What could be the cause of my persistent sore throat?!
Question: I have had a sore throat since New Years Day...originally I thought it might just be from having drank too much new years eve...but it still hasn't gone away. I went to the doctor a couple days ago, and it came back negative for strep. She said to just take dayquil or whatever for a while. It is now the 8th day of my sore throat and is not getting any better. It only hurts when I swallow, but when I do its really painful. Any advice/ideas what it might be?
Answers: I have had a sore throat since New Years Day...originally I thought it might just be from having drank too much new years eve...but it still hasn't gone away. I went to the doctor a couple days ago, and it came back negative for strep. She said to just take dayquil or whatever for a while. It is now the 8th day of my sore throat and is not getting any better. It only hurts when I swallow, but when I do its really painful. Any advice/ideas what it might be?
You probably have a mild upper respiratory virus. Viruses can make you feel really miseable, but there's not much that can be done for them other than the usual suspects: rest, proper nutrition, and time. At this time of year, viruses abound, especially when we're run down from the holidays and have been touching every germy dollar bill, door handle, and handshake to boot!
That being said, if it is not going away, or if its accompanied by a fever, you may want to return to the doctor for another throat swab. It may be that your first swab they only did a rapid culture, plus the quick screen, which may show negative at times. You may need a throat culture to be 100% sure. The full culture takes 2-3 days in order to be definitive.
Also, if it continues, you may want to be looked at for mono (yuck, I know), which is fairly contagious, not all that uncommon, and can cause a serious sore throat, sometimes without other obvious symptoms.
In the time being, you're probably best to ride it out the best you can, probably for a few more days. Try using a humidifier or a warm shower to help moisten your throat with warm, moist air. Try tea with honey, both because honey is very soothing, but honey has been shown to have some antibiotic properties that aren't fully explained (gramma sure knew her stuff!). Herbal lozenges and hard candies may help keep some of the pain at bay, as a dry throat is usually more painful.
Again, if you're not noticing any improvement, go to your doc for a follow up. At that point she can see if it is a lingering case of strep, allergies, or a virus.
Good luck! Hope you feel better soon.
Dry winter air can cause a sore throat.
You really need to go to the doctor again......ask to get tested for strep throat again. You can also use things like chloroseptic sprary for your throat.
inflammimed tonsils, get em removed
The flu?
Maybe just a virus. They won't show positive on a strep test. My kids had this a few weeks ago, lasted 2 weeks!!
Could be from your sinuses draining down the back of your throat, making it raw. This could turn into sinus infection. Could be allergies. if it hurts to swallow, and you have whitish looking pockets on your tonsils accompanied by a fever, it could be strep. If you can, you may want to go to a doctor, cause strep needs to be treated with antibiotics. Hope you feel better soon