Tonsillitis not clearing

[What2dooo2]

I’ve put this in chat as more traffic than the health boards. My dc got very sick two weeks ago with a temp of 40, white stuff all over tonsils and very bad headache. I took him to dr who said he was certain it’s was bacterial due to the symptoms and a swab confirmed it. I started him on the antibiotics (calvepen) straight away. After a 10 day course he seemed completely fine but then I got a call from school saying he was unwell and when I picked him up it was the same symptoms again, white stuff, v high temp. Another antibiotic ( klacid ) and there was a big improvement the next day but 5 days in he is complaining of not feeling well and having aches and pains. I’m very worried about antibiotic resistant and that it’s just not clearing it. His tonsils are clear but I can’t understand why he’s feeling like this again. His brother is also under the weather but it’s just viral. My dh has me doubting every as he’s saying that maybe the antibiotics are a mistake etc. The dr really insisted he should take them. I hate giving them but I’d worry re bacterial infections. Am
I doing something wrong here, could he be getting his brothers viral thing? Just concerned now that we are trapped in a cycle of endless antibiotics if he’s feeling poorly again... Anyone with any experience of this please help?

I also find the information so conflicting that I read re bacterial tonsillitis. On the one hand you read that it should clear up itself but if you have white pus and high temp you should get antibiotics. I also read that it’s more often viral but on another site that over the age of 5 it’s usually bacterial. I just feel so conflicted.

I don’t think you are doing anything wrong at all. I wonder if because he’s run down after two bouts of tonsillitis he has now picked up his DBs virus? If his tonsils now look clear it sounds like that’s maybe what is going on. Have you checked what the possible side effects of the antibiotics are? Can they cause aches and pains and feels generally unwell?

The GP wouldn’t have given him antibiotics either time if they felt it was avoidable so I’d not worry about him needing two courses.

Really hope they’re both on the mend soon

He’s going to be very rundown, tonsillitis knocks you about a lot. I’ve had it a lot over the last 15 years and get penicillin for 10 days.

Bacterial tonsillitis, untreated, can cause rheumatic fever that causes heart valve damage. It’s vital he has the full course of antibiotics.

It’s not that unusual for one illness to weaken you enough to let other infections take hold and kids have rubbish immune systems. Add to that it’s february and no ones made vitamin d since October so we’re all running low now which makes you feel rubbish anyway.

Plenty of rest, plenty of good food and a kids multivitamin is all you can do & hope they aren’t going for the hat trick.

Thank you very much for your responses, I’ve been getting him to rest as much as possible and thankfully he loves his fruit and veg and have added a multivitamin. Think you could be right as his brothers viral cold was all aches and feeling cold and they share a room so he could have easily gotten it. I just always question myself a lot and antibiotics in my circle get a lot of bad press so worry I’m damaging his health long term

Unless your circle are research phd’s working in the pharmaceutical industry I really wouldn’t pay them any notice.

Your not killing them your helping them.

Bacterial Tonsillitis is like every sore throat you’ve ever had come at once with a side order of exhaustion. It’s literally agony.

Thanks again, I’m actually very reassured. Think a comment affected me where someone suggested I should let him get through the bacterial tonsillitis himself to build up his immune system but he was so ill I was carrying into the drs and it wasn’t viral as he took a swab and he had no cold or cough etc. Out drs are excellent too and I trust them. I just get anxious and overthink things. I just want the best for him.

Could it be oral thrush which can easily take hold after illness/antibiotics/run down etc. Leaves tongue with white/green coating and feeling of being exhausted ???

DD19 had tonsils before Christmas. After 3/4 days got pus on them so went to GP who gave 7 days of antibiotics. It cleared within 4 days, finished the course then 5 days later it was back. Went back to GP and got 10 days of antibiotics. It went again then after 4 days of course finishing it started again. This time GP prescribed more but it cleared next day before she took them. Very strange as she’s never had it before and not had antibiotics since she was about 7.

Tonsillitis not tonsils!

Oh will have a look tomorrow, what would deal with that. I’m giving him probiotics also. Thanks for that suggestion.

I know what you mean about conflicting info. NHS says it will clear without antibiotics but strep throat untreated can cause rheaumatic fever as a pp said. Neither GP my DD saw suggested not having antibiotics.

It sounds like he needs a stronger dose of antibiotics. I know we are all made to feel absolutely petrified of taking antibiotics these days, but honestly, I had tonsillitis so much as a child and young adult and I was always given antibiotics. I didn't become immune to them. The only tricky case of tonsillitis was my last before I had my tonsils removed. I was extremely run down due to burning the candle at both ends and I was prescribed two antibiotics to take at the same time. After my tonsillectomy I got an infection and a short dose of the same antibiotics I'd had all my life soon cleared it up, so they still worked.
Please don't leave him to get over it himself. It's an awful illness to have, and even worse if he can't swallow anything. I couldn't even get my own saliva down. Strangely though, I could tolerate thick chocolate milkshake in small mouthfuls. The kind you get in milk bottles in a supermarket own brand. Just in case he isn't eating/drinking.

I’ve had oral thrush, burns like you wouldn’t believe but nothing like tonsillitis and the drs swab would have shown up thrush.

Just as an extra, consider something like chuckling goat, kombucha etc to repopulate his gut. Be careful of clever marketing as there are a lot of copy cats on the shelves. Good luck.

He’ll definitely finish this course of antibiotics. And really reassured reading the replies. Think with all the online info /various opinions I have lost the trust in doctors. Our doctors are young and definitely don’t hand out antibiotics for just anything.