to expect DH to be given antibiotics?

[stiltonontoast]

Our whole family (me, dh, ds 10 months) has been ill for weeks now - probably around 3 weeks, it started with DS getting croup, followed by a nasty cold - then I got tonsillitis/fever which lasted a week, then DH got tonsillitis severely which has lasted 2 weeks so far and now I am starting to get it again and DS has got a runny nose.

DH took a day off today and went to the doctor (after a LOT of persuasion) as he could hardly talk or eat and was very lethargic. He only managed to get a nurses appointment and she sent him away with nothing and told him it may last a few more days.

I get that these days antibiotics aren't just prescribed willy nilly, but this is over 2 weeks of throat pain that has been getting worse. DH has yellow tonsils that cover 80% of his throat. Gargling salt water isn't cutting it.

If it isn't a bacterial infection, which by the sounds of it, it isn't, then antibiotics won't make a difference.

Agreed antibiotics won't help if viral.

My husband had the same a few years ago, it was viral.

argh, I don't know what to do. It seems to just be circulating.

Its viral - antibiotics wont work so yes YABU

It's a virus. Antibiotics are for bacterial infections. Not viruses.

Croup is viral. Most tonsilitus is viral.

If his tonsils were white and green and he was spiking a fever even with pain meds then maybe 🤷🏼‍♀️ but they're not.

Paracetamol and Ibuprofen. Gargle some collodial silver. Suck it up.

Oh and bleach/boil all of your toothbrushes and then bin them and buy new when you start to get better.

To get antibiotics he’d need to meet the centor criteria; 1.does he have a fever? 2.Pus on the tonsils? 3.Are there tender lymph nodes up in his neck? 4.And crucially he should NOT have a cough. Each of those scores 1 point. If it’s over 3 they’ll give them. It’s actually quite straightforward.

As you’ve all had it it sounds viral. It’s not the GPs being stingy, we give them out when people need them but viruses are not cured by antibiotics and they would be being prescribed unnecessarily which is harmful in the long run

Tyrozettes and difflam spray in the meantime. I know it’s awful but he’ll be back on his feet soon

YABU. Even a full blown bacterial tonsillitis antibiotics only get you better an average of 16 hours quicker. And risk of diarrhoea, thrush etc. Agree get painkillers in, Difflam, flurbiprofen lozenges, it will pass.

If he has been assessed as not needing antibiotics by an "Advanced Nurse Practitioner" then I would assume it's viral

If you're absolutely convinced it's bacterial you could make another appointment and get a throat swab. If it's viral you do just have to ride it out though. It can be horrendous I know. I went all out and had some codeine last time I had tonsillitis which took the edge off a little bit, it was so bad I hadn't slept for days. Remember you can alternate paracetamaol and ibuprofen (OR asprin) every two hours.

Antibiotics are pretty grim too, best avoided if possible- ruin your stomach bacteria, always gives me thrush too.

Most cases of tonsillitis are viral. Antibiotics won't help. Hope you're all feeling better soon

Unless there is an underlying medical history there, then no, antibiotics aren't necessary. I've had a transplant and infections take hold incredibly quickly. I'm at risk for rejection and sepsis when that happens. I'm always given antibiotics "as a precaution". I'm currently on Clarithromycin, which is absolutely brutal and I hate it because it has such horrid side effecrs, but I'm also having trouble breathing because of pneumonia (which started as a cold). Antibiotics are not a panacea, they should only be used when bacterial infection is suspected or likely to occur.

Lots of sleep, fluids, vitamin C & iron supplements unless it gets seriously bad. Ibuprofen to keep the temperature down.
Hope you all feel better.

I feel for you, throat infections can be awful. I really struggle with the pain, as others have said, painkillers, Strefen lozenges and difflam Spray (I don’t find the spray helps me much but I would take anything to help even a small bit).

Wash everything dettol everything be careful to wash your hands regularly until you break the cycle of reinfecting each other

If one tonsil is particularly inflamed compared to the other and he can't eat, and his voice sounds different, then it could be quinsy. I had viral tonsillitis that turned into quinsy and only then would the antibiotics work - but I was in hospital by then!

Don't be afraid to go back to the doctors if it's getting worse - just because antibiotics won't be effective now, doesn't mean he might not need them later. If he's been told that he doesn't need them now then annoyingly, that's probably right. For now he just needs to keep hydrated and monitor what's going on with the tonsils in case he needs to go back to the dr.

Yanbu to be fed up tho, totally draining when the household is ill and your clinging onto ABXs restoring life only to be denied them (even tho the buggers wont work!!!)

I had the flu a couple of years back. Got over the flu within a couple of weeks but felt unwell for a couple of months after. Viruses can knock the crap out of you. I found taking Sambucol helped a lot. Kids take it each winter now.

YABU, sounds viral. Pain in the arse though.

Tonsillitis can also be bacterial which do need antibiotics. Although it’s not as common doesn’t mean it isn’t bacterial.

Thanks everyone. I think thats it - I thought the antibiotics would sort it. DH took a day off, which he hates doing - walked in the rain, waited 45 mins and still no let up to the perpetual ill.

I've been to the chemist and got him some of that difflum spray though, so at least we have something, haha.

I had awful tonsillitis for 6 weeks. No pus, just very red.
I lost nearly a stone and felt dreadful.
Everyone kept telling me it was viral and to gargle salt water.
I had to beg the gp to take a swab.
Streptococcal infection.

Has he tried gargling with soluble paracetemol. I had repeated tonsillitis as a child and adult they were finally removed when I was 37 and almost lived at the GP. Drink the paracetemol afterwards.