This past week I was a victim of the dreaded strep (  Streptococcal pharyngitis ) throat germ.  Symptoms of strep throat are typically a high fever, head ache and sore throat.  The only real symptom that I had was the sore throat.  The pain from this was the worst sore throat pain I had every experienced and I  was constantly seeking relief from the pain.  By the way, typically the sore throat pain will subside within 24 to 36 hours of it being treated with Amoxicillin.  However, to get through those 36 hours you will do almost anything for relief.  Some of the remedies I tried included Chloraseptic Spray, Cepacol lozenges, sugarless Halls cough drops, Fisherman’s Friend, popsicles and various herbal teas.  My favorite tea was a homemade concoction of eldeberry, wild cherry bark, and a few little dry hawthorn berries from vitamin cottage.  This tea seemed to gently sooth my tender throat that can best be described as raw hamburger.  Later, I found on WEBMD that doctors sometimes prescribe pain killers in the form of codeine.  I hate strep throat.  I can’t imagine trying to get over it without the help of 10 days worth of Amoxicillin.  The discomfort would be extreme.