Back from the doctor, FWIW

Just as I feared, the doctor had no clue either. He looked in my throat and could see absolutely nothing wrong -- nothing visible that's causing the sharp pain when I talk / laugh/ cry/ clear my throat / cough / (you get the idea.) So he says to take an anti-inflammatory for the next few days and call him on monday if I'm still in pain, at which point he will refer me to the Ear, Nose & Throat people for further torture testing. In the meantime I will be drinking lots of tea and eating lots of soup.