Dear valley-lily, your description of 'it started with a really sore throat' makes me think these infections begin in your sinus. Generally one's throat gets sore due to post-nasal drip of infected sinus mucus into the back of the throat.

You probably had a bit of the sniffles or a little runny nose that preceded the sore throat, which then began the downward spiral of full-body sickness because you were unable to remove the offending antagonist.

If so, I might have an answer for how to solve this.

(Warning: Long comment ahead. Worth reading it all, though!)

MANY THINGS ARE A FACTOR, BUT LET'S TAKE THEM IN ORDER OF IMPORTANCE

Let me paint the picture. When we breathe, sometimes we inhale tiny particles of a foreign body, dust, dirt, dander, smoke, chemicals, pollen or similar. A good working sinus will trap the microscopic particle(s) in the mucous membrane of the nose and throat to keep it from entering the body further. That is normal. Then it tries to push it out in various ways.

Sneezing is one. Coughing is another. Ramped up mucous production to surround it like a pearl and flush it out via runny nose is the next.

Sometimes the particle gets deeply trapped in the soft tissues of the back of the throat or deep in the sinus and the above methods cannot get it out.

Constant post-nasal drip is a symptom of a trapped foreign antagonist.

So, inflammation and infection follow, sort of like having an imbedded splinter. There will be pus, there will be redness, swelling and pain. You must 'get the splinter out' to stop all of this.

Additionally, you might have tonsil stones stuck back behind your lower molars. These can cause infection, pain and bad breath until removed. If you have the sensation of something in the back of your throat and suffer from bad breath, this may be the problem. (Look them up to learn more about them and how to remove them.)

NOW. WHAT TO DO ABOUT A SINUS THAT NEEDS HELP.

You must do a Neti pot sinus rinse at least once or twice a day until further notice. YOU MUST USE DISTILLED WATER. Distilled water is water with all minerals removed. It is sterile and 'unbalanced' and will seek to balance itself. It will literally pull particles out of the mucous membrane into itself. The salt and baking soda in the rinse will clean, deodorize and neutralize an inflamed sinus and throat.

Doing a sinus rinse in the morning as soon as you wake up and once again before bed will be very helpful. The rinse will also soften dried junk stuck up in your sinuses and pull the gunk out, freeing your membranes at last.

After you have a good Neti pot sinus rinse, follow with a good nose blow and then use Q-tips to swab out the inside of the nose, as far back as you can. You want to grab and pull out anything in there that has been loosened up. Then wash your face and wash your hands.

Remember DO NOT USE TAP WATER. Tap has bacteria in it that our stomachs can handle, but not the upper sinus. YOU MUST USE DISTILLED.

You can make your own solution with 1/4 tsp of baking soda and 1/4 tsp of sea salt in 4 oz of distilled water. Use a store-bought Neti pot or use a gravy boat, gravy strainer or creamer cup with spout. As long as it has a spout it will work.

MORE THINGS THAT MAY BE A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR

DENTAL HYGIENE

Floss, brush and rinse 2x day. After your Neti pot sinus rinse, fill a cup with some warm water with baking soda and salt and do a mouth rinse and spit. Do it until the whole cup of salty water is used. It will kill germs, neutralize an acid mouth, whiten your teeth and freshen your breath!

TOOTHBRUSH & RETAINER CLEANING

Soak your toothbrushes and retainers in Peroxide after every use. Make sure you are not storing them out where they are exposed to bathroom germs like on the sink. Put them in a medicine cabinet so the toilet flush aerosols aren't getting on them. And better yet, go buy a 4-pack of soft bristled toothbrushes and throw them out after using for 30 days. Soak retainers in denture cleaner to remove bacteria and gunk.

CONTACT LENS WEARING

If you wear contacts, you must clean your storage case thoroughly or, you may be bringing bacteria into your body via your eyes. Again, don't leave the case out where toilet flush aerosols can get on it!

HAND WASHING

I recommend washing hands as soon as you walk in from outside, after you put away groceries, after petting the dog, after scratching yourself, after using the bathroom, after blowing your nose, before and after preparing or eating food, etc. You can almost never wash your hands 'too much'!

CELL PHONE, MOUSE, KEYBOARD, KEYS, STEERING WHEEL, FRONT DOOR HANDLE

I buy a bunch of bottles of 50% Isopropyl Alcohol and these round, flat cotton pads. I use these to regularly wipe down all parts of my cell phone, keys, mouse, keyboard and steering wheel. You'd be surprised how much 'foreign bacteria' we bring into our homes by simply laying our phones on the counter of the doctor's office, grocery store, cafeteria table, etc. Our hands touch filthy stair rails, grocery carts, doorknobs, table tops, etc. We then transfer the germs to our phones, keys, face, etc.

Nip this in the bud by wiping stuff down as a regular thing. Your health will thank you.

I hope this helps!