To think phoning 111 for this is ridiculous?

[vcfhmj]

I had a sore throat that began yesterday morning and has gotten progressively worse. I am grimacing when I swallow, it's absolute agony, have a temperature and a headache and have been up able to get up and on with it. It feels like tonsillitis to me but I haven't even looked at my tonsils as that would involve sitting/getting up.

My mum thinks I should call 111 and get an out of hours GP appointment. I said no, I'll just wait and phone GPS tomorrow.

However, she is saying the quicker you start antibiotics the better. I haven't been Ill in a long time and I actually started to call 111 then decided it was ridiculous and embarrassing to call about a sore throat so I hung up (before being answered obviously).

So I am asking the good people of Mumsnet. It's clearly not life threatening, I will survive, is it best to wait till tomorrow so as not to waste anyone's time?

This is exactly what 111 is there for as you are unwell and in pain. If you need antibiotics you will be able to start them sooner than if you have to wait for a GP appointment tomorrow. I hope you feel better soon!

Oh dear. We are all fucked.

It’s fine to phone 111 for this.

It could be a Quincy which would make it harder & harder to swallow anything even water. You need antibiotics.

They can.

Call 111. It’s likely a gp will do a phone appointment and prescribe antibiotics over the phone, providing you’re not a frequent user of them!

You can gargle with aspirin to get an anti-inflammatory effect. You need to be careful not to take aspirin if you’re doing this as you could exceed the dose.
Also recommend gargling with bicarbonate of soda in some tepid water. Slightly less vile than salt water, but still technically a salt and does the same trick. (Also less likely to sting)

If you are going to swallow the soluble aspirin, don't do it on an empty stomach.of course you don't want to eat with a painful throat,soup, anything to line your stomach.

Appointment with out of hours doc for 12 pm.

In our area we have step before 111. There is an out of hours GP service you can call if your GP is fully booked and you want to see a GP that day. They can't do referrals for example but can send a report to your GP recommending one. If they are full or can't help then you contact 111.

Thank you @OhhShiny

Glad you got an app quick op.

That's great news, glad you're getting to see someone

Most tonsillitis is viral rather than bacterial so antibiotics have no impact. Painkillers, hydration, gargling with salt water and difflam. If the tonsils are so swollen it's impeding your breathing of course seek emergency treatment. If tonsillitis doesn't clear up within admit a week it might be bacterial and you might need antibiotics.
Not a doctor, but very very regular sufferer of tonsillitis from childhood.

I’m glad you got an appointment op. I was hospitalised twice with tonsillitis for fluids and I’ve antibiotics. Back in the days before 111 and you could only get a gp appointment if you called at 8:30 and were lucky. Normally you’d be on hold for ages only to find out all the appointments were gone. It can get quite serious if left untreated. White spots mean it’s bacterial and more likely to need antibiotics.

Glad to read you got an appt OP. I did the online form for 111 last year with a very sore throat, it had been getting worse for days and by the weekend I was beside myself with the pain. They sorted me with antibiotics on a video call appt.

@waldpbal no I never said it was - any poster who seriously follows medical advice given by strangers on the internet is an idiot. The OP asked for opinions, which is what mine was, same as yours! That is my OPINION, based on a very long association with tonsillitis and a nursing degree.

I could have written this post as I’ve had a horribly sore throat, fever and chills for the last 48 hrs. I called 111 this morning as I could barely swallow my own saliva and had a call back from an out of hours GP who prescribed antibiotics. He said that if you have a cough and sore throat then 9 times out of 10 it is a viral infection. But without a cough it is most likely bacterial and needs antibiotics. Hope you feel better soon.

@JackRosenberg well it says on the bottle only for external use! It is actually a much weakened version of HP that is suitable to dab on to grazes as an antiseptic.

It is virtually impossible to gargle with any liquid without swallowing some of it. As a pp said, gargling with soluble aspirin and then deliberately swallowing it can be very helpful. However anyone doing this must make sure that it is ok to take the aspirin with any other painkillers that they may have already taken, and that they don't give it to children. Hopefully all Mumsnetters know not to give aspirin to children...

As for ThinWomansBrain just suggesting gargling with - what could be pure, undiluted - Hydrogen Peroxide, I hope she never advises anyone to do that ever again, and I hope @ThinWomansBrain that you will now google HP!

Came to say this. Just go to a pharmacy; they can also call 111 and make an OOH appt for you. They did this recently for me - they can apparently do the triage part. This was in boots pharmacy in Scotland.

In the meantime can you get an anaesthetic throat spray to numb the back of the throat?
Think Chloraseptic anaesthetic spray is available even on Amazon if you have quick delivery option and can't get to a chemist today.

Obviously life, illness and injuries happen outside of regular 9-5 gp hours, which is why out of hours locations exist. Glad you're being seen today.

Tonsillitis is bloody horrible. My son once had a vv sore throat maybe tonsillitis treated with difflam analgesics etc for a good few days it was getting worse instead of better so I did take him to the gp and she was lovely and he did get antibiotics. Poor lad was totally exhausted and miserable I’d exhausted all I could do for him at home I should’ve probably got the dr a bit earlier - paeds nurse but thought it would pass. I think If you’re ever unsure then getting some advice from a dr is a good thing, I just couldn’t keep the pain away or temp down at home. I hope you’re on the mend soon op

The white spots would indicate ABs.

I once used to get tonsillitis every year, until a particularly bad dose (white spots) that made me really ill. GP prescribed Abs that didn’t work, but followed that with different ones for 2 weeks.

That was years ago and I’ve never had it since. Some people carry the bacteria (strep?)without realising - I was evidently one of them.

Those parroting the notion that tonsillitis is usually viral are wrong.