I saw a doctor yesterday and was diagnosed with pharyngitis. still waiting for strep throat culture to come back. pain is worst. can hardly swallow.?

Can be other things.: Strep is not the only cause of pharyngitis. Herpes simplex, chlamydia, ebv, corynebacterium diptheriae, and many others can also cause it. That is one reason why the strep check swab is done, as well as a strep culture. Your doctor should be able to do this/should have done this rapid check so you can start treatment if positive. See your doctor soon if it gets worse for empiric treatment.