tonsilitis

[k8bailey]

Went to see the gp on Friday because my tonsils are green, v.painful, had a high temp, also feel like I have ear infections on both sides. (Gp didn't look at ears though)
I was born with holes in the heart (multiple VSDs) and during my second pregnancy my right ventricle became enlarged, and I am told will now stay this way....I mention this because I am suffering a lot of palpitations, they don't last long but probably having 10+ an hour.

I was prescribed Penicillin VK 250mg 4xdaily, so I've had 2 and a half days worth so far and I'm feeling worse than I did on friday, I'm in much more pain, tonsils still green, temps still up etc.

Is it worth seeing either OOH GP today or my regular GP tomorrow, or do I need to give the meds a bit longer?....thought I'd be seeing a small improvement by today!

What's best for the pain? so far paracetamol, ibuprofen and co-codamol (not at the same time) haven't helped :(

[Sqad]

Bit early for an improvement and i would give it until Tuesday morning before you contemplate reassessing the situation with another GP

The earache would be referred pain from your tonsils.

ibuprofen at LEAST 400mgms every six hours.

Enlarged right ventricle will have nothing to do with your "palpitations"

[lynbrown]

I would have thought you would have felt better by now, even a small bit, penicillin usually works quickly. My son in law had similar and slow to recover, so he went back to doctor on the third day, he had quincy throat and had he not gone that day, would have ended up in hospital. I would call OOH - better to be safe.

[Sqad]

lyn...........so how was the "Quinsy throat"...treated differently from acute tonsillitis?

A quinsy is a quinsy and acute tonsillitis is acute tonsillitis....two completely different things.

[lynbrown]

According to NHS webpage, quinsy is a complication of tonsillitis, so cannot be dismissed. How can someone feel 'worse' after two days on penicillan? It needs looked at.

[Sqad]

I don't care what NHS says....they are wrong...........quinsy is NOT a complication of tonsillitis.

Quinsy is a peri tonsillar abscess...the tonsil os normal but the surrounding tissue has formed an abscess. It is also ALWAYS one sided (unilateral)

Tonsillitis is inflammation of the tonsils , bilateral...both sides.

The initial treatment of both is the same PENICILLIN.

[archeraddict]

Sqad, I regularly get yellow spots in my left tonsillar crypt. They usually last about 2 or 3 weeks and then disappear for a while. They do not spread but the left side of my throat looks inflamed and my left ear aches a bit. What is that?

[Sqad]

Archer
These are concretions....food impacted in the tonsillar crypts which may or may not set up an infection...usually they don't. You can probe them out with either your finger or some kind of implement and they smell like rotten cheese.

Normally no big deal, but if it does become a problem the having your tonsils removed is the answer.

[archeraddict]

Thanks Sqad. I do tend to do that with a cotton bud dipped in TCP. Just recently they seem to be more persistent so I thought I'd ask.

I'm now 48yrs so I don't think I've got much actual tonsil left.

Thanks for your help and apologies to K8bailey for hijacking this thread and hope you feel better soon!

[lynbrown]

K8, why not google quinsy throat and see what it says.

[k8bailey]

Hi, appologies for the late reply but I spent most of yesterday trying to sleep!

It's definitely 'just' tonsilitis - antibiotics have begun to make a very small difference. It's the palpitations which concern me...never had them before the pregnancy complication, but since then I seem to have been ill more than usual and eveytime I get a bad infection I have lots of palpitaions....not so fun with two little 'uns to run round after!

[Sqad]

K8....providing that you are not getting shortness of breath, chest pain or dizziness, then your RVH is not a significant factor in your symptoms. I t is extremely unlikely that your palpitation have anything to do with your enlarged right ventricle.

[ladyalex]

Gargling with soluble aspirin (then swallowing it) might help the pain a bit. If you can take aspirin.
Gargling with warm salty water(then spitting it out) can soothe it too.
Hope you feel better soon.