Hello!
I hope I am not bothering you, I realise this situation could be easily solved by going to a doctor's office; however, it's night-time where I live, and I would rather not go to the ER right now unless absolutely necessary.
I accidentally hit myself in the throat about two hours ago (I was throwing a shirt slingshot-style while lying down and somehow as I threw it my fist hit my throat). I don't think I used much force, as I barely noticed that I'd hit myself initially.
However, after a few minutes I started having a weird, rough feeling in the back of my throat, especially while swallowing, as if I'd had phlegm. I realised this was probably swelling from the hit.
I've been applying ice for about 30 minutes; if I run my finger down my throat, I can point more precisely to a spot that seems to hurt more than the others (the pain is dull and not very severe, but it's there, especially when I touch it or take a break from icing). If I swallow, I can still feel that strange phlegmy sensation. I can talk without pain, and there's occasionally a touch of hoarseness in my voice.
The position of the spot that hurts more: if you divided my throat in four squares, it would be the upper right part. I can move my head just fine, though turning to the right feels like compressing that spot.
Does this sound dangerous? How long should I keep icing the area, and looking out for more swelling?
I'm worried about having damaged the cartilages, and one online source even mentioned the possibility of neck injuries triggering strokes (I know I'm way too impressionable, sorry)
Thank you so much for reading!