Question: I have svere irritation in my throat accompanied with pain when i swallow. i also feel chest congestion and a very little runny nose. when i cough there is little mucus sometimes.

I always get two to three cold type attacks every year. i used to have sinus problem too with headache and pain in face. i got a endoscopic sinus surgery in december 2015. its my first attack since that. i dont have pain in face this time neither do i have mucus in my nose. But my throat hurts badly and i also feel my chest really tight in the morning.
(one thing i did not mention is that most of the times i feel one of my nostrils blocked, especially when sleeping. so when i go to bed i am always changing sides to open blocked nostrils. i thought it was due to sinus issue but even after the surgery this hasnt changed)

i try to avoid medicines. but when attack is prolonged to more than two weeks than i eventually have to take antibiotics.

i have tried different remedies like gargling but they dont really work. i want to recover faster and get rid of pain and nausea. (its been two days only to this attack)

what is the best way to get rid of this attack sooner and avoid in future. i am attaching a latest photo of my tonsils with the message.

please also tell me about my blocked nostril issue