Hi doctor, I am an 18-year old male and recently I had stopped smoking and now my throat is sore. Is it something serious? I have been smoking for four months.
Hello. With the conversation, I understand you are an 18-year-old male who started smoking four months back and now quit it recently. However, you are suffering from throat pain now. My assessment is that the sore throat is just a throat infection. It has got nothing to do with any cancer if that is what you are worrying about. The throat pain may have got aggravated by the smoke and the agents in it. Kindly follow these suggestions. 1. Hot salt water gargles daily thrice. 2. Steam inhalation. 3. Take plenty of hot fluids like soup, rice water, etc. 4. Take all the foods hot and warm. 5. Avoid cold drinks, alcohol, cold foods, outside foods or drinks. 7. Do not smoke again. If after the precautions told above still you have no improvement kindly consult an ENT surgeon who will look into your throat and check if there is anything wrong. He will arrive at a decisive diagnosis and institute the right treatment that will help you get rid of the problem. A note on smoking: Now that you have quit it kindly hold on to it. It is easy to get back to smoking due to peer pressure and friends. However, once you become addict to it there is no going back. Also, it takes a few years for the damage to the lungs and throat to become severe enough to cause cancer. However, only if you have a strong will power will you be able to quit it completely once you restart your habit. I hope this helps.