Tonsillitis

Taypier

Hi I have tonsillitis at the minute, went to the drs yesterday and he gave me some Penicillin VK. I'm in so much pain I can't eat, sleep or even get comfortable. I've got paracetamol (now substituting with lemsips...) ibuprofen and lots of soother sweets but nothing seems to help. Even drinking water is hell.

Does anyone have any good throat soothing tips for me? I'm at my wits end.

staffie1

Tonsillitis is a nightmare. I had it a few yrs ago and I could barely swallow, let alone eat or drink. Antibiotics cleared it up within 2 or 3 days. I don't think there's much you can do really other than endure it. Just make sure you finish the course of antibiotics. If you can drink lemsips ( which won't really have much effect ) try and eat some soup regularly and keep your strength up until you can eat solids. It will soon pass.

bonar

poor you tonsillitis is very sore. there are some things you can do to make it easier.

regular paracetamol, and regular ibuprofen . the most important thing is to KEEP DRINKING. doesnt matter if its hot or cold fluid whatever you find easiest. if you have some honey try it with warm water, very soothing
first thing in the morning your throat will be especially sore so try ice lollies for breakfast, they have an anaesthetic effect follow this will lots of fluid. during the day keep a bottle at hand to keep sipping. at night go to bed with a jug of fluid by your bed, you will waken during the night when you swallow very painful, so when that happens again have a drink.

good luck you will get through it.

blue_haddock

I saw some throat chiller type things the other day in asda. Basically like an icepop that you froze and then slowly sucked on to soothe and numb the throat. No idea if they work but they looked quite good.

jessicamb

the antibiotics will kick in tomorrow and you will feel a lot better then. Drink lots and stay in bed and try to sleep through it

Taypier

Thanks guys, might try the ice lolly now. I think lack of sleep is making it so much worse. I also hate the taste of the penicillin and they are REALLY big tablets, as soon as they touch my tonsils I vomit. I know I need to keep taking them but it's hard when 9 times out of 10 I vomit them back. This is the worst bout I've had and I'll be insisting I need them taken out asap! Thanks again!

Gingernutmeg

The anesthetic throat sprays are good for tonsil pain. I know I used to suffer terribly before I had my tonsils out and my GP recommended I try one of these, and it helped a lot. I *think* you can still get them, it'd be worth asking if you can get to Boots or a Chemist. Decquacaine (sp?) lozenges are good too - you have to ask for them at the counter but again, they do help.

jessicamb

If you get it again tell the doctor that you can't swallow the tablets and ask for medicine instead.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

And if you get to the point where it is agony to breathe, never mind swallow, get yourself back down there and specifically ask about checking for an abscess.

After years of trouble, I was sent for a tonsillectomy about 4 years ago. I nearly didn't wake up because the surgeon kept finding infected tissue, no matter how deep he went, and every time he tried to finish, he found more and more scar tissue.

He said I had obviously had a thing called a quinsy (?) - an abscess - about 5 times in the last 12 months and why had I not gone to the GP's about this?

Well, it was the same GP that I had gone to desperate for help about 5 times to be told that every one has a sort throat with tonsillitis and as I refused to take antibiotics (I am allergic to penicillin - as in anaphylactic shock - and I wasn't refusing everything point blank, just penicillin) I had to put up with it.

Changed GP after that.

Taypier

JoJo, I'm a nurse and when I was finding it hard to breathe the other night the 1st thing I did was get my pentorch out to have a look for an abscess! You were really lucky - quinsy is life threatening! I'm going back on monday if I'm no better to hopefully change to liquid penicillin as it's getting silly now, I throw up trying to swallow the tabs, I've used half the pack only for them to be wasted. One good thing is I've managed to sleep most the day Thanks everyone for posting, I really appreciate it!

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Lucky? Let's see...

Resuscitated at birth.

3 anaphylactic reactions to antibiotics.

Whooping cough.

TB.

Severe Measles.

Neglectful mother + repeated beatings + starvings. Broken toes and fingers untreated but pretty much fixed with pencils and sticky tape.

Brother set fire to me for entertainment. Ran so fast knocked self out on corner of house. Fell into fishpond and put flames out.

Rheumatoid arthritis.

Fell down stairs trying to be superman - headbutted wall at end. Knocked out but OK.

Joint hypermobility + repeated dislocations.

Fell through glass tank. Half inch Scar on leg as stuck plaster on it.

Constant falling off bike/hitting parked cars. Discovered needed glasses but still didn't get them for another 8 years.

Fell off 15 foot wall scrumping. Bounced on ton of cherries. Looked like day of the dead but not a scratch.

Knocked out going down 1:1 slope on sledge at 16. Head dented not broken.

Nearly fell down 40m cliff when belaying. Scar on hand from scrabbling back up.

Meningitis at 15. Woke up 2 stone lighter, just in time for work on Friday evening.

Knocked off moped at 17. Whiplash.

Fell down stairs repeatedly. Duff ankle and shoulder. But still here.

Knocked out in car crash (1) by hitting head on roof beam thing.

Car crash (2). Broken neck. Walked out of hospital the same afternoon.

Pneumonia/Pleurisy when unemployed. Too ill to speak on phone. Got better after week lying on floor.

Tonsillectomy. Woke up eventually.

Plus episodes of near misses with cars, bikes, etc crashing at my feet, one leaving a brick wall less than an inch away. And a school trip on the Marchionness the weekend before it sunk.

Got off the train before the Clapham one for work experience.

Shot at by idiot with air rifle aiming for my face. Moved at last second and he missed, felt the breeze as it went past the end of my nose.

Idiot ex tried to strangle me twice. Kicked him in the kneecap both times, second time so hard he needed surgery, so he let go and sobbed.

Decided to cancel job interview next to Royal College of Surgeons as didn't fancy trip into work each morning. Date was 7/7.

Yup. Sounds like I'm pretty lucky to me.

Let's hope it holds out.