Severe (?) Sore Throat

[rosecoloredpots]

Hello - I currently have the Covid-19 virus, and at the beginning it started out with a mild, mostly annoying but not very painful sore throat. By the 2nd day my throat had gotten more sore, and today and yesterday (now day 4) my sore throat has progressed to a much more painful sore throat. It usually doesn’t hurt until I try to swallow my saliva, or if I try to eat/drink. It hurts extremely bad when I swallow and feels like I’m swallowing razors all the way down. The more I swallow, the more it hurts. I thought it would’ve eased by now, but it still hurts just as bad as it did the day before and before that. I’ve tried salt water rinsing, I’ve tried taking naproxen, Tylenol, but nothing relieves the pain. I tried drinking hot cocoa but it seemed to hurt my throat even more, like it was scratching it raw. As far as I can tell, everything looks normal, aside from my throat being a little red and irritated. I should note, I’ve been dealing with throat pain/discomfort off and on for the last couple of months and have tried different allergy medications and went on a 6-day Z-Pak which seemed to clear my throat pain completely, though it seemed to be coming back just before my Covid symptoms started. Is it Covid? Or maybe it’s not connected to my Covid at all? I can also see my epiglottis, which to me looks pink and normal so I can’t tell if it’s part of the problem or not. It’s hard to describe, but when I swallow my drinks it hurts so much and almost feels like my throat is drying out and it just makes me more thirsty, which leads to more pain. The pain feels more centered and maybe deeper throat in my throat when I swallow. Sometimes it seems most focused on my left side, and sometimes it causes even my ear to hurt. I can’t see any doctors until I’m clear of Covid so I’m not sure what to do.

[CurfewX]

Ugh - I had similar symptoms a couple of weeks ago.  Since you can't see your doctor, you might try calling them and seeing if they can provide a prescription for a few days of mild steroids to ease the symptoms.  I was waking up in the middle of the night with excruciating ear and throat pain, and ibuprofen did help ease the symptoms.

I hope the pain subsides for you soon.