I have constant pain/irritation in my throat and now a dry lump during sleep. How do I make my lifelong sore throat go away?

My entire life I have had a sore throat. If you could view my medical records from childhood it was one case of strep thoat after another.  I remember going to the doctor around age 12 for a sore throat related issue and he told me just to drink more water!!  I have made scratching noises with my throat my whole life in order to deal with the itchyness of my throat.  I'm 26 now and over the past year my throat has been a constant troublesome irritant.  I make horrible scratching noises during the night which is very embarassing.  I even wake up unable to swallow as if I have a huge dry lump in the bottom of my throat.  It takes me quite a few times to swallow to make the dry lump feeling go away.  Having a sore throat your entire life, its hard to get used the the scratchy and sometimes painfull feeling.  Now it is effecting my sleep and i am very angry.  After 14 years of "drinking more water", it hasn't helped.  I had my thyroid checked (it's fine), I don't smoke, I don't sleep with my mouth open, I get plenty of exercise, and I take zyrtec for my allergies and I still make these embarassing throat noises to scratch my throat.  Will having my tonsils removed reduce the scratchyness of my throat?  Is this dry lumpy choking feeling I have during sleep something to be concered about?  This may sound like a silly problem to have but it is really disrupting my life.  Please Help!

[doodleedoo]

Dear User " othelo21 ",
I am in a similar predicament.
I will re-post any leads I find online.
Just to give you an idea of how I am similar:

I was born with a birth defect which,after the reparatory surgery, left scar tissue on my esophagus and two scars along my throat and stomach tubes.
In childhood until about the age of 13 I had a very load and painful SOUNDing coughs. They slowly dissipated and only occur now if I am really sick.As I aged, they became more painful and breath-taking, making my lungs ache.
I have been tested for asthma and other similar syndromes. I tested negative.

I too have been predisposed throughout my life towards related ailments
(strep,allergies,walking pneumonia).

Over the course of the past 5 years, from the age of about 26 to my current age of 33, my throat and mouth have been becoming drier.
I drink more water and soy milk and less coffee and focus my diet on watery green veggies like lettuce and cucumber with of course protein etc.
This helps but, recently, I have moved to a 'walkable city' and when I have been walking, especially with a heavy bag, after about 20 minutes, I have a hard dry lump in my throat.
My second month here, I walked to a restaurant for breakfast and my lump was so large that my throat could not swallow. I have not felt that since age 7 with chicken pox.

I have been found to have rare food allergies to wheat,apples,potatoes,tomatoes and citrus.
My 'walkable city' where I have moved is also in an area known for higher smog density.

In conclusion: I commiserate with you and will re-post any leads I find (: