I hate to make this a topic but it is health related. Maybe someone can delete it once a few people answer the question.

I was wondering if it is normal to have a cold/flu with throat pain and have the throat pain continue for over a week. I started feeling sick last Sunday and went to get a test done to see if it was strep throat on Monday. It isn't strep, so I don't need antibiotics, but my throat is still hurting today (the following Thursday). It's hard to swallow, there are lumps on my neck, (I think they are swollen lymph nodes) tonsils are swollen, throat is red. I don't have a fever or anything.

Has anyone had this issue before. No, I don't want or need my tonsils out, don't even say it.

Personally, I would see my doc and get it checked. But I am a wussy that way.

the mumps? that is what it sounds like. ugh. yeah--I would suggest a visit back to the doctor..the one who tested you for strep.

Not good

I had the mumps when I was about 6 yrs. old. It's a lot more than swollen lymph nodes. Your whole neck feels like a rock. You would know something was very wrong if it were mumps.

But, I would call again and go back in. It could be a virus but you should get checked again if it's not getting any better.
Call today! Really.

Possibly mononucleosis?

Have you eaten anything out of the ordinary?

A close friend of me had severe food poisoning that lingered for ~5 days with the exact symptoms you describe.

Nope nothing strange food wise. I don't feel tired so I don't know about mono. I don't have a doctor, I went to urgent care.

Could still just be a long-lived viral infection, but those can easily become complicated by a concomittant bacterial infection. If it has been a week since they checked you for strep it's time to be checked again. Lumps on teh neck - yep lymph nodes almost certainly. Which usually means you have an infection.

Time to go back to the doc. Not having one, consider getting a referral from your health insurer, or ask a friend or family member for a recommendation. Urgent care SHOULD have given you a doctor to follow up with in any event. But I understand that Hagerstown's Urgent Care facilities may not be up to standards if what I heard is correct.

Still hurts. The only thing the internet says it could be is mono but I'm not tired or anything. Don't wanna pay to go back to urgent place.

Have you tried entering your symptoms in WebMD? I love that site! Not that I diagnos myself regularly, but I have found that it is very helpful... I don't think you have an infection if you don't have a fever. Go to WebMD, type in all your symptoms & you can narrow down possibilities based on the results... If you're not tired & there is no fever, it is possible for it to be Lyme Disease... I remember a friend of mine with symptoms similar to yours & that was his diagnosis... Spent a month on Antibiotics & so far, so good... Good luck!

Whoa; Pandora! All a fever means is that your body is fighting something, and all the absence of it means is that your body is not fighting. I have had infections several times with no fever, and if your immune system is compromised for some reason, it is, indeed, possible to fail to maintain a fever while sick.

Wow... Never knew that! Thanks for the info...

Could be Lupus or maybe a sore throat

lol thanks hagopinion

I could be dying...or it could be a sore throat.

I'm just not used to sore throats lasting 3 weeks, and my throat has never hurt like this before, a muscle tension, not a red irritated hurts when swallowing pain. Like my muscles are stretching too much and hurting, hard to explain.

From WebMD

Congratulations you have Viral Pharyngitis!

That is what the doctor said also. But no where on webmd does it mention what to do if you have a sore throat for 3 weeks Oh well, I guess I shouldn't be complaining if I'm not willing to go back to the doctor.

Many moons ago (when I was a teenager), I had laryngitis, pharyngitis, and strep throat all at the same time. It was beyond painful. HOWEVER, I went to the doctor, he gave me antibiotics, and I was all better in a day or two. I suggest you go back to the doctor and get hooked up with some meds - it will be worth it.

It - if you do a little more research, you may be able to find what antibiotic would best work for you. There are many (apparently) legit sites that you can buy antibiotics from. I, personally, have never used - but I have quite a few friends that for various reasons buy their meds off of the internet & have never had a problem. Just a suggestion if you really don't want to go back to the doctor... Feel better soon!

An antibiotic will do nothing for a viral infection. It will make you less likely to be helped the next time you get a bacterial infection.

I can’t imagine a legit site that would sell antibiotics without a valid prescription. Sounds like a place that would sell you pain meds with no ‘script…

See a real doc.

I was just going to say that. The doctor said it is probably a viral infection, and antibiotics will not help that, they make just make it worse. There are no tests they can do to see if it is bacterial or viral, and it's not strep. I hate to go wait for three hours for them to say they can't do anything about it. It's not really the center of my throat that hurts, its below my jaw on both sides, but my tonsil aren't very swollen. Sigh.

I know looking for a doctor sucks, but it's time for you to get a family doctor. Not so much just for your current throat situation, but for down the road. Get a family doctor (there's always some practice in town taking new patients) and you won't have to wait three hours to see a doc at a UC. I'd think in a situation like your current one, most offices would get you an appointment within 24 hours. At least that's been my experience.

Agreed. Do as SMan suggests.

Wash Co Hospital has a doctor finder on its web site -- even tells what insurances they accept. You might have to call a few to find one taking new patients --t he better, more established practices tend to fill-up.

No insurance, not interested, I hope I don't die from throat pain I don't think I will.

Doesn't H-town have any free clinics for those without insurance? You really should be seen by a doctor again at this point.

Viral infections often become complicated by concomittant bacterial infections, often several days to a week or more after the viral infection gets going. If that is happening in your case the viral part won't respond to antibiotics, but the bacterial part will, and getting rid of the one may help you fight off the other. Antibiotics do not make viral infections worse: they just don't do anything for them.

P.S. Lupus isn't "dying". I've had it since late 1996 - early 1997 and after several years of a fairly mild weekly chemo in combination with oral corticosteroids, it went into remission, now treatment-free for 5 years. It's a chronic relapsing illness that can be disabling and on occasion life-threatening, but can go away for years or even decades at a time before coming back.

Maryland never did have much for sick people w/o insurance. And the one clinic for folks with no insurance that I did manage to find when I was sick, (this was a long time ago, when I was in college; hopefully things have changed) and had no insurance tried to send me to the hospital for an ivp when I really had mono and hepatitis secondary to mono. No tests......not really anything to seriously find out what was wrong. I finally had to just find a doctor. WV seems to be a little bit better in that there are clinics with sliding fees for people who have no insurance and who don't have a lot of money, but it sounds like Ithlilian needs a doc who has seen problems like this before and knows what to order tests for. Several weeks is a long time for these symtoms to last.

The pain is worst later in the day. It gets better over night. It may be irritated by talking most of the day. The free clinic has about a two week wait time here. If it's not better by Wednesday I'll go back to Urgent Care.

It's better now. /clap /clap /clap

Community Free Clinic

249 Mill Street
Hagerstown, MD, 21740
301-733-9234 Robin E. Roberson Fax 301-733-9205

Services :
Primary care, chronic care, GYN services, Teen pregnancy prevention, Orthopedics, pediatrics, podiatry and mental health.
Notes :

Provides free health care and prescription medication to residents in Washington County, Maryland who are medically uninsured.

To maintain a healthier Washington County.

The Clinic began rendering services to patients in 1990 and has grown to over 16,000 patient visits annually. The Clinic is a grassroots organization and is not State or Federally funded in any way.

To make healthcare accessible to all uninsured residents in Washington County, Maryland.
............................................
(With any free clinic you can expect to wait, that is a given. The services are quite good. It is geared for families struggling financially.)

I agree with Snoopy and Sman, the Washington County hospital website and the Robinwood Medical website have many doctors posted who are accepting new patients. I have found routine care quite good, and care for a relative with a chronic condition has been handled very well. I love being able to call on a Monday morning after being sick on the weekend, and getting a same day appointment for follow up. It has been a great benefit hooking up with a family or primary doctor.

I went the uninsured route when young and single and did the long waits at the "Open Clinics" or "Sliding Scale Clinics". I was happy when my insurance kicked in as I felt bad taking a space at a clinic for those in more of a financial need. We all do what we have to do though. I feel bad for anyone who is sick and wondering where to go. That is my main issue with moving so much, it is tedious establishing a new relationship with a new doctor. But it is worth it.

Best wishes to all with health care. I am currently quite happy with the care in the area. But I have insurance so I know that makes it easier. Good luck and hang in there.