My throat hurts when I swallow.

Are the symptoms of strep throat only apparent when you swallow? My throat hurts terribly when I swallow...?

• ...but only when I swallow, not so much just in general if I am not eating. In the past week I have developed these bumps on my tongue. Toothpaste, mouthwash fluoride, and soda irritate it, but water (the only good thing for it, probably) tastes absolutely disgusting to me ever since I had these bumps and this stinging sensation. I have been drinking 3 bottles of powerade a day to quench my thirst since water tastes too bad for me tod rink. Even spring water tastes like metal.

• Answer:

  It's hard to tell, do you have white pus pockets in the back of your throat? This is a sign of a bacterial infection. The bumps on your tongue may signify bacteria, but it's hard to say - what do they look like exactly? Either way, get tested. Strep is a nasty bacteria.