It could be a number of things. You really need to find the money to see a doctor if you think its infected. It could even be a thrombosed hemorrhoid. Have you tried any preparation H? It might help to shrink those swollen tissues, if it is hemorrhoids.

The "thinnest" workable height to add a layer of concrete would be around 1", and that's with using very small aggregate and fiber reinforcement instead of a traditional mix with a lot more strength. It wouldn't be thick enough or strong enough (even with the fiber reinforcing) to remain crack free, and it really doesn't have enough depth to be wire reinforced. And, you're raising your counters at least 1". Counters are 36" high for a reason. I'm sorry, but this sounds like another of those "HGTVisms" like glueing chicken feathers to a wall or using hollow core doors to make an outdoor table. It's "fine" for the 15 minutes it's being filmed, and a total disaster for someone to deal with after the camera stops.

I also heard that one of the Korean companies was making microwaves. Sharp and Panasonic for sure. All microwaves degrade from the jump. The magnetron (is that what it's called? Too early for me..) degrades with use. Search the forum, and you'll get good explanations from Kas about this. Investing a ton of money in a microwave, therefore, doesn't make a lot of sense. OTOH, that part will last a heck of a lot longer than a few years, if you get a kitchen grade microwave (as opposed to a desktop cutsiepoo unit for which I have no data at all). The thing that makes so many microwaves "disposable" is wear and tear. If you have family members who SLAM the door, PUNCH the buttons, etc., and constantly fiddle with it, starting and stopping and opening and closing, and just using it a lot for one mug of hot water, the box is going to wear out long before the magnetron. If you're nice to it, and use it a couple of times per day rather than all day long, it could last 20 years or more. One of the things you can get with a more expensive unit, along with looks and snooty badge, is potentially a sturdier housing. It is also potentially possible to have a built-in unit repaired (I can't imagine it being worthwhile to repair a freestanding unit). There are people who do microwave repairs and they do make replacement magnetrons. The only situation where that seems like a possible good idea, however, is when you have the beautiful built-in that matches your beautiful kitchen which still looks like new. Re convection: The initial convection microwaves didn't work well as ovens, and also didn't meet the expectations of the buyers. That was before convection ovens themselves were well understood in the US. In the time I've been researching appliances and hanging out here (coming up on ten years), the general tone from users of them has gone from not worth the money to acceptable second oven. Again, I don't know if that's a change in quality or in user expectations. Convection ovens cook with circulated hot air. They do a good job roasting. Great for "cooking" or "baking" a casserole. Even baking a loaf of bread. For small things, like cookies, a lot depends on the pan, the cookie and whether or not it really wanted bottom heat. For most, it'll do an acceptable job. Some outliers really do better with a proper baking mode. Egg rising things like angel cakes and soufflés really don't like being blown about. If you can arrange the angle of the pan to the blower just right, it's possible, but still iffy. The heated air can also bounce off the surfaces in unexpected ways leading to uneven cooking/browning, contravening the evenness that you otherwise get from the movement of the air. It's likely that there are still poor ones out there, especially at the lower end. There must also be good ones. Just familiarize yourself with the features and abilities of the unit, and use that to sift through the consumer reviews to know whether it was the oven or the user, and make your judgment from there.

What a mistake! Hopefully you have posted on the Building a House forum for input. I wouldn't do either of your proposed options if this happened to me. I know these options are more work, but I'd prefer to remove the soffit and change the door opening into the kitchen, building the soffit over that opening. This creates a deeper hall. To me you keep the dramatic ceiling that you are apparently going after and it's much less of an interruption to the eye. I guessed at your ceiling height; I know it's not correct but this gives a visual. I would also do a fridge surround and cabinets on top of your baking station. Or, if you don't mind the lowered ceiling there, I'd go all the way across with a deeper soffit to match the wall to the left of the fridge. This give you more balance and storage. I would have attempted to go as high as the soffit with cabinetry, but I don't know your height there. Hopefully, this bump gets you some more input.