throat

This morning I got out of bed at 7am because my throat felt like it was a rigid ring that was trying really hard to hold itself open. It didn’t feel like it was closing, and I’m not wheezing (except when there’s mucus coating my vocal cords–then I wheeze and cough), so it’s weird for me to say that it was holding itself open, since it didn’t feel in danger of NOT being open, but that’s how it felt. It hurts. And I was coughing a lot, which also hurts. Now that i’m drinking water it’s gotten better somewhat but this pressure on my throat is really weird and not something I’ve experienced before.

I was sick for 3 weeks, got better in the rest of my body but not 100% in my throat, shouted a lot, sang despite protestations from my throat on the last two Sundays, and I’m thinking now my throat has just had enough. I am terrified: what if I’ve done permanent damage? What if I can never sing again?

Maybe it really is acid reflux disease; I had a small cup of wine last night and then started to feel a bit of throat irritation. However, I had like 4.5 large glasses of wine on Monday night and was fine, so it’s not always. Maybe it’s just that I’ve abused it too much in the last two weeks and it can’t take it anymore.

I’m thinking I should honestly not talk for a week. It really hurts, especially when I swallow. It’s been hurting slightly on and off since I’ve been sick for weeks; last night it started really hurting in a straight line in the left side of my throat, where it continues to hurt more now.

Actually I’m unsure. I’m not coughing uncontrollably anymore like I was when I just woke up, but maybe I do feel kind of weird and constricted. I can’t remember if I posted here about trader joe’s raisins treated with sulfur dioxide: they made me wheeze. If I ate a big mouthful at once (before I realized it was the sulfur dioxide) . I looked it up (http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/tfacts116.html says “Asthmatics have also been shown to be sensitive to the respiratory effects of low concentrations of sulfur dioxide.”) I am quite definitely sensitive to sulfur dioxide, with no prior history of asthma.