Boyfriend woke up 2 hours ago, difficulty breathing with severe sore throat and swollen glands. He used a throat numbing agent (otc) and ended up hacking up a lot of phlegm and other discharge. Temperature 100.8. Desperate to breathe clearly, he gargled warm salt water, took 2 ibuprofen (200 mg each), and rubbed vapor rub in his chest. He seemed certain he just needed the swelling to go down. We also made boiling water and he breathed it in with a towel over his head for a half hour. He s been resting finally for a half hour now. I m not sure if I should still take him to an ER, wait to call his doctor s office ( on a Saturday morning of course) or just let him be. I m most worried about his difficulty breathing. Any thoughts?