There’s lots of info all about ES in the Newbies Guide section- there’s info about common symptoms, and also the results of a survey that members did about their symptoms. Yes, the typical symptoms are lump sensation in the throat and difficulty swallowing, but not everyone has them- I didn’t! Changes/ hoarseness in the voice are quite common, and as Isaiah says there have been quite a few vocalists who’ve struggled with this ES symptom. MusicGeek has posted a while back about her surgery, I can’t find any of her posts I’m afraid, but you can search for her in the members tap at the top of the home page, click on her icon, and then send a private message if you’re interested. There’s also info in the Newbies Guide as to what to expect from surgery, and what to ask doctors about before making a decision about surgery. Generally if you have an experienced doctor and they take out as much of the SP and any calcification as possible, and smooth off any remaining stub of SP, then surgery helps. There are scary stories out there, but it’s often because inexperienced doctors have just snapped the SP off, or broken it into pieces and left it in- yes, that has happened!!
There’s also been quite a few discussions about sucessful surgery- here’s a couple of links:
Information is the key to making the right decision, so have a good look around on here, and if you’ve any other questions, feel free to ask!