Q. I am having red dots on my left tonsil and it is swollen. Is it because of past smoking?
Hello doctor,
I recently stopped smoking cigarettes and weed. I have had tonsil stones, since then, I have been using saltwater to wash my mouth. I can feel something stuck in the back of my throat constantly when I swallow. When I check it in the mirror, it looks like the left side seems to have bulged. It is now a little sore, red, and is starting to show a few red spots. I have been to the doctor before, but they put me on some medication as they said I had the infection. I am allergic to Penicillin. Please help. Thank you.
Hello,
Welcome to icliniq.com.
Smoking for long-duration causes specific changes in our throat and our airway. Sometimes it can have a profound impact on our upper digestive system also. Most of these changes adapt our throat and food pipe to prevent injury from nicotine and other components in cigarettes. Once you quit smoking, those adapted tissues start remodeling, and that process may take a couple of months or more. During that process, you will have particular symptoms such as burning sensation in the throat, feeling of something stuck in the throat, reddish granulations over the throat, dry cough, blackish phlegm, etc. The granulations you see in the back of your throat are nothing but inflamed lymph tissues, and they may stay for a few months before everything settles down. So, you need not worry about any cancerous growth. I have checked the photos you have attached (attachments removed to protect the patient's identity) thoroughly and found them to be just granulations that are expected. You need to drink a lot of water and take many citrus fruits and juices that contain vitamin c. Please avoid salt water gargling. I hope this helps. Thank you.
Thank you doctor,
It is hard not to panic sometimes. The last time I tried to quit was when it all started happening, then I started again, and it faded. I shall begin drinking more fruit juices. Hopefully, it will start to budge within a couple of months. Can the neck be sore to touch around the skin area? Is that also a classic symptom? I have attached a photo of the site thats quite painful to touch. Please help.
Hello,
Welcome back to icliniq.com.
Withdrawal-related throat symptoms will resolve within a couple of months. They will also resolve on their own. As per the attached photos (attachment removed to protect the patient's identity), there seem to be inflamed lymph nodes in the neck which is expected with throat inflammation. Thank you.
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