Vocal nodules

Hi there,
I have been suffering from post nasal drip for as long as i can remember, so i'm constantly clearing my throat of mucous. Due to the chronic abuse of my vocal folds from the throat clearing, i have developed vocal nodules. They are hardened, not early nodules, but fully formed. I'm wondering if the cause of the post nasal drip was rectified, would the nodules (even though they are hardened) eventually dissipate?
As far as i can tell, surgery to remove the nodules is the only option, but it has disastrous effects on the singing voice, which I would like to avoid. So do hardened nodules ever go away naturally? Or are they permanent requiring surgery? Thank you for your time