To go to A & E for tonsillitis

[northernmonkey1010]

Working in the local hospital today and see someone waiting over 3 hours in A & E for tonsillitis. Isn't this so merging you go to the chemist or the walk in centre for?

I took dd to the walk in centre with tonsillitis because she couldn't swallow anything, her throat was that swollen and I woujld have taken her to a and e if the walk in centre was not available
Is there any alternative to a and e where you are op?

I get tonsillitis all the time approximately every 4 months.
Once it was so bad that my tonsils were joined together. I couldn't eat at all and could barely drink anything. I couldn't stand for long without nearly fainting.
Only narrowly avoided hospital that time.

It's not just a sore throat.

If you're throat is so swollen that swallowing is becoming difficult you should probably go.

I didn't believe it could get that bad until my gp warned me during a particular nasty bout of it.

Tonsillitis is not a sore throat. It's one of my bugbears that people refer to any old sore throat as tonsillitis but manage to be in work, sucking throat sweets. I no longer have tonsils due to acute tonsillitis over the course of two years and eventual removal of tonsils. I still get sore throats but they are not the same as tonsillitis. Tonsillitis = 40 degrees + fever, agonising pain, restricted throat and possible complications with quinsy.

Depends on how bad- know someone who couldn't breathe, was admitted for almost a week on Iv and antibiotics morphine

How do you know why the person is there op?

YABU I had tonsillitis a lot as a teenager, at its worst it's blocked my airway and I repeatedly passed out. There's a sore throat... and then there is tonsilitis. Different kettle of fish.

I would always phone the car first, but if refused an appointment and was really concerned then maybe A&E. We had to get DD checked out for tonsillitis before Xmas (she's had it before). Local doctors surgery was full first thing and we had to go to another surgery a few miles away. Luckily my DH was off so I had the car.

OP

I presume you're not a HCP, in which case mind your own business and leave the advising of patients to those with the appropriate qualifications and knowledge.

Yep, I've been to A&E once in my adulthood (creeping up to 40) and was for tonsillitis- was one festive period a few years back and a weekend so no GP open and no walk in Center's in our area. I was very, very poorly- high temp and in and out of consciousness so no option!

The last time my dp had tonsillitis I sent him off to a&e as the doctor couldn't fit him in for another 2 days, after waiting 4 hours he decided to come home and promptly collapsed in the doorway, the infection was raging, and he ended up in hospital for 10 days on drips and needling to have his throat syringed with a needle a few times.

I've had a sore throat for the last few days so have stayed well away from him!!

EweAre here. "Gps aren't open today" there is an out of hours GP service. It's incorrect information like this which means some people go to A&E in error.

I did years ago and was admitted and put on a drip as I was severely dehydrated as I couldn't swallow bar the tiniest amount of liquid I could not even get saliva down so if its that bad then its perfectly reasonable, I had them out that week.

Backing I know what your saying but that's a little unfair. I suffer with really bad tonsillitis with really high temps but you'll still see me on school run etc. I have no choice with 2 children 1 with Sen

What role did you have in this person's care OP?

Oh, you're not there.

Let's not start comparing A&E tonsillitis stories. The OP isn't here for that, I'm sure...

Not where we live on weekend or holiday days or evenings!

We have really struggled at times, with nothing open that's easy to get to in our area. Not all county provisions are the same.

Friend's 18 year old dd has just spent three nights in hospital on IV abs for tonsillitis. She also turned out to have glandular fever.

It's not always the diagnosis that matters but how ill you are. Probably best let the individual person decide.

My first experience of the NHS I was on a sports camp & got septic tonsillitis virtually overnight on a Sunday. Went to a 24hr unit- ended up being admitted for 3days on IV antibiotics & fluids. It can be bad.

I was referred to a&e from a walk in centre (out of hours). I couldn't swallow or breathe properly.
It's not always mild. In fact tonsillitis is rarely mild as such, it tends to be people with a sore throats who are convinced they have tonsillitis that tend to give it a bad name.

I can only pray that OP isn't in any way associated with patient care. Nice to know you can be judged when using the service as it is intended to be used.

My DD was 12, horrific (and recurrent) tonsilitis and after 2 weeks and 3 lots of antibiotics I took her to A&E when I couldn't get her temp down and she couldn't swallow her own spit.

A&E were fab, suspected and then ruled out Quinsy but she was admitted and put on IV antibiotics for 2 days.

Majority of times tonislitis is "just" a nasty and painful illness. It can be severe and very serious if left untreated.

I had quinsy when I was 14. It was truly awful and they kept me in overnight.

YABU

There's a walk in centre open so I thought it would have been better to go there. They were still waiting to be seen by doctor after 3 hours they had been triaged though. I see some stupid reasons why they come to A & E

My daughter developed awful tonsillitis and 111 advised us to take her straight to A&E where she was seen within an hour and given antibiotics. It was a long weekend and we were following instructions so maybe that family were too .

My DH once went to A&E with tonsillitis - he'd been to the GP twice about it but it wasn't getting better. Turned out the GP had been wrong about it being viral - it had turned into quinsy and he was hours away from death.