Sore throat - should I go to the GP?

[Snowgirl1]

Feel a bit lame posting this when there are so many much more serious threads, but I've got a really sore throat - it hurts just swallowing saliva, let alone any food. Should I go to the GP? I don't want to waste their time and just be told that it's a virus and that I'll have to wait it out. Anyway of telling if it's a bacterial infection and would respond to antibiotics?

[bonzo77]

Er no. Not yet. I used to get tonsillitis regularly. I discovered it does clear up by itself! Take paracetamol and nurafen and give it a few days. Difflam spray is good too. Throat lozenges are useless, they numb your tongue but make you salivate more which you then have to swallow.

[Snowgirl1]

Thanks for your reply Bigwuss. I've got lumpy spots on the back of my tongue - but I wasn't sure if these were just taste buds (I don't examine my tongue much!). I can't really see my tonsils - I just can't get my tongue down far enough.

[Snowgirl1]

Thanks bonzo, I'll check out Difflam spray. I've had this for 3 days now and feel it's getting worse not better, which is the only reason I was considering going to the GP.

[weegiemum]

Don't go, until you've tried eg Merocaine or Chloroseptic (throat spray) for a couple of days.

Almost all sore throats are viral and even the bacterial ones usually clear up on their own. As long as you can get fluids down, you'll be ok. Try gargling with tcp in water or dispersible paracetamol (swallow that, but not the tcp) or sal water.

I had endless tonsillitis until I was 12 when they took them out.

Dh is a GP, so I know all this stuff from him holding forth on people who got a sore throat 2 hours ago and came to see him (not joking!!)

[weegiemum]

Buts ow irl, if it's not clearing up and getting worse after 3 days, do make an appointment. Cancel it on the day if you no longer need it.

Hope you feel better soon!

[Catsdontcare]

Go to the chemist and ask for hydrogen peroxide to gargle. Sounds awful but your dilute it according to the instructions and gargle it every couple of hours. It's what they gave me when I was in hospital with tonsillitis and an abcess and I've used it ever since (well until they removed my tonsils!)

[Snowgirl1]

Thanks weegiemum, I'm going throat spray shopping this afternoon!

[bacon]

Gargle with soluble asprin or childrens liquid paracetamol. Theres nothing a doc can do about snore throats.

[NotAlwaysAandE]

The best thing to do is to treat it yourself at home. ALl of the medicines you need can be found at your local pharmacy where a pharmacist can advise you on further treatment if you need it.