Update:

I saw my primary care doctor yesterday and an ENT today. Long story long: ENT did a fiber optic laryngoscopy and saw irritation/inflammation in the mucosa along the right side of my vocal cords. No sign of infection. I believe she mentioned it is the aryepiglottic fold but I need to confirm this.

She didn’t have a clear explanation how swallowing a sharp piece of food a month ago would have injured this area and caused continued issues. Seeing how the epiglottis plays a role while swallowing food and protecting the airway, it seems pretty clear how I may have injured this area. What puzzles me is why it’s still aggravated after a month.

She prescribed a Medrol Dosepak but I noticed after filling it that it shouldn’t be used if you have an active fungal infection. Unfortunately I’m dealing with a twofer: toenail fungus and jock itch (fun times). I sent her a follow-up message about this asking for alternative treatment options, but it was near end of the day today and we’re going into a weekend. So I won’t hear back until Monday earliest. Really sucks :/

In the meantime, I plan to rest my voice, continue on my soft diet, and take NSAIDs. In my search for an alternative treatment option while I wait, seeing scary stuff that an acute inflammation of this area can restrict the airway and is a medical emergency. I know that’s not likely but it doesn’t help with my anxiety about what I’m dealing with (note to self: stay away from Dr. Google).

Yesterday, my primary doc ordered an ultrasound of the throat and a referral to GI doc for an upper endoscopy. I’ll think about how I want to proceed with these depending how I respond to the current treatment plan.