Tonsillitis has really took over my 2 year old

[DaveGroh]

She is so poorly. It started Thursday, really high temp nearly 40 degrees. Since then it keeps returning, we’ve seen a doctor twice since then, she’s got antibiotics now which we started Sunday, so I’m hoping by today they should be starting to work? It’s like she’s had a personality transplant, obviously she is unwell but very very moody and clingy too, just wants to be on top of us all the time. She is normally so content and happy but has been really irritable. It’s been a nightmare trying to get fluid in her so we’ve had to syringe it in, I’m guessing that’s because swallowing hurts ?
Has anyone else got experience of tonsillitis ?

Have you been giving her calpol and ibuprofen throughout the day and night? I would imagine she is in a lot of pain.

Yes, had to write it all down since Thursday as we’ve been giving it round the clock.

Poor little thing, tonsillitis can be really awful and make you feel really ill. She's too little to understand what's going on, it's no wonder she's clingy and not herself. I would abandon any chores and just cuddle up with her on the sofa. If it doesn't improve in a day or two, go back to the GP. Hopefully now she's on antibiotics, she'll start to improve.

Just to add, calpol doesn’t seem to touch the fever much, nurofen makes more of a difference on the fever and her symptoms, she brightens up for a couple of hours but then goes downhill again.

I always found the nurofen worked better for things like earache too. Try ice lollies to suck and cool flannels on her head too.

Are we allowed to do cool flannels with a temp? Yes I agree with the nurofen, it’s always been way more effective for fever with my kids than calpol, sometimes Calpol doesn’t even make a dent on a temp !

Yes you can use a flannel, you just need to not over chill her because her body will try and work against it to raise her temp. A cool flannel on her temples or wrists is a good way to try and cool her.

Difflam spray from the pharmacy helps but not sure on what age you can use it - maybe ask.
Also ice lollies will get fluid in and be soothing.
(A McDonald's milkshake is amazing for tonsillitis too)
My guess is the antibiotics will work today and they will turn a corner. It is sooooo painful. I had it two weeks ago and felt so awful.

Oh they hurt alot, I hope you're giving her antibiotics. May she get well soon.

Don't use a cold flannel but a tepid one will help.
Are you alternating the Calpol and ibuprofen so she is getting pain relief every couple of hours?

Yes we’re alternating the painkillers. She is having the antibiotics every 6 hours like it says on the label, so x3 a day. She seems a little more energetic today and actually walking around and picking at some Cheerios, praying she’s turned the corner !

I used to get tonsillitis very badly as a small child. It’s one of my few first memories.
my temp would go through the roof, and I would have hallucinations and fever dreams. Don’t underestimate how serious it can be in small children.

glad she is on the mend.

It’s not just her throat that’s affected, her stomach will be too. Always go to the doctor so each bout is recorded on her medical records. NHS is reluctant to remove tonsils these days. My friend’s daughter suffered with it and was missing lectures at uni because of it. She hadn’t been going to the doctor, just taking painkillers. When she enquired about an op, she was advised she wasn’t getting tonsillitis frequently enough to qualify. So having it on the records is important. My friend paid for the op privately in the end.

Have you tried ice lollies? Only thing that ever helped my dd when she was that young.

Yes we’ve been giving ice lollies when she will take one, I’ve actually frozen some watermelon as think that would be good.
No temp so far today 🤞still quite grumpy though, and she’s been asleep for 2 hours !

3.5 days of antibiotics and she is still getting temps, 38.7. Shouldn’t they have kicked in by now ?

I had tonsillitis about 10 years ago and I felt utterly dreadful with it. I could barely get out of bed, zero appetite, fever, it was awful. And I was an adult and knew what was going on! I did feel much better within a day or so of starting antibiotics.

I hope she feels better soon. Yes, she should be starting to feel better if it’s bacterial. Is she seeming better in herself?

I would take her to doc tomorrow if not improved and ask them to swab her tonsils as they may have given wrong antibiotics

Hi all, so dd could not stop coughing yesterday, every breath taken resulted in a cough, we noticed she was panting a little too, then her temp shot right back up so I wasn’t taking any chances regarding sepsis etc so I took her to the hospital, turns out she still has tonsillitis ! The antibiotics didn’t work… the doctor was so lovely and explained now because she’s been poorly for so long the risk of bacterial infections happening is huge so they need to make sure it’s not a viral strain, did a throat swab which came back negative so he’s now prescribed some stronger antibiotics for dd. This illness is never ending !