So a bit of history I've suffered with ENT problems specifically sore throats since I was 17 getting minimum of 4 infections a year which would knock me out of commission for about 2 weeks at a time. Finally after 15 years I got my tonsils removed last year and I thought hallelujah it's over. Or so I thought I started then with chronic ear infections.

Anyway this year the throat infections have started up again and since the start of September I've had a chronic sore throat, loss of voice, no appetite (unusual for me!), not sleeping, and general pain in my throat and neck area (with it sometimes radiating up to my ears which I know happens as they are all connected) and feel like a lump in my throat. Obviously mindful during COVID and took my temp etc and not had one nor had a cough. Talked to my doc and they prescribed me good old Amoxicillin which is my usual for these infections in the past. A week later I felt no improvement so-called up docs again and had another phone consultation (joys of COVID) and they prescribed me stronger/more targeted antibiotics. Fast forward another week and still no better and getting really worried so call up doctor. They take my full history down and I go through all my symptoms and they ask me to go in for face to face consultation in an hour. I head over she inspects and see my throat is extremely red and inflamed and feels all my glands which are massively up. She calls the ENT at our local hospital for some advice as we are a bit reluctant to go on the third course of antibiotics and risk becoming immune.

ENT says they want to trial me for a week on omeprazole to see if acid reflux is causing all this even though my food intake has been severely reduced and I don't have any of the typical GERD symptoms. But at this point I'm so desperate will try anything. They have set up a phone call with the GP for next Friday and if I don't feel better by then they will then see me in ENT at the hospital or if I get worse to call GP up to chivvy it along.

I'm at my wit's end - has anyone else suffered like this? I just worry that there is something more ominous at play. The lump in my throat just feels like someone is strangling me and just fed up of being sick. I took a few days off work but due to everything that's going on and that I'm WFH at the moment I'm back at work just trying to distract myself.

Any advice or people who have suffered like this? Thank you!