DD has been ill the last few days with tonsillitis. She called me yesterday morning at 5 a.m., telling me her tonsils were so swollen she couldn't breathe. She has anxiety, so I assumed it was a panic attack, and she did seem to breathe more easily once she calmed down, but she still maintained her breathing was restricted because of her tonsils, so I directed her to the pharmacist (still believing it was a panic attack/anxiety)
The pharmacist looked in her throat and told her that her tonsils were swollen and that he could see "white stuff," but ultimately, there is nothing that can be done for tonsillitis, so he sent her home with a throat-numbing spray and advice to rest and contact her GP if it got worse.
She came home very distressed, which I still believed was anxiety, but I told her to contact her GP if she was in enough pain that she felt she needed to be seen that day. I heard her on the phone telling them one side of her throat was more swollen than the other side, and it was making her "feel" like she couldn't breathe easily. She also told them she'd not eaten in 48 hours as she couldn't swallow but was managing small sips of liquid with difficulty. She was told there were no appointments and nothing could be done for tonsillitis, so try to rest, drink plenty of fluids, and call 111 if it gets worse.
She tried 111 immediately but kept getting directed to a voice message giving her details on how to find an emergency NHS dentist. She was in too much pain to keep trying, so she put the phone down and went to bed in tears. I did manage to get through on 111 on her behalf, who also said it was tonsillitis and to rest/drink fluids, but to call back if it got worse.
The second I finished work, she was up begging me to take her to the walk-in center. I did, but at this point, not being a medical professional, I still thought it was tonsillitis and anxiety.
As soon as she was seen, they told us to go to A and E immediately and to call 999 if she felt like the swelling was worsening on the way there. The on-call ENT specialist was called out to meet us there.
It turns out she had an abscess on her tonsil, which is very serious because it can worsen rapidly and prevent breathing. People have died from not getting treatment quickly enough, apparently.
AIBU to think this should have been picked up by the pharmacist, the GP, and the 111 algorithm? The main warning sign is one tonsil being significantly more swollen than the other, which she told all three services, along with trouble breathing and swallowing.
I realise I didn't help by dismissing it as anxiety, but I am not a medical professional and wasn't aware that tonsil abscesses were a thing, let alone a potentially life-threatening thing.