24-year-old male, 174 cm, 90kg, based in the UK. I’ve been dealing with extreme pain on one side of my throat for the last 6 or 7 days. I’m generally in good health and had my tonsils out years ago. I don’t smoke, though I do use shisha once in a while. Regarding meds, I’ve taken 1.4g of ibuprofen and 3g of paracetamol throughout today. The sensation is a sharp, stabbing pain localized to the right side, particularly when I swallow. It hasn’t gotten any better over the past week. I visited the ER because the agony was unbearable and I’d noticed some bright red blood when spitting. The doctors there checked my throat and claimed everything appeared fine—no inflammation, no discharge, and obviously no tonsils. I don’t have a temperature, my jaw moves fine, and my voice is normal. They suggested it might just be post-viral irritation and told me to keep taking pain relief. However, the pain remains intense and feels deep, like there’s a mass on the right side when I swallow, even if nothing shows up on an exam. I can manage soft foods and drinks, but it hurts. Key points: Sharp right-sided pain when swallowing, no fever, no visible swelling, minor bleeding a few days back, no improvement after a week, had a cold about a month ago. Could this still be viral, or is it time to see a specialist? The pain is becoming hard to handle.
Having symptoms for a week can still be typical for viral pharyngitis. You should ideally see a gradual improvement each day. If things take a turn for the worse (like developing a high fever or having trouble breathing/swallowing), you need to return to the ER. If it hasn’t cleared up in 2 to 3 weeks, getting an ENT consultation would be a good idea.