After over a week of going through the same thing you did, I finally found this thread. I have never had such relief from just knowing you managed to get the popcorn shell out. I woke up in the middle of the night a few days ago and felt something in my mouth. It was a popcorn shell. I thought that was it. It's been a week since then, and it turns out I have a second shell stuck in my throat.

I can tell its a shell and not a scratch because it has shifted from the right side to the left and back and forth. Anxiety is through the roof, but I have hope!