My tonsils

[huyu]

This isn't normal, is it?
I get tonsillitis often but I'm actually struggling to swallow at all and feel like my throat is bruised.
Attached a photo of what they look like.

Is this an out of hours doctor problem?

Just looks like a sore throat to me? But I’m
not a doctor

I get tonsillitis quite regularly and out of hours/walk-in centres generally won't prescribe antibiotics, they just advise paracetamol/ibuprofen and gargling with soluble aspirin. Unless you have a high temp and great difficulty swallowing. / difficulty breathing, I would try and self-manage

I mean they look swollen and red, but no I wouldn’t go to OOH with it.

Take plenty of paracetamol and ibuprofen, together, preferably dispersing so you can gargle with it. You might be able to take aspirin as well (or instead of the paracetamol) if you can’t gwt dispersing paracetamol.

You won’t be prescribed antibiotics until there’s white spots of infection on your tonsils.

Don't take ibuprofen and aspirin together!

I get bacterial tonsillitis (swabbed) a few times a year and have had quinsy twice. They'll always treat the quinsy but try not to prescribe otherwise. I feel for you as tonsillitis is the worst, but paracetamol and one NSAID gargled will help and get some difflam throat spray too which will take the edge off. Then force down fluids even though you won't feel like it and rest. OOH only if you can't open your mouth or have difficulty breathing

Thanks everyone, it's getting so sore I'm actually almost crying even after painkillers. Going to see how things go for next hour or two!

Sorry for the gruesome pictures! Just wanted to know if anyone can advise whether it's bad enough to get checked!

Here they only prescribe Antibios if there is pussy spots on them.

Tonsilitis is horrendous but lots of rest and it will be over soon x

Ah they look really swollen. If you're in a lot of pain get seen. Tonsilitis does usually have white puss but it could be something else or just starting . Hope you feel better soon.

@moanymoaner yeah, the worry is they swell up this much every 2-3 weeks for 1-2 days, which is obviously quite abnormal!

Do you have a cough or fever?

These are my sons, much worse IMO. Sorry! Doc says ibuprofen and come back for antibiotics if not gone in 3 days.

@Merryoldgoat bit of a wheezy cough sometimes but not a full on cough. Had a period of about 5 minutes this afternoon where I felt all warm with cold chills but no fever otherwise.

@Fruitbatdancer my daughters were permanently like that and she had them taken out!

As well as taking the maximum safe dose of OTC painkillers, try gargling with salt water a few times a day.

Ice lollies are good if you don't feel like drinking.

My son’s tonsils were enormous and he had them out a few months ago along with his adenoids

@moanymoaner I suggested this tonGP and he just tutted and said ‘we don’t recommend that at all anymore”

NHS website says you only need to see a GP if it lasts longer than four days, you can't eat/drink at all, or if you have white spots.

Hopefully you'll feel much better soon

Different areas different rules I guess! No quibble here at all. Although she did start with sleep apnoea because of them.

Listen, it's shit. I remember being a single parent and housebound as DD had chickenpox and I was crawling round the house vomiting as I was in so much pain BUT your tonsils don't have pus and there's no abscess that I can see, so all you'll achieve by going to OOH is going out in the cold to sit in a surgery for hours and then get sent away being told to rest, fluids and OTC painkillers. The fact you don't have a fever means it's v unlikely to be anything other than viral. Get someone to bring you some difflam and do see doc if trouble breathing or your jaw locks but it's a waste of time to do OOH otherwise

If you have a cough and no fever and no pus it’s most likely viral.

I’d suggest some soluble Solpadeine Plus alternated with soluble aspirin every three hours for 2/3 days.

If still in pain or you get fever/spots, see the doctor.

I’m not a doctor, rather a lifelong tonsillitis sufferer and finally had them out at 30 which was hellish.

They do still take tonsils out as I had mine out a week ago! (Seriously. Last resort. There's a period of time where the pain is so bad that a combo of morphine, paracetamol and ibuprofen didn't touch the pain. That's another story though...)
The rules are:
7 x bouts of tonsillitis in a year
10 x bouts of tonsillitis across 2 years.

I had mine out for other reasons, but honestly. It's hell. My tongue got cauterized accidentally too.

I hope it eases soon. It's miserable.

@MrMeeseekscando the thought of having them out terrifies but mine are swelling up like this 2-3 times a month as it stands!

I've just come out the other side of the worst of it.
I honestly feel really positive about it all.
The problem I had with the persistent tonsillitis is the unknown. Will I get it again? How long? Will my ears be hurting again?
I finally feel like I could have some relief because it grinds you down.
Mine were removed as there was a worry that mine was due to lymphoma. I'm missing major symptoms and when the surgeon was taking them out decided it was even more unlikely due to them both being the same size.
I suffer from psoriasis too, which the consultant said may also disappear off the back of this.
Before the op I did exactly what you are doing, but with a salt water gargle several times a day.
I'll try and update how I feel in a few days. At the moment I feel like this could have been a great decision for me though.

Both my children are having their tonsils out next month! I never knee two crappy things in their mouths could cause SO much misery. Hospital admissions, blue light trips to hospital, severe sleep apnea, around 30 courses of Antibios between them in 2 years. Tonsils are vile when they are prone to infection

Bugsy, fingers crossed this is the end of their problems!