Sweat damage: Droid 2

After I finished my run, I tried to unlock my phone but couldn't. The screen was unresponsive. I think I got sweat on it during my run. I turned it off after around forty minutes. Made several attempts to turn it on but it just wouldn't function correctly.

Wiped it, buried it in rice...but nothing helped. I don't think I did any of the solutions I found online long enough.

ANYWAY--right now, I'm stuck with a phone that kinda functions normally but would frequently stop responding to screen touch (especially after a call). Is it too late? Everytime I plug the battery, even when the phone's off, the notification light turns red. When the phone's on, it would become orange for a second then become red again.

The rice solution wouldn't work this time, you think? The water damage sticker looks fine (white with red Xs).

I'm not sure if bringing it to a repair shop is a good idea. The phone's 1.5 years old. I have around 7 more months before I can upgrade to a new one. I'm hoping I can still save this one.

Thoughts, anyone?

Thanks much!