Help for viral pharyngitis?

vaknitter · 03-13-2013, 07:34 AM

I've had a killer sore throat since Saturday. It is not strep, MD thinks it is viral pharyngitis in response to a nasty cold that is going around. It could take 10 days to get better. The pain I am having rivals when I had my tonsils out a few years ago and then I was given Rx pain meds.
MD offered me codiene but I won't take that while breastfeeding. Salt water gargle helps for about 3min and warm liquids are tolerable - almost. I am breastfeeding so I have no choice but to keep eating (may never eat yogurt again) and drinking.
Anyone have any suggestions?

GrumpyGramma · 03-13-2013, 12:56 PM

I've had some bad sore throats but don't think I've ever had that. All I can think of is chicken broth. I sure do hope it's better soon.

Lighting57 · 03-13-2013, 03:15 PM

This sound like what my husband and I experienced in late Feb. We were sick for almost three weeks. My tonsils were removed when I was 16 (now 55). My throat was red, raw, and sore just as they felt as if I had the strep throat again. Along with this we also had horrible coughing fits that left the muscles under our rib cage feeling as if they had been torn, we also had flu like symptoms, fever, weakness, headache. We are finally over it, but our voices are not at their best. I think it mostly settled on my vocal cords. I can talk OK but I can not sing. We provide the special music in our church. I still cough from time to time also. I don't know what we had or if it was a combination of stuff, but we never want to experience it again. I hope you feel better soon. I breastfed our babies so I know the added strain that an illness has on you when you are nursing. One good thing about our sickness was we still had a small appetite and thank God we did not have vomiting and diarrhea. If we had, I don't think we would have survived.

Jan in CA · 03-13-2013, 04:21 PM

That's awful, I've had those bad sore throats, too. Fortunately not while breast feeding as I recall though.

What about Cepacol cough drops? They have benzocaine which numbs the throat. What I've done is suck on it till its numb, then wrap the drop up in the wrapper till I need it again. It lasts longer that way and you don't need the whole thing.

I also drink a lot of ice water just because it feels good on my throat. Drink before the drop though or the effect might not last long.

Becky Morgan · 03-13-2013, 11:54 PM

Unfortunately, not a lot is going to fix it. I use hot tea with as much sugar (not artificial sweetener) and lemon as I can stand. The heat helps with the soreness. The tannic acid in the tea is supposed to reduce swelling, as is the lemon juice (bonus points for the antiviral action of vitamin C.) The sugar drawn fluid from the swollen cells. The effect only lasts a few minutes at a time, so if the phone rings and you gargle a good slug of hot tea done this way you can finish a call before it starts to hurt again.

If your doctor says Tylenol or Advil are all right, those help, but not as much as they do on anything else sore. I get good results from Ricola cough and throat drops, though not everyone does. Mostly you have to wait for the virus to get done and leave, which is a pain in the neck...literally.

Ladyofblades · 03-14-2013, 03:11 PM

My mother told me about a southern remedy that may help. Heat up Dr. Pepper for about 45-50 seconds in the microwave and sip it. Not sure if it will help but I hope it does. Hope you feel better soon.

jinxnit55 · 03-15-2013, 07:09 AM

Teaspoonful of honey. Also, hot lemonade w/ ginger, honey.

GrumpyGramma · 03-15-2013, 01:03 PM

I hope you're getting better. Because your breast feeding I didn't suggest garlic before but if it doesn't bother the baby, garlic is generally good for you. Any time I could manage to get hot tea with lemon and honey down, I figured I needed it. I can't stand sweet tea and I'm not fond of honey anyway. This would be a good time to indulge yourself in popsicles. Any sleep you can get is good too.

ETA: I found a recipe for a Salty Garlic Gargle! If you're brave enough to check it out, you'll have to scroll down to find it. The best part of this might be that it will keep everyone a good distance away from me if I use it! LOL Seriously, it just might help and be worth the social consequences.

vaknitter · 03-17-2013, 02:40 AM

Thanks for all the suggestions ! I am feeling better as long as I keep drinking. Still can't tolerate too much texture in my diet and the middle of the night is still rough. I tried just about everything you all suggested. As much as I dislike honey - hot tea with honey was the best.
My throat actually got so raw with this that my upper pharynx was bleeding and the worst of the pain was blood clots running down my throat. I would not wish this on anyone.