i am terrified of throat cultures.

Hey! I am absolutley, positivlely, TERRIFIED of throat cultures. I know they only last but 3 seconds, and they don't hurt, but they just freak me out. I've had many done, but the last time they had to chase me around the room and hold me down!  I have to get one in about 2 days, as I have had a fever for a good 3-4 days.  Any tips on how to calm myself down?

[samurphy]

The best thing to do would be to just relax and try to clear your mind. Try not to think about the procedure before hand, as you'll just get yourself worked up about it.  You've already said it doesn't hurt, so it's only your own mind that's making you scared of it.  Try meditating or, if that sounds to new agey, try some relaxation therapy.  Find some calm corner before the procedure, close your eyes and just let your mind wander.  Consciously attempt to relax all of your muscle groups, one at a time, until you are totally at ease.  If you've never done it before, it could take 5-10 minutes just to get calm enough to even begin, so give it plenty of time.

I've never had a throat culture done, so I'm not ENTIRELY sure what it is, but I presume they swab the back of your throat in order to test for infection.

In a worse case, I suspect alcohol may adversely affect the test, but perhaps try an antihistimine or some other drowsy formula pill.