Good morning/afternoon, Maryanne, if you if pics of your sweet table, I'm sure we'd all love to see it so we can drool. Congrats to your brother on his marriage. Melissa, you HAVE been busy, but you will appreciate it so much when you are done. I know that you are a homeschooler, and I admire you for that. Some good guesses so far. I will announce the winner later tomorrow. Does anyone mind if I postpone partners til tomorrow evening? The reason being I will be gone this evening and overnight to my parents. My mother is in a singing group, and they have their concert tonight. I am going and then will stay overnight. Won't be home til tomorrow afternoon. Any objections...feel free to state them here. Need to get ready/packed to go. Have a beautiful day, all. ME

One thing it could be is Acid Reflux Disease. Doctors are finding out that some chronic coughs are actually caused by the stomach acid coming up and getting into the broncial area. There is seldom, if ever, any pain with this. Needless to say that antibiotics wouldn't help this at all. You might try one of the OTC medication like Pepcid or Prilosec for a couple of weeks to see if you are helped any. Even a Tum or two before bedtime might help if this is what it is.

I feel for you. I have been battling some kind of bug for 2 weeks now that started overnight with a horrible painful sore throat and just got progressively worse. Nothing I took would touch the pain in my throat except Advil. 2 weeks later the sore throat has diminished a bit but not completely. Whatever this bug I got I sure hope you don't get. I was drowning in phlegm, coughing but not deep coughs, just short in the throat cough and then I lost the hearing in my right ear which still has not come back. After a week of thinking it was just a bug that would have to go away on its own I finally went to the Doctor. He put me on antibitotics right away, I have an ear infection as well as a swollen parotid gland on my neck. I have not been this sick in 10 years and after 2 weeks I am still coughing and battling this thing. I don't think the antibiotics are helping at all. If after a few days your sore throat does not ease go to the Doctor and don't do what I did and wait. I sucked on Chloraseptic Max lozenges for sore throats and took the Advil which eased the pain.

Very interesting!