

Oh, and go see your doctor. Tell your doctor that you are quitting smoking. S/he may have some advice for you on how to succeed at quitting.

I have quit many times and it is really the hardest thing to do. Good luck to you.

1/21/2008 9:39:54 AM

Quote :

"I have quit many times"

love it

1/21/2008 9:42:57 AM

tonsiloliths

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=tonsiloliths&btnG=Google+Search

1/21/2008 2:27:06 PM

Gargling salt water always helps me.

1/21/2008 2:39:32 PM

go see your doctor.
it could be something as minor as a piece of popcorn stuck in your piriform recess, but you should def. go get it checked out, if only to get some piece of debris removed. the problem is you don't have 2-point sensation anywhere posterior to your hard palate, so you really have no idea where it is that is bothering you.

1/21/2008 3:39:59 PM

im prolly gonna have to do that...it hasn't gotten better, or worse.
still no symptoms, just the strange sensation of something stuck in my throat.


god man - salt water is rough -
i gargled 3 times, and will repeat in an hr or so.

1/21/2008 5:33:01 PM

how frequent/what potency do i use for gargling with salt water? i used ~ 3 tablespoons of salt, to 8oz. of water - i took swigs and gargled, and spat - 5 repetitions total. no change in condition.

1/21/2008 7:14:34 PM

i've already said what it is. use a flashlight to look down your throat. you'll see a little white ball in the very back of your throat. use the back of your toothbrush and dislodge it. then spit it up and smell it.

1/21/2008 7:21:19 PM

only take last 2 steps if you want to vomit

1/21/2008 7:22:35 PM

my tonsils are not the problem. they are healthy.

1/21/2008 7:26:10 PM

might be cancer..


id go check that shit out if i were you.





[Edited on January 21, 2008 at 7:42 PM. Reason : x]

1/21/2008 7:42:00 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRHvZazd4IM

1/22/2008 12:54:05 PM