What Causes Constant Sore Throat Inspite Of Having Normal Chest X Ray?

Question : I recently had an upper respiratory infection. i was hoarse,sore throat, had a a dry cough(non productive and clear sputum),and being a singer in a band i had to cancel 3 weeks of gigs. after treatment from doc, i recovered, However,ive had a lingering sore throat predominantly on the left side down near voice box. after 2 months with this,i went to ent. He put the flexible cam down my nose into my throat. he said it all looks fairly clear,but for a small tissue mass that was most likely due to residual coughing trauma from resp infection. i asked him straight up if this could be cancerous and he said it looks far too"clean" for that. It would look suspicious if bleeding or messy looking. however,he said to pop back in in 2 months to check it again. The pain itself is not always there,feel it more in morning and here and there in the day. i have no difficulty swallowing nor does it feel like"a piece of food stuck in my throat" as most cancers are supposed to feel. i have had acid reflux and post nasal drip and wonder if either could be a suspect in the cause. About me: I am 43, i exercise regularly,in good shape,eat very healthy/organic.i live in an area with a lot of pollen/allergy related issues. Basically very health conscious to a fault. However, I do have a couple of martinis nightly and a couple of puffs of marijuana before bed. i used to smoke but quit 15 years ago. had a chest x ray recently that was clear as well. sometimes i feel a bit rushed by doctors and feel i need real consultation on this. I would like to know what you might attribute this sore throat to. Thank you