Recurring sore throat?

I don't know if this is in the right section. Back on Easter Sunday I woke up with a terrible sore throat. Body aches, fever, chills, followed. I figured it was the flu so ignored it. Three days later, I went to ER because although the other symptoms had disappeared, the throat was worse. I had white patches on the back, throat was red/inflamed. A strep test came back negative, as did the flu. I was given Zpac anyway and three days after zpac was done, sore throat came back. It was only on one side this time, lasted a few days. Went away. Came back a week later, on the other side. It hurt to eat because the back of my tongue hurt on that side as well did my jaw.
I went back to the Dr. but because my lymphnodes weren't swollen and my throat wasn't red, the Dr. told me she couldn't do anything for me and suggested I take allergy meds.

I did-no help. Sore throat went away again for about three weeks until yesterday. Again, it's on my left side and is so bad at night that I actually woke up at 4 a.m. to take Ibuprofen, which helps minimally.

Is there anything else this could be? I don't feel stuffed up, I am not sneezing nor do I have any other symptoms. No vomiting, no coughing, no loss of appetite. No achey (achy) joints, no headache, no fever just this sore throat that appears to look normal but doesn't feel anywhere close to normal.

Any help (and soon) would be appreciated. I hate to spend another co-pay just to be told it's nothing.

[Bella861]

Sorry to hear you feel so badly.  Just out of curiosity, did you get a flu shot
this year because I did and four days later I am sick and have been with
different symtoms (symptoms) since Feb.  Let me know.  Want to know how many of you
out there became sick because or after they got a flu shot.
Take care.  Please write back, I am getting really stressed out over this.