My throat is absolutely killing me, and I can't get an appointment with Student Health Services until tomorrow afternoon. (They really suck something awful, everyone else tells me who'se been to them)
Is there anything whatsoever I can do to ease this pain???
Posted by Dragon (Member # 3670) on :
gargle with hot salt water
Posted by dread pirate romany (Member # 6869) on :
Honey and lemon, taken straight or in tea.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Warm salt water. If you have access to liquid Benadryl (or liquid store brand diphenhydramine), try gargling, then swallowing, a small amount of that. It has mild topical anesthetic properties. If you're like most people, it will also make you sleepy, so you can ignore the pain for a few hours.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Oh, and take Tylenol. It will not only help with the pain, it can bring down that streppy fever a bit to make you more comfortable. Swallow with the aid of hot tea with honey or lots and lots of sugar. If you really can't manage the pills, crush them up, or get the capsules and break one open, mix it with some applesauce, and take it that way.
Posted by Lupus (Member # 6516) on :
my standard answer to all health questions: decapitation
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
Ginger or lemon tea. For ginger, peel and slice about an inch of ginger root, add honey and boiling water. For lemon, use about a half a sliced lemon, also with honey and boiling water. Always made me feel better.
Posted by CalvinMaker (Member # 2032) on :
thanks for the advice guys. I did what you said, and I'm feeling a little bit better.
Posted by maui babe (Member # 1894) on :
If you truly suspect you have Strep throat, be sure to get a culture even if you start to feel better. And complete any antibiotics you are prescribed. Untreated Strep can lead to some very severe complications.
Posted by CalvinMaker (Member # 2032) on :
::nods::
I just hope Student Health treats me properly. They are known to be god-awful.
Posted by Allegra (Member # 6773) on :
A friend of mine had the strep spread to her leg. It was ugly and involved a stay in the hospital.
Posted by Valentine014 (Member # 5981) on :
The crazy thing about the strep test is that it takes about 5 minutes to get your results and that it takes 24 hours+ to get an appointment. By then, how many people have been infected? (Just a thought brought on by the fact that my coworker just went home today on antibiotics due to a strep related illness, one which she failed to mention until 12:00.)
Posted by maui babe (Member # 1894) on :
Strep is only spread by direct contact (kissing, sharing eating utensils, direct touching of skin lesions). You're not going to get infected by sitting in a classroom or office with someone with a Strep infection. Actually, most people have Strep on their skin and/or in their nose and throat anyway. It's an opportunistic pathogen that's just waiting for your immune system to give it a chance to invade your tissues.
Most doctors offices will do throat cultures without an office visit. The 5 minute Strep test is quick and dirty. You will still need a 24 hour culture to determine antibiotic resistance. And antibiotic resistant Strep is very rare, fortunately.
Posted by Valentine014 (Member # 5981) on :
![[Angst]](graemlins/angst.gif)