scared

I've had a sore throat/feeling of something in my throat for almost 4 weeks. When I started getting mild ear pain I went to the doctor. He said he could tell I had some ear pressure and had signs of post nasal drip. He suggested I might have had a sinus infection and prescribed a 5 day anti-biotic and an Allegra type medicine (Rynatan) to clear up the sinus congestion. I feel like this has made some improvement but I still have some throat pain and when I swallow I have this weird, like "clicking" feeling. I have varying degrees of throat pain, swallowing discomfort, the "clicking", and other random minor ear and face pain.

What really concerns me is that I finished the 5 day antibitoic a few days ago with only moderate improvement. I'm still taking the Rynatan which helps with the post nasal drip but I still have this sensation of something being stuck in my throat. I know this isn't technically a medical symptom forum, but what I'm hoping for is some advice from people (particularly younger people as I am only 30 years old) that have had experiences that started out like what I have. I have read some of the horror stories describing several mis-diagnoses from doctors, prescribing treatment for symptoms similar to mine. I know the chances I have cancer are low due to my age, but I am a higher risk candidate due to frequent marijuana use and occasional cigarette smoking. I hardly smoke, but in times of stress I've started the habit of a cigarette or two. It was after smoking for a couple of days that my throat actually became agitate for this current episode, but that was about 4 weeks ago.

I guess what my question really is concerns the choice of language describing symptoms. It seems to me that one could describe a multiple number of specific problems in one way. For instance, I have this constant "lump" in my throat that I can always feel but that seems to vary slightly depending on the kind of congestion I'm having. This doesn't necessarily mean I have a physical lump, but does throat cancer have any sort of "mucousy" feeling to it? Is it a consistent pain or does it vary? What causes the pain that can be felt in either the face of the ear? I just feel like me not understanding the actual "feeling" or physical symptoms of throat cancer is what is causing my anxiety. Symptoms described on web sites about throat cancer tend to be pretty generic, and I don't want to waste a lot of time going to doctors that are going to mis-diagnose me.

Does anyone have any insight on the type of symptoms they had before being diagnosed with throat cancer? I did suffer from anxiety and panic attacks in the past, but have taken some medication to deal with it and am pretty much anxiety free. However, there is definately SOMETHING in my throat, and the fact it's not really going away is really worrying me. If it continues I'll push my doctor to go see an ENT, but if anything I'm saying can be expounded on by someone who's had it and hopefully was cured of it would be at least something.