I think my wife has strep throat?

Question

On Friday my wife started getting a sore throat and now she has puss on the back of her throat. Is there anything that she could take to relieve some of the soreness in her throat until she can get into the Dr. office on Monday? We just moved and had to switch primamry physicians so our new Dr. doesn't have any of our information in her office yet.

Answer 1

The sooner she gets to a doctor the better, so she can get antibiotics as this is the only thing that will completely get rid of it. In the mean time she can drink plenty of fluids and increase the humidity in your home to keep her throat moist. Herbal teas formulated for colds may help relieve symptoms. Have her get plenty of rest, and she can take nonprescription medications to relieve her sore throat and reduce fever. She can also use a throat spray to help with the pain.

Answer 2

If there are white pockets, its probably not strep. Strep throat generally looks just swollen and red. She probably has run of the mill tonsilitis. Does she have a stuffy/runny nose too? The drainage from the nasal passages may be causing the discomfort. Tell her to make sure she is blowing her nose and not "snorting". This will help with the soreness.

Make sure she is getting plenty of fluids (because since it is difficult to swallow there's a big temptation to abstain from food and drink). Have her stay away from spicy/crunchy foods and opt for something soft and mild (boring I know).

There are some great sprays that work wonders. Go to a Walgreens and pick her up some basic spray and some lozenges. These things will help immensely.

Answer 3

Go the pharmacy and ask the pharmacist what he would recommend over the counter. There are some really good numbing throat sprays that are made by a number of different companies. if it really is strep, it won't cure it, she'll need antibiodics for that, but at least it will relieve the pain somewhat until she can get to the doctor. Do you have a "Doc-in-the-Box" chain in your area? Down here (Texas) we have PrimaCare. They are open at hours doctors offices wouldn't be. You might check with them, they may be able to see her and give her any medications she needs.

In the meantime mix her a good stiff hot toddie. It may not help, but it certainly couldn't hurt, and it may make her not care about it for awhile.

There are a lot of differentr recipes out there, but I looked this up for you:

In a large travel mug (safety first around the kids!) put in 1 to 2 (or more) ounces of your favorite bourbon, lots of honey and lemon juice. If you have fresh ginger or a lemon, add some slices.

Put in a tea bag or two of your favorite herbal tea for colds like Celestial Seasonings Echinacea Cold Care. If you don't have a cold-specific herbal tea, try a ginger tea, a mint tea like Celestial Seasonings Peppermint or chamomile teas like Celestial Seasonings Honey Vanilla Chamomile or the classic, knock-you-out Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime Natural Herb Tea. Add hot water and stir. Do not remove tea bag.

Put lid on your travel mug. Sip until you pass out.

(Remember: It's a bad idea to mix alcohol with most night time cold remedies.)

Answer 4

If your wife has puss in the throat, she needs antibiotics immediately or it can abscess and go to other parts of the body. It may not be streph which requires a culture, but it requires antibiotics. I would take her to emergency, but if you can't take her than gargle with 1/2 tsp. salt and 1 cup water. Have a shot instead of the pills. Your wife can take advil for the pain. It is really nothing to fool around with and requires an antibiotic shot. I know because I had the same thing and the doctor almost put me in the hospital. He said the shot would take care of it but if I waited.........Maybe, call doctor and ask for some antibiotics since you can't go until Monday. Have her take it easy and rest until Monday. Good Luck.

Answer 5

Gargle with salt water - that helps with the soreness. Pus on the back of the throat doesn't always mean strep. Usually with strep you have bright red patches on the throat and will run a fever.
I like to put Vick's vapor rub on my throat and wrap a towel around it when it's sore. I've never had strep but both my boys have - several times. Peniclillin knocks it out fast - that's the good news.
I hope she feels better soon.

Answer 6

I know it's hard to swallow anything but to reduce inflamation, she would need to take an analgesic. Tylenol or Motrin would be appropriate in addition to the throat sprays recommended above. If you can find the liquid form such as children's motrin, it may be easier for her to swallow. Also make sure she is drinking plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration too. Even a small sip here and there will do.

Answer 7

Warm salt water gargles or chloraseptics would work. She can take Motrin if she's really acing, and if it goesn't get better, or they can't find what's wrong with her (this happened to me once when I though I had strept of mono) she can ask for a depo-medrol shot. I couldn't talk I was so swollen and this shot decreased the swelling in about 12 hours.

Answer 8

Take Advil or motrin right away! If the pain is still there, she needs to get to a hospital emergency room tomorrow. They can start her on an antibiotic and give her something stronger for the pain (if she needs it).

Answer 9

I would say tea with honey. When its really bad, get the over the counter Triaminic throat spray. And I would give her high doses of pain killers to help her sleep.

Answer 10

There are throat sprays that you can get at any drugstore that may help numb the pain temporarily. Also if she can handle it, perhaps something cold like popscicles.