I'm one of the (lucky? unlucky?) people w/ME who still get sick. And whatever I caught recently is really kicking my ass!
It started on Monday with a mild sore throat and increased body aches. By Tuesday I had white stuff on my tonsils and throat, ear pain, post nasal drip, increased salivation, and severe body aches.
I went to urgent care on Wednesday and they figured it was strep so they did a rapid strep test, throat culture, and sent me home with antibiotics. Not wanting to take antibiotics I don't need (would be my 4th course in 12 months), I waited 48 hours for the throat culture to come back before starting abx.
The rapid test and the throat culture both came back negative so I assume this is viral and thus have just been suffering through this hell with saline gargles, tea, soup, ibuprofen + acetaminophen, elderberry tincture, and cough drops.
My throat has now developed 3 well-defined ulcers (on my soft palate) that are extremely painful. I have to be loaded up on acetaminophen and ibuprofen at all times or I can't swallow and am constantly wincing in pain. My ears are hurting more now too and this morning I coughed up the nastiest crap I've ever seen (though it seems it was only this morning as I'm no longer coughing).
Has anyone experienced this before? Anyone have tips/recommendations for self-care? It looks to me like it may be Coxsackie virus (due to the ulcers) but I don't know for sure. All I know is I'm absolutely miserable and desperate for this to pass!
It started on Monday with a mild sore throat and increased body aches. By Tuesday I had white stuff on my tonsils and throat, ear pain, post nasal drip, increased salivation, and severe body aches.
I went to urgent care on Wednesday and they figured it was strep so they did a rapid strep test, throat culture, and sent me home with antibiotics. Not wanting to take antibiotics I don't need (would be my 4th course in 12 months), I waited 48 hours for the throat culture to come back before starting abx.
The rapid test and the throat culture both came back negative so I assume this is viral and thus have just been suffering through this hell with saline gargles, tea, soup, ibuprofen + acetaminophen, elderberry tincture, and cough drops.
My throat has now developed 3 well-defined ulcers (on my soft palate) that are extremely painful. I have to be loaded up on acetaminophen and ibuprofen at all times or I can't swallow and am constantly wincing in pain. My ears are hurting more now too and this morning I coughed up the nastiest crap I've ever seen (though it seems it was only this morning as I'm no longer coughing).
Has anyone experienced this before? Anyone have tips/recommendations for self-care? It looks to me like it may be Coxsackie virus (due to the ulcers) but I don't know for sure. All I know is I'm absolutely miserable and desperate for this to pass!
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