Hi doctor, I am 32 years old. I have GERD since a few years as the doctor told me after a diagnosis where he took the camera inside the food pipe. Anyway, I used to smoke then I quit but recently I smoked a bit when I was in holiday, after coming back from holidays I am getting a lump like feeling under my Adam's apple, just where the neck and the chest meet when I swallow food or saliva. It is very disturbing. I went to the doctor and he told it is maybe because of inflammation of the food pipe and gave me to do an ultrasound but everything went well. Nothing was found. But the feeling of something stuck is making me worried. Should I be concerned?
Hi. The lump feeling is most probably due to reflux laryngitis. It is a manifestation of GERD (gastro-esophageal reflux disease) higher up near the larynx (Adam's apple and voice box). Smoking aggravates the same or can be a trigger for it. The reflux symptoms may also be voice change, hoarseness, difficulty swallowing, increased throat mucus and frequent clearing of the throat.  You will have to take some proton pump inhibitors (Pantoprazole, Esomeprazole or Lansoprazole) twice daily for few weeks and then take once daily for a week and stop. Have Gavison syrup (Sodium Alginate and Sodium bicarbonate) after each meal. Follow all precautions for GERD as your doctor would have told you before. If the problem persists and does not resolve you may have to repeat the endoscopy and this time we will have to do a video laryngoscopy along with the UGI (upper gastrointestinal) endoscopy. If there is excessive mucus you may need a mucolytic medicine and an anti-allergic tablet as well. Do let us know the progress. For more information consult an ENT otolaryngologist online -->