Bumps of various sizes on the back of my throat, behind uvula

[nillviod]

Hello I'm currently 19 years old.  I've been smoking weed for the past 4ish years on a fairly regular basis (1-2 spliffs w/ 10% tobacco, 90% marijuana). Before I go into what's scaring me I'd like to mention that I've been going through serious anxiety issues lately and have never worried the way I currently am over a physical illness.

Anyways, about 2 days ago I woke up with a horrible sore throat. I only slept for 3 hours, and to the best of my knowledge I had no sore throat proir to going to bed. I had smoked earlier in the night using a vaporizer (something i rarely do) as well as a spliff. I examined my throat in the mirror (something I've never really done before) and noticed that the back of my throat had various sized fleshy bumps (by fleshy I mean the same color as a healthy throat). Directly behind my uvula was a bump slightly larger than the others but similar in color. They are scattered over the back of my throat and clearly visible when I shine a light into my mouth and yawn. I also feel slighty sick... while I don't have a fever I just feel a little ill, weak, and have a slightly smaller appetite than usual. I've had the same sexual partner for years, there is no possibility of an STD.

I would like to know if this is something to seriously worry about or something that will likely go away in a few days. Thanks, I'm extremely worried and anxious over this.

[MissOCDgirl]

Omgoshhh I'm sooo happy I found this webpage you guys are the best!!! I seriously thought I was the only person in the world going through the same thing. I too have bumps in the back of my throat. One big one on the sidwe of where my tonsils use to be and two smaller ones on the bottom of it. It also looks like I have a bunch of little ones on the other side of where my tonsil use to be but they look very different. I also have what appears to be a white scratch which a dentist thought was a lesion and inflamation. But none of which hurt. Doctors have told me it looks viral, a nurse told me it looks like the following: cobblestone, scar tissue of when I removed my tonsils, or it's always been there. A nurse even told me it might be an ulcer due to stress but I thought ulcers hurt. I do get the feeling like it's harder to swallow and it tenses up feeling like it hurts sometimes but it go's away...HELPPP ME DIAGNOSEE!!!  My biggest fear is that it could be cancer or oral HPV =(

[nicnac356]

Guys, try not to get disheartened. The bumps on my uvula are still there too and like you Stro Ive had them about 4 weeks. I had a particularly nasty flu/cold type thing just before it happened so i'm still hopeful that maybe thats maybe what caused it and that it might go away eventually. The tube down the nose thing that the other poster talked about was what I got and although I agree my throat doesnt feel normal like it did before, they must see this kind of thing a lot and if it was anything serious they wouldnt just ignore it. It would be more than their job was worth to do that. Ive also been really irritated  in the past with docs who focus on my anxiety and not the problem in hand. However I beleive there is a reason for that. Its not that theyre ignoring the symptoms but I think they temper the way they speak to anxious people so as not to reinforce that something might be wrong and cause more distress. The word normal gets used a lot I believe to keep things calm. On one horrible occasion last year I got scanned for stomach pains and the obstetrician who didnt know about my anxiety told me that I had an "abnormal pelvic mass" and would need to get a "cancer test". I ended up in A&E with a heart rate of 200 beats a minute and narrowly avoided an injection into my heart to stop and restart it. It was horrific and all I had was a cyst which wasnt abnormal at all! So now I would much rather just hear "normal" until such time as I need to worry. Stro maybe you should talk to your doctor and explain that the feeling in your throat is causing you excessive anxiety and they might be able to push something along for you. My doc did when I was worrying about my "abnormal pelvic mass". She told me at the time she was sure everything was ok but because of my anxiety she arranged for me to get a laparoscopy much sooner to stop me from panicking about it. Hope you get some resolution soon. Take care everyone.

[Stro512]

It is frustrating seeing Dr. after Dr. only for them to tell you "Everything looks normal." When for us obviously everything is not normal. I'm still awaiting blood work results and even if they come back "normal" I'm still going to try and see and ENT to have my throat looked at with a scope. It's hard for me because I got sick while unemployed and no medical insurance, but I'm not giving up. This feeling in my throat (since end of June) has really weighed heavy on my psyche. Hope some Dr. out there finds relief for us who suffer (and i do mean suffer) from this ailment. Your not alone.

[FemaleNoName]

I am a 33 years old female.  I have one big cobblestone in the middle of my throat.  I can see it when I look inside my mouth with a flashlight.  I was very worried that this is a sign of cancer.  I can hear the cracks inside my neck every time I rotate my head.  I went to American doctor and he gave me Acid Reflux Prescription, but I still feel like there's something stuck in my throat.  The medication did help with my problem of keeping the food stay inside my stomach and not flowing back up my throat.  However, I still feel like there's something stuck in there.  So I went to a Chinese doctor and even Accupunture to help cure my neck pain because it was getting worse.  I was a weed and crack smoker and an E-tard also....but I quit all that about 3 years ago.  I was worried that those street drugs may be the cause of my throat problem.  The doctor assured me that smoking is not the cause of getting a cobblestone in my throat.  Doctors told me that it's fine and having a cobblestone in my throat is not abnormal.  I tried to listen to him and ignore the cobblestone....but it's bothering me now everyday when I wake up in the morning, I feel the pain in the back of my neck.  I went to the capitation specialist to check my throat.  What he did was I believed he spray lidocaine in my nose to numb my nose...then he insert a tube inside my nose to take a look inside my throat....again, the specialist said everything is fine. Nothing to worry about. It still bothers me now that I don't eat and sleep well.....If anybody finds a cure or a way to get rid of this cobblestone, I would be so thankful.

[Stro512]

Thanks so much for the update....My next Dr.s appointment is scheduled for the 3rd. That's when my blood work results are due back. I have been trying to find a way to see an ENT that will not charge me and arm and leg. I have on medical insurance, so it is difficult finding somewhere to go.  I am trying to keep my mind busy on other things to try and forget about this feeling in my throat, but it's not easy. I tend to feel it more just after eating. I was pleased to hear that your appointment went well. For the past two nights I have taken a quarter dose of the Xanax (for Anxiety) to help me sleep. I think it has helped a little, today I had more energy than previous days. I'll take another quarter dose tonight. I just want to get over this and feel like myself again, the way I did just 4weeks ago. Your response was greatly appreciated, thank you again. Take Care.

[nicnac356]

Me again. I just wanted to add that I dont mean to downplay your symptoms as all anxiety related. Its just in my experience physical symptoms become worsened by anxiety and minor things seem much bigger than they actually are to an anxious person. In the past ive also been frustrated by doctors who have focussed on my anxiety rather than the physical complaint. Ive had quite a few minor things over the last year and have had all sorts of investigations. Along the way I was always irritated by the fact that my doc always felt it necessary to mention that I suffer from anxiety and I always felt that my symptoms were dismissed as a result. In hindsight however I can see that my anxiety problem actually compounded the health problems Ive had and my reaction to physical symptoms was way out of proportion to what was actually wrong. Ive put myself through all sorts of tests and investigations at my own expense to reassure myself and its only now in hindsight that I can see that they werent actually required. Its taken me a long time to accept that the anxiety is just that. So from that point of view I think it's important to not only tackle the physical symptoms but to also deal with the anxiety problem at the same time to prevent it from spiralling.