Tonsillitis won't go away!

Hi everyone, I got my first bout of tonsillitus at the beginning of december. It started off with a sore throat which made swallowing very painful, and I was freezing cold all the time and within a few days my tonsils were large and inflamed and my glands were swollen, but mainly on the left side as well as my left cheek (salivary gland.) I had a blood test to check white blood cell count (as I have graves disease and it's important that my medication isn't responsible for a sore throat but result was fine.)Doc at uni gave me 10 days of penicillin and it seemed to go away, finished them on a friday, and by monday I had woken up freezing cold, glands beginning to swell up again, so I went to the doctor (this time at home) and told him about the past episode, he put me back on the same antibiotics for 10 days but after 2 days my tonsils were stupidly swollen, left cheek and neck were all swollen but swallowing wasnt painful weirdly enough. Then I gradually stopped being able to open my mouth more than 1cm so eating was an absolute joke, and my speech became affected as I couldn't talk properly. Went back to the doctor (saw a different one) and he put me on a stronger antibiotic that targets a wider range of bacteria. Said it was a classic case of acute tonsillitis that was bacterial due to white spots on tonsils. So after 7 days of that I felt much better, could open mouth and started to actually eat again! Finished on friday and went back to the doctor (another one again) on monday for a checkup on throat, she said tonsils were enlarged but not inflamed, no white spots and glands felt fine. Off I went feeling very happy, yesterday I felt abit 'glandy' and I've been watching my left tonsil (this is always the one most affected) gradually swelling up and today I have white spots on my tonsils again :eek:

So after two courses of antibiotics it still hasn't gone, and the doctor is shut untill the day after new years day, so no doubt tomorrow I will be in pain again!

Has anyone else had tonsillitis that was hard to get rid of? Or anyone had a tonsillectomy...as it's something I'm now considering?

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Reply 1

russiaismyvogue

maybe you have glandular fever?

Reply 2

MediterraneanX

I had a blood test at uni for glandular fever after the first lot of antibiotics and it came back negative. Although saying that one of my flatmates at uni has glandular fever but I haven't seen her since I left for xmas...and one of the major signs is feeling tired and I don't. I feel fine in myself, just this stupid swollen throat/tonsils/glands that's doing my head in!

Reply 3

russiaismyvogue

MediterraneanX

Yea im not really an expert but I think the feeling tired part of glandular fever is mainly in the recovery stages ,the fact you have swollen glands and tonsills would mean its not tonsilitis,no?

Reply 4

steelmole

Sounds like tonsillitis. Get in bed, stay there. Job done. Just take loads of painkillers, if you time them before food then you can eat meals in a semi normal way.

You have to have tonsillitis 5 times in a 1 year period to actually have them take them out. Bed rest is your friend.

Reply 5

MediterraneanX

but I've had it for nearly a month now seeing as it hasn't gone away. I can't stay in bed forever I start uni again in two weeks and have work to do for it! I have private health care and have an appointment with the ENT in a week, so I could get the op done privately (NHS have that recurrent rule) but this isn't so much recurrent it's somewhat always there!

Reply 6

Dephect

Ugh unlucky, i feel for you. When i was 17 i had tonsillitis about 10 times, before i was finally allowed to have them removed. Thanks to a nice clean hospital my throat was infected straight after the op and i spent like 3 weeks paralyzed in bed, unable to swallow and lost like 2 stone! Never had a sore throat since though..get them out, they're useless anyways.

Reply 7

mrmanps

I had three long courses of penicillian and it still wouldn't go away but I think it's because I had the occasional drink whilst on them. Eventually the doctor said have them taken out. I decided at the last minute to back out and since then it hasn't come back. That was March this year.
Tonsil's out = last last resort

Reply 8

MediterraneanX

I drank on too occasions during the first cycle but the doctor told me that shouldn't have made a difference? I was really good with the new pills and took them at the right times etc. Its just so frustrating having it come back everytime I finish a course, I missed loads of lectures and seminars during the first bout as it was so painful, although weirdly this time round it's not pain, it's more just swelling.

Reply 9

russiaismyvogue

so if you know it's tonsilitus whats your problem?

Reply 10

Jamezzy

Ive had tonsilitus four times now, and the best advice I can give is to see your docter, drink plenty and liquid and just rest.

Reply 11

MediterraneanX

russiaismyvogue

so if you know it's tonsilitus whats your problem?

my problem is that it's not responding to medication and keeps coming back...literally after every course of antibiotics it comes straight back again...

Reply 12

Renal

Dephect

Thanks to a nice clean hospital my throat was infected straight after the op

Shouldn't have been licking the floor then!

(I probably should point out that the back of your throat has far more bacteria than even the North Middlesex can dream about)

they're useless anyways.

Err...

Reply 13

steelmole

It's probably viral and the doctors are probably just giving you anti-biotics to shut you up </cynic>

Honestly, bed rest, food and water. It'll go away, it's just not very nice.

Reply 14

purplefrog

I used to get tonsillitis all the time. I always used to find out I had it when I woke up in the morning with more than a sore throat. Though I've never seen the doctor over it. It's odd that yours has stayed for the time it has. My only advice to you is to stay away from cold, sugary drinks. Gargle and rinse your mouth regularly with saltwater and drink lots of warm/hot drinks.

Hope you get well soon.

Reply 15

Gourdman

I had tonsillitis earlier this year, only for a fortnight and it was still horrific. I can't even imagine how bad it would be to have it for so long as you.

You have my sympathies.

Reply 16

Spiffy

I had recurring bouts of it during march and april, I was put on amoxicillin first which seemed to get rid of it but a few days later it came back again. Went back the doctors, they put me on erythromycin i think, again went away and came back. So I went to see another doctor and she was concerned about it coming back all the time and she thought I might have had a Quincy in the back of my throat so she referred me to the hospital. Hospital docs gave me 8 steroid tablets to take in one go to sort of 'kick start' the antibiotics and she stuck me on max strength penicillin and max ibuprofen. Was gone in 3 days and never had it since.