It started on Wednesday I think, I was feeling a little.. off.. well Thursday early morning.. 3am-ish, I woke up with the worst pain in my throat. By 11am I was coughing until I was bringing up blood (TMI - sorry!), so I went off to the Dr. He said tonsillitis, so I started antibiotics that second, I've had tonsillitis once before and it wasn't too much fun! So I've been on antibiotics, was taking ibuprofen for the fever and pain, but had to stop taking it yesterday because its too hard to swallow.. and I've taken every kind of drugs my pharmacist has recommended to help me sleep, deal with phlegm, and also the pain. Well nothing is working, and I'm feeling WORSE. I'm hoping you all might have some secret home remedy you can share! I am also gargling with salt water 3+ times a day. I feel like I'm slowly going insane.. I haven't slept for more than an hour at once since Wednesday night, and I would kill to drink a tall glass of iced water. I can't get into the dr until Monday, and the idea of facing another day without sleep or water just isn't too appealing right now..

Thanks in advance!

-Aimee

I am sorry that you are feeling so poorly.
This kind of sounds like strep throat. Did your Dr. take a throat culture? If it is strep, the best stuff for it is antibiotics and ibuprofen.

The only home remedies I can think of:

garlic is a powerful antiviral so eat lots if you can stomach it.
I like Emergen-C powdered vitamin C supplement packets. They do help fight things off, for me. And lots of oranges/citrus and juices are good to help the immune system although maybe the acid on the sore throat wouldn't be too pleasant...

Hope you get better really soon!

Drink a cup of hot water a swallow or two at a time--not to burn yourself, of course, but hot as you can stand it without hurting yourself. Put some lemon in the water, and a little honey if you like--but it's the heat that should help. It should stop the pain almost immediately, and then you can drink some cool water.

Jay

Sorry your're not feeling well. Maybe some of that spray that numbs your throat?

I agree with the warm water. that sooths the throat, and then try to drink as much water as you can because water will loosen up your mucus and help you cough up the phlem. zinc is great for the immune system. strawberries are a good source of zinc. muccinex is also good for the phlem. and good old cloraseptic spray is nice for your sore throat. hope you feel better

Yup. What Jay said. Water as hot as you can stand it, combined with a little lemon juice. The hotter the water, the better (obviously not hot enough to burn, of course). It will help numb the pain and make it easier to swallow.

I'm so sorry. I get strep really badly about once every couple of years ... and I know how miserable it can be.

.

Thanks everyone for replying!! It helps to have someone... talk to me.. lol! Since I can't talk, it's being in isolation!

I went to a walk-in clinic, and this doctor doesn't think the antibiotics are responding as they should.. and he finally explained to me how they couldn't. I figured since I never talk antibiotics until its a last resort I'd be just fine whenever I did need them.. turns out its the rest of the world who might be the issue here. Anyways, he gave me some new drugs, one is a sleeping pill - I am very excited to hopefully sleep for more than an hour

My bf came up with an unlikely solution to some of the pain - water. He basically forced me to drink an entire bottle, no matter how painful, and by the end it was NOT painful! Well, not AS painful. I did try the hot water with some lemon - I think I'll try it again, see if it helps today. The spray never really helped my throat, but it helped my tongue.

Thanks again everyone for the replies.. you can really tell how talking-starved I am from how long this post is.. lol! Doesn't help that I basically talk for work, and I've been off for 5 days now! But better to stay home where I don't infect anyone!

-Aimee

Sorry you're so poorly, Aimee. I hope you manage to get some sleep.

I very rarely take regular medicine, and over the years I've added to my home remedies. I find the lemon and honey in hot water works even better when 6-9 cloves are added. Don't accidentally swallow the cloves, though! Ouch!

Feel better soon.

Oh man I just got tonsillitis for the first time in my life last December. Oh heavens was it painful. Honestly one of the worst things I've gone through, health-wise. Plus the antibiotics made me feel sick to my stomach. Mine lasted atleast 3 weeks. My tonsils got so big and so infected I couldn't even speak.... BRUTAL. I woke up today with a weird feeling throat. Kinda scratchy and painful, and some coughing..... I really hate winter. REALLY REALLY REALLY.
I'm gonna try that hot water thing everyone is talking about.
Feel better. I know what your going through!

Owieee, my girl!
I know the feeling! I get strep throat a few times a year usually and it is the ONLY health issue that makes me cry, including childbirth! It is SO painful.
The only thing that helps me is mega antibiotics and huge doses of ibuprofen. I take 600-800 milligrams when I've got strep. Poor girl...I hope it goes away really soon!

I also took the whole week off this week, but I have to go back tomorrow regardless. I've got this cold, like no other cold I've EVER had...tons of pain and sweats, and nose, eyes...wheezing and crackling in my chest. I finally went to the doctor yesterday, and got some antibiotics also...because I know it had progressed to bronchitis, and probably a sinus infection too.
YUCK!

Here's to us getting much, MUCH better my friend!


Linda

I tried the hot water thing... didn't help at all. I must be all freaky or something. I took the sleeping pill and I'm a drooling messsss!! /fuzzy sight just after 5 minutes.. its working fast. I love my dr right now!! okay..i'm off to pass out!! See you tom. afternoon for an update!

-Aimeeeeee

Amiee I hope your feeling better tomorrow and find my advice useless. I found some sore throat tea. It worked really well for me. I no longer have the box but I'm sure I picked it up at target. It's been about a year or so ago. I put honey in it also and that made it taste much better.

Last night I was SO extremely tired, and my body was aching to sleep, and then I fell asleep... and 4 minutes later I woke up choking on phlegm. This lasted like until my bf got home at 12am, he brought home some Buckley's! It tasted horrible, burned SO badly... but! I slept! Yahoo!! I SLEPT!!! And when I woke up this morning? The huge white puss things were 3/4 the size, my glands also about 3/4 the size they were before too!! I'm going to nap today, because I can I feel like a completely different person now that I've had some sleep

-Aimee

glad you're feeling better