Andy, you're kind. Thanks so much for you thoughtful comments.  (Particularly, navigating iVillage for me...that site is such a nightmare.)  My favorite sore throat remedy is gargling salt water.  This one was a weird one though, it didn't feel like a regular sore throat.  My doc suspects something allergy-related.  All better now, but I never did get a clear cause.

When I worked at the hospital as a secretary I always wondered why I had to enter the data for GBS now I realize it meant Group B strep test!

Yikes Group B strep looks nasty for new  babies  and it seems preventable or easy to greatly reduce the risk to the infant by giving a dose of IV antibiotics at time of labor as it treats the baby at same time.

For reasons too long to go into here it is too difficult to test everyone and treat those who have positive cultures because it mostly matters if you have it during labor when baby is at most risk for exposure. I read a bunch about it after your entry because oif my general Nursing curiosity and this link has good if technical explanation and the official best practice guidlines for OBGYN's

http://parenting.ivillage.com/pregnancy/pcomplications/0,,3q5s,00.html

So make sure all you who are pregnantget GBS test at 35-37 wks, and that hospital/delivery setting knows your GBS status.

I am in such trouble if/when my wife becomes pregnant becuase I wont be able to sleep from worrying so much...I hope you are getting some sleep. And nurse that throat with some honey maybe. I always heard it was good for larangytis.

She put me on a nettles extract and then gave me a custom mixture of a bunch of stuff. (I'll try and add the details in another story.) She also recommended gua sha, a method from Chinese medicine that stimulates blood flow in the neck. I tried it and thought it really helped. Check it out on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4FFmGPPW3w

What kinds of stuff did your naturopath give you to boost your immune system? I've got a sore throat and am achy all over - I've been using the Chloraspetic spray and taking DayQuil.

Have been, actually. I noticed Sabrina had some throat issues last night, and I ran to get some "Wellness Formula" that I've taken for years. Basically a vitamin/mineral/etc horse pill that you take to avoid getting sick. http://www.sourcenaturals.com/products/GP1345/

Greg: I hear you! There's something nasty going around, so says my naturopath. She's seen 7 people with it already this week. Boost that immune system!

At this time last year, I found myself in a doctor's office, unable to breathe/swallow/etc, and had been feverish. One nurse said "Oh! This looks like Strep. I'll bet you 20 bucks this is strep." I should have taken the bet... it wasn't. Then another (higher up) nurse said "I bet it's foot and mouth... that seems to be going around right now... do you work with kids?" I told her no, that the only kid I ever see is my nephew, and I hadn't seen him in weeks. She seemed a bit flummoxed, and decided to get the actual doctor (you know how those places can be... you only get a real doctor after passing a certain "confusing" threshold). He spent quite a while looking down my throat, declared he wasn't sure what it was, but that a strong cocktail of prednisone, a steroid and a fairly potent antibiotic would take care of it. I still have no idea what I had, but sure enough, I was about 75% better in about 4 hours, and totally "cured" about 3 days later. I'm paranoid any time my throat hurts now, though.