I need a medical professional's opinion. I believe I have strep throat, but what about these other symptoms?

Sounds like tonsillitis. It's silly to ignore the symptoms - 2 weeks is way too far away. Go to the hospital, take a pillow and blanket and something to keep you amused for hours whilst you wait for a doctor.

yeah its throat infection for sure its always wise to see a doctor at the earliest but meanwhile u can do salt water gargling thrice a day

Go Now! Don't wait it can get worse.

See your doctor (sooner than in 2 weeks). If you have to, call another dr. ASAP. If I were you, I'd start calling tomorrow. But it's always hard to tell over the phone or over the internet. I try not to use the ER bc it can take 8 hours (all night) or in NYC even more. It's up to you.

don't wait 2 weeks to see a doctor, go to urgent care or the ER. my daughter had what I was sure was strep, and I tested it myself ( I work in a lab) and it was negative, so I took her to urgent care and had it done again, and it was negative again, so they doctor waited a week to do bloodwork, and it turned out to be mono. you have to wait at least a week to get blood tests for mono ( the monospot test and the epstein-barr virus blood test, also they will do a cbc) because it takes at least that long for it to show up in the blood. the white count may be abnormal, the lymphocytes increase and get fluffy (downey bodies) but wait a week to get bloodwork if the strep is negative and your symptoms don't go away

How about calling your doctor to see him sooner, describe you symptoms and get advise from him whether you should go to the ER pronto or if he can call in a prescription for you. The "difficult to swallow and gagging a lot" part does not sound good. And if you have strep, I believe you need to be started on antibiotics right away. Pathophysiology: Epiglottitis is usually caused by infectious agents including H influenzae type b and group A S pneumoniae, H parainfluenzae, S aureus, and beta-hemolytic streptococci (group A, B, or C). Candida species have been found in patients who are immunocompromised. Viral infections including herpes simplex type 1 and parainfluenza have also been rarely documented. Overwhelming infection leads to inflammation and edema of the epiglottis, aryepiglottic folds, and other adjacent tissues. Bacteria directly invade the mucous membrane of the epiglottis where the submucosa is loosely attached. The airway can be compromised due to the expanding edema, which can lead to respiratory distress and total airway obstruction.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonsillitis

If it is that bad and your doctor will not work you in I would go somewhere. You do not want your throat to swell shut. Strep can also lead to other things if left untreated. It could put you at risk for other health problems, such as rheumatic fever (which can cause permanent damage to the heart), scarlet fever, blood infections, or kidney disease. The symptoms of strep will start to develop within about 3 days. Those symptoms can include: red and white patches in the throat difficulty swallowing tender or swollen glands (lymph nodes) in the neck red and enlarged tonsils headache lower stomach pain fever general discomfort, uneasiness, or ill feeling loss of appetite and nausea rash Strep Throat in Adults Strep throat in adults is caused by streptococcus pyogens, which is a common strain of bacteria that can live in the throat and nose for months without causing any harm. Stress and a lowered immune system can cause strep to start sending out toxins and inflammatory substances to bring on the strep throat and other symptoms. Symptoms of strep throat in adults are a sore throat that comes on rapidly, fever sometimes greater than 102ºF, back of the throat is raw and red, white pus on tonsils, tender, high lymph nodes in the neck, absence of cough, stuffy nose and or upper respiratory symptoms. Causes of strep throat in adults is most commonly the streptococcus pyogens. Other bacteria can occasionally invade the throat and cause similar symptoms, such as staphylococcus, neisseria and hemophilus influenza. Some people develop strep throat when their immune systems are not functioning at their peak. Stress, over work, exhaustion and fights with viral infections can weaken the body's defense and set up attacks of strep throat.

If you don't want to go to the ER, then I would go to an Urgent Care walk in clinic in the morning...you don't need to wait 2 weeks if your personal physician can't fit you in sooner.