To want an 'emergency' doctors appointment for tonsillitis?

[NoNonsenseNoddy]

I'm currently in significant pain, unable to look after my two young children. Having had tonsillitis a lot on the past (once having been hospitalised), I know what this is. It only came up yesterday evening (after having normal sore throat and ear ache for 2 weeks), but I really want to see a doctor today to get antibiotics ASAP. The only way to do this at my surgery is to get an 'emergency' appointment. Which I have now got after having a tense/stressful conversation with the receptionist who scoffed down the phone at my predicament.

I am fully aware that tonsillitis is not an emergency, but I don't see why I should wait and suffer like this for a week when I am pretty sure that within 24-48 hrs of taking antibiotics I will start to feel better.

I would love to hear from a doctor and from others. AIBU to insist on seeing a doctor today?

I am feeling a bit embarrassed and also wondering whether it is acceptable to request antibiotics like this ? Considering I'm in a lot of of pain and haven't had antibiotics for years and years.

Because Youaremyfavourite, I was not able to put up with that pain for 4 days. Having to brace yourself to swallow your own saliva and then crying wears a bit thin after a while.

The last time I had quinsy. So much fun. Ended up in out of hours as it was a bank holiday weekend, unable to swallow, fainting, high temp, shaking.

The doctor told me if I'd left it a day, I would have ended up in hospital.

I haven't had tonsillitis since I had 2 decaying, partially erupted wisdom teeth out. I reckon they were the reason for a mouthful of bacteria.

My GP wouldn't entertain an emergency appointment for tonsillitis this time. They also won't write fit to work certs, so I have been working in the cold with a throat that's so swollen I can only swallow liquids with real pain. This will continue for about a week, if it goes that same as always. I was told by the receptionist that I couldn't possibly know I had tonsillitis, only a doctor could tell me that. Can't wait to move from this shitty area to get away from my shitty GP.

Currently in the same predicament, OP. No appointments until AFTER the bank holiday unless I phone on the day. This is difficult for working people. I'm not in a job that I can easily leave to visit my GP and return. For a start, I have a class of 30 pupils who I can't just 'hang up' or 'put away in a drawer although, I'd like to sometimes! and I work an hour away from work.

I'm back at work on Monday. And because GPs tend to declare a virus before you've even uttered a word, it will probably mean that my three days of hell that I'm going through will extend to the first day of the working week. Damned if you do and damned if you don't: Employers want you at work asap but when you ask for the drugs to make you better, GP's won't because it's 'likely to be viral' and you end up trying to fight it off for weeks, meaning the likelihood of having more sick days.

Tonsillitis is awful. If you have a temperature, sore throat enlarge glands and spots on the tonsils then you have a high chance of a bacterial infection, oh yes and no cough. I could feel the penicillin working when I had it years ago.
We don't allow our receptionists to give out emergency appointments. They are not qualified to triage calls. Most of mine have plenty of common sense though. We have a duty doctor message book and triage the calls that way because some people do abuse the emergency system. So you call, no appointments left, say you need one and then we call you back. All morning requests are dealt with in the morning and all afternoon ones in the afternoon.
There is also a lot of streptococcal infection around at the moment causing scarlet fever in children. There have been 2000 more cases in England in the last year than the year before so we really need to eradicate the streptococcus which causes tonsillitis and scarlet fever.

Musicaltheatremum - I wonder if that is what is in my eyes? Is that possible? I have swollen puntum that won't clear with 3 courses of anti-bs (I have an eye clinic referral now). I thought it might have been a strep-infested mascara but maybe it was to do with my tonsillitis?

Oops, it is Staph on mascara. Still, the optician I saw was trying to find out reasons for my eye problems.

I used to suffer for years when I was a child and had my tonsils out when I was 6, thought that was the end of the problems until I got to about 15 when I started suffering from a strep throat. For about 3 years everytime I went to the doctors I wasn't offered any antibiotics! I can remember feeling so so ill - sky high temperature, barely being able to get out of bed, only having liquid painkillers a little at a time as the pain was so bad, not eating and having at least a week off each and every time.

Then suddenly I was being offered antibiotics and after 3 days I was feeling practically back to normal.

Luckily now its once in a blue moon and as I can barely talk to the receptionist at the doctors I get an emergency appointment and then some antibiotics :)

Emergency appt for tonsillitis is fair enough. I've been taken straight from gp surgery to hospital with a quinsy. That said, personally I tend to give it 48h or so and only go if it's still awful. I'd go asap if it was my 3rd bout in a month or something.

You have my sympathy. I ended up having mine out at 20 as i was on antibiotics every couple of months with it. It made me really ill. Couldnt eat or even drink, high temperature, dizzy, having them out was the best thing i did.