very sore throat

[derekmartin1]

For about a week i've been having some pain in my throat. It's very uncomfortable and hurts when I swallow. Also when i yawned i thought i was about to cry because it hurt allot. i am 16 years old, yes i do smoke, and yes i do drink, im just worried it might be throat cancer or something? Does anyone have any advice what i should do? any medicine i should take(besides just "quitting cigarettes" i know)? It would be really appreciated because it's got me pretty worried.

[annaluna]

Smoking cigarettes, consuming excessive alcohol, breathing in chemical fumes or air pollution, or swallowing substances that irritate or damage the lining of the throat can also cause pharyngitis.

  Sore throats usually go away after a week, but if not, is it recommended to check with your doctor, it could be something serious hun

Most sore throats will go away by themselves after a few days and can be effectively treated at home.

To relieve the pain and discomfort of a sore throat, you could try the following:

Get a lot of rest.
Drink plenty of fluids.
Gargle with warm salt water or some other home-made gargle to wash away mucus and irritants.
Avoid smoking cigarettes.
Eat largely soft foods for a couple of days to avoid irritating your throat.
Suck non-prescription cough drops
Apply a warm heating pad, compress or salt plaster to your throat.
Try steam inhalations.( steam off hot water )

Hope you feel better :)

[geminigirl1963]

Your first step is to go to your family physician and have him/her check it out, including a strep test for strep throat.  Any sore throat lasting a week or more should definitely be checked out.  Strep throat is very common (especially in children and young adults) and very treatable, but can lead to serious complications if not treated.

So please get your parents or a trusted adult to take you to the doctor and get checked.  In the meantime, try gargling with warm salt water - it sometimes eases the throat pain.  Just try not to swallow the salt water becuase it can make you nauseas.  I know it's very difficult and you probably can't do it cold turkey, but if you can at least cut back on the amount you're smoking, that also might help that throat pain.

I hope you feel better soon!