I feel so awful I could just cry and cry

[popicenice]

Have tonsillitis, started antibiotics a few days ago but since then I've just felt worse and it now feels as if it's went into my chest. Painful to swallow and now developed a cough which is really sore on chest when I cough.

I'm so fed up of feeling unwell and thought the antibiotics would have helped by now.

I know people have it so much worse, bless them and I should count myself lucky. Just feeling sorry for myself this morning 😢.

I have so much on today that I can't get out of either. Ugh.

Sounds like you've got the wrong antibiotics, so get back to the surgery ASAP.

If the antibiotics haven’t helped it might mean it’s viral, or that you have the wrong sort. Often they prescribe a more general one to start and there is a more specific one that you sometimes need for tonsillitis from memory of my poor DC. So call your GP! Good luck. It’s terrible, isn’t it.

Some misinformation here.

Tonsillitis is literally inflammation to the throat. It can be caused by a number of things. Including a bacterial infection. If it’s not improving you need to go back as you may have Quincy or even just the wrong antibiotics.

please go back.

Gargling with aspirin as mentioned by pp is really helpful, as is Difflam spray.

Go back to docs though as if it's more than 48 hours since you started them you may need different antibiotics (or none at all if it's actually something viral).

And Google 'peritonsillar abscess' or quinsy with an s, unlike what pp have said, otherwise you just get photos of this guy:

Sucking ice chips was the only things that helped me one night. Then I went to the pharmacist and got oragel. It's for the mouth and is the same anaesthetic as the throat spray, just a lot stronger. I put it on my finger and applied it to my tonsils. I at least got some sleep that night.

Whenever I have tonsillitis I go downhill really quickly but also bounce back quickly once I get antibiotics. So from unable to swallow with fever to able to swallow and lucid again within 12 hours of first dose. If the antibiotics haven't helped it may not be tonsillitis.

How many days have you been on antibiotics for? It might be time to ring your GP. Sometimes the first round simply doesn't work and you need something different. Tonsillitis can cause other things if not treated effectively.

Ughh the spitting into tissues because I could swallow my own spit - grim grim grim.

The salty water gargle trick always worked for me. Disgusting, but needs must 💐

Hi OP, as many others have said if you've been on the antibiotics for a few days and not yet feeling any better a trip back to the GP may be in order. I used to have tonsillitis almost constantly until I had them removed, and always started to feel a bit better within a day of starting the antibiotics.
In the meantime yes gargling with soluble aspirin or diflam is the spray which is antiseptic and analgesic, definitely helps for the pain.
I hope you feel better soon OP!

It's not a "misdiagnosis" - glandular fever can cause recurrent tonsillitis.

OP call the doctor this morning, you may need different antibiotics and they may be able to offer numbing spray. Or numbing mouth wash which you could gargle - difflam

A blood test will confirm glandular fever but tonsillitis can be really nasty whether you have glandular fever or not. Hope you feel better soon.

The antibiotics won’t be helping if it’s a viral infection though.

I might get some strepsils. I have felt awful for the last couple of days with runny nose, sore throat and can't speak very much the last couple of days. 😪 Sympathies!

I feel your pain. Regular sufferer here. Try gargling with TCP too. Gross but helps

You can get a spray from the gp to deaden the throat enabling you to eat/drink. I can’t recall the name.

I had recurrent tonsillitis for about 8 years. Kept being given penicillin which didn't really work as the tonsillitis would be back in a matter of days. Doctor didn't believe in having them out ! Why?

Finally had tonsils out after being seen by a lovely locum who said this is ridiculous - you can't live your life like this.

Never had tonsillitis since. The best thing I ever did. Definitely recommend it. The pain of having them out was nothing like as bad as having tonsillitis.

Get difflam spray from boots it’s amazing it reduces the swelling so it a lot less painful to swallow. Have had throat problems for many years now this best thing I have found to date.

Tonsillitis and mastitis are the two illnesses that make me cry. Sending love. Call GP, they may give you something else to try.

as per others, salt water, difflam spray etc sleep, lots of sleep

You poor thing. It's possible it's a viral rather than bacterial version, in which case the antibiotics wouldn't shift it. I've had both many times and when it's bacterial I've found the antibiotics start to work very quickly.

I echo gargling with salt water - it's surprisingly effective in temporary discomfort relief. Go back to the doctor if it doesn't improve. It's a really horrible illness - sympathies!

Make sure it hasn't developed into quinsy. Sounds like it might have. I'd see the GP.

Aw OP my greatest sympathies. I’ve had tonsillitis once and I swear the pain was excreting I’d rather have been in bloody labour again! Get the best painkillers you can find and rest!

If it's went into your chest please go back to your doctor. I've nursed a couple of people who started with tonsilitis then it went into their chest. Not to scare you, you will be fine but please get checked out if you are worried.

Most cases of tonsillitis are viral, so antibiotics wouldn't make any difference unfortunately. It should calm down after a few days, but if it doesn't and you feel extremely unwell you can go back to the GP.

There are lots of things that cause tonsillitis, so if it's viral infection rather than a bacterial one, antibiotics won't help unfortunately. I sympathise greatly because it's an absolute bastard; I used to be a regular sufferer.

My best advice is ibuprofen and paracetamol (you can take both - take ibuprofen, then take paracetamol two hours later, so you're taking them both every four hours and but at different times) and Chloraseptic or Difflam throat spray (or own brand alternative) which has a numbing effect. The most soothing drinks for tonsillitis are usually cold rather than hot drinks - iced water or iced milk-based drinks which are soothing and cooling for inflammation.

I really hope you feel better soon and honestly, you should probably be in bed rather than doing things you 'can't get out of'. If you're ill, you're ill - appreciate it might be a childcare problem or something where you really do have no option, but if it's anything else, don't be a martyr. Call in sick.

A sore throat can be so draining can't it? It's just so constant.

For me, the only thing that helps is keeping it constantly lubricated. To be sipping on a drink pretty much constantly. A thick soup as well, like cream of tomato, can line it as well, which helps.

I have so much on today that I can't get out of either. Ugh.

I think you need to cancel / postpone / rearrange and stay in looking after yourself. You won't do anyone, least of all yourself, any favours operating below par on lack of sleep and being so poorly.

The aspirin gargle really helped me.. good luck..