Kendall,

The "painfully sore throat" is understandable. Have you tried Celestial Seasonings' Throat Soother Tea? I have a record producer friend who keeps it around for folks in his studio, after I first gave it to his wife who suffers from strep regularly (she's a flight attendant, catches it from the flying public). It won't completely remove the pain, but it does lessen it. It includes ingredients like Slippery Elm bark.

Maggie