# What's going on with my throat? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 6, 2007, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-going-on-with-my-throat/394880 "2007-03-06T23:47:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2007, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-going-on-with-my-throat/394880/1 "2007-03-06T23:47:02Z")
_ **Disclaimer** _ If my throat doesn’t get better, I will be taking it to the doctor in a couple of days. I had a flu last week that included a fever and lots of unproductive coughing. For the last three days I have had a lump in my throat feeling and it hurts to swallow. I’m still coughing quite a bit. Anybody have an idea why my throat feels so lumpy? Is it just irritation from the extreme coughing? I’ve never had a lumpy throat from coughing before - just a sore, burning throat. (I also have acid reflux, so I don’t know if that is aggravating my throat on top of the coughing.) ---
**Author:** ![badkittypriestess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8baadc/32.png) [@badkittypriestess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/badkittypriestess)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2007, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-going-on-with-my-throat/394880/2 "2007-03-07T00:56:30Z")
(I also have acid reflux, so I don’t know if that is aggravating my throat on top of the coughing.) That can aggravate your throat, you can try gargling with salt water to see if that helps. I would go to the Dr. if it doesn’t get better in a couple of days. The acid can irritate the throat and the constant coughing can make it worse. Try using a cool mist humidifier at night and when your at home. Do you like hot tea? Try some with honey if you like it that way. Or try a Wiskey punch. Wiskey, water, lemon and sugar then see your Dr. Feel better! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2007, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-going-on-with-my-throat/394880/3 "2007-03-07T02:23:00Z")
If you’ve managed to injure your throat, it can be scarred. Scar tissue in the throat, before it fully heals, can feel like a lump. It usually feels a lot bigger than it actually is, though. ---
**Author:** ![TroubleAgain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e480ec/32.png) [@TroubleAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroubleAgain)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2007, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-going-on-with-my-throat/394880/4 "2007-03-07T18:17:05Z")
Swollen glands, maybe? ---
**Author:** ![AngryIrishLass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bbce88/32.png) [@AngryIrishLass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AngryIrishLass)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2007, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-going-on-with-my-throat/394880/5 "2007-03-07T19:47:42Z")
Smoker? My mother’s lung cancer started with a tumor in her throat. Way out there, I know. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2007, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-going-on-with-my-throat/394880/6 "2007-03-07T20:05:19Z")
Nope, I don’t smoke, and I don’t think I’ve injured my throat. It’s a little better today - I think it must have just been a weird virus thing combined with the coughing. ---
**Author:** ![Figaro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ea666f/32.png) [@Figaro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Figaro)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2007, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-going-on-with-my-throat/394880/7 "2007-03-07T21:23:40Z")
[QUOTE=featherlou] (I also have acid reflux, so I don’t know if that is aggravating my throat on top of the coughing.) [/QUOTE] My acid reflux often leaves me feeling like I have a lump in my throat. If the problem persists and you have good insurance, you can have an ENT put either a mirror or a fiber optic camera down your throat to image your larynx. If there’s swelling or irritation from the reflux it’ll be obvious. In my case it looked like something out of a horror flick… :eek: ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2007, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-going-on-with-my-throat/394880/8 "2007-03-08T00:00:58Z")
I was eating a granola bar at work one morning and a chunk “went down the wrong pipe” as they say. I coughed it out but it scratched the inside of my throat and that drove me nuts for about a week. Just as you described, it felt like a lump in my throat that couldn’t be swallowed or coughed out.