AIBU to not leave the GP without antibiotics

[Turtlegurl888]

I suspect I have bacterial tonsillitis. I've had a raging fever of between 39 and 40 even when maxxing out the daily allowance of paracetamol and ibuprofen. I can hardly open my mouth or turn my head/neck. My glands are like painful golf balls. Yesterday and the day before, my tonsils were covered in white and yellow patches, but that seems to have lessened today. I was awake every hour last night in sheer agony. I don't know how else to describe this pain. It's like being stabbed in the throat and neck. This started on Friday and its been worse every day since. I can't even speak today.

I have had tonsillitis MANY times, I'd venture to say on at least 100 times throughout my childhood, I really suffered. This feels different. The pain is next level. I can't eat or even drink. I am forcing myself to sip water but I'm screaming internally every time I have to swallow.

I know the Dr will say its viral and to wait it out but I can't. I need something. I have my 15 month old all week with no childcare or another adults help and I'm not going to be able to cope like this. Can I be like, I'm not leaving until I have antibiotics? Or at least a swab test for bacterial? I'm usually a massive pushover and willing to accept a doctor knows more than I do but it's so bad I think I need to stand up for myself.

Emergency prescription from the pharmacy - the pharmacist will look at your throat and decide if they can prescribe you something or you need to see the GP.

Blimey, I'm surprised they haven't whipped the fuckers out by now.
My sis had quinsy and was really ill. I guess hers was on the brink of bursting though.

When I had tonsilitis that felt like that when I was still living in the UK, the doctor gave me steroids and they helped immensely, quite quickly. Think I was able to swallow without that spiky golf ball feeling the next day.

Where I am now, doctors will check your CRP with a fingerprick test if you present with tonsilitis, and can tell which are most likely bacterial from that. So much better than just relying on the individual opinion of a GP.

Really no. What's actually more likely to happen is to wait 2-3 hours (typical response time really but in some areas much busier and you'll get a call back is 3-5hours by someone asking if you can make your own way to a&e or potentially we can arrange a taxi).

Very few ambulance staff will have the knowledge/ability to confidentally differetiate a quinsy from tonsillitis, this isnt part of the training and they don't carry treatments for either condition. So at best youre waiting hours for someone to arrive who has only a very surface level knowledge of quinsy, very basic ent exam, and they'll drop you off at a&e reception to book yourself in/or tell you its a sore throat, they dont think its anaphylaxis (which is the emergency throat condition they care about) you can still make your own way upto a&e. I've worked I worked in 2 different ambulance trusts and neither has any direct to ent pathway. Only paramedics who take on additional training to work in a gp surgery etc would top up with this type of assessment skill.

Hurts like absolute buggery but gargling with salt water helped my teen DC when she had a bacterial tonsillitis and the GP refused her antibiotics. She was in hell with pain and a fever, could barely swallow, was dehydrated and her whole neck was swollen, her tonsils looked were covered in yellow spots and larger than I’ve ever seen tonsils go before. It did make her tonsils look like they had flecks of blood on them when she gargled with it and it really hurt when she had it in her mouth gargling but after about 15 mins they didn’t feel as sore as they had. She repeated every hour until I got her to an OOH app where the doctor there had no clue why her GP hadn’t sent her straight to the hospital in the first place (she was admitted and put on IV antibiotics).

https://www.mdcalc.com/calc/3316/feverpain-score-strep-pharyngitis

they shld use the fever pain score to determine if you need anti bs which it sounds like you do.

I've had quinsy and the pain sounds exactly as you describe, I also could barely open my mouth and whole body convulsing with pain every time I had to swallow. Mostly I was just drooling because swallowing was so horrific. 100% you need antibiotics ASAP. I really hope you get this sorted quickly, it's absolutely exhausting. You have not come across dramatic to me because I know it really is that awful.

I’m just commenting from my experience of quinsy 13 times, on the brink of throat closure and being blue lighted. 4 times since September, including Father’s Day. Get straight the ENT ward that way with treatment started in A&E!

If you are truly as you say you are, I can't imagine a GP would let you leave without antibiotics?

It is absolutely ok to do this if diluted to the recommended strength.

I had severe strep throat, Dr. didn't believe me but it was exactly like what you described.

I ended up in hospital, eventually (no thanks to Dr. or Nurses) it ruptured and a tonne of blood poured out then I felt better for a few days but it came back with vengeance and they finally did the test, I got a half ass apology after letter months of torture and then got gave antibiotics.

Tonsillitis can be so awful, the times I've had it badly I really suffered, it does sound like the may give you antibiotics for that though. One thing I found really helps is to try and take soluble painkillers, paracetamol and ibuprofen tablets I find don't help but if I take the soluble ones and kind of gargle it a bit as well before swallowing it really does make a big difference with pain relief. Hope you feel better soon.

No you can't just demand antibiotics from a medical professional who has an ethical and legal duty to do you no harm. They've spent a decade at least to have the knowledge to treat you appropriately so of course you don't have that right.

That said it sounds like you do fit the criteria to be given antibiotics. I would just go to the pharmacy as advised. The NHS really doesn't have the resources to be making such a drama out of such a minor and usually self-limiting illness

To be fair you haven't got a clue either as unless you've seen OP's throat you're also an armchair doctor!

you can 100% do that.

Blahblahbaa 🙄

Yes OP please don't gargle with domestos, really bad idea, but hydrogen peroxide from a chemist is a clinically safe antibacterial agent which can be used for all major of infections, including bacterial tonsillitis.

If you have tonsillitis frequently you will need to get them out.

I had mine out because I was at the doctors every week. It even got to the point I was losing weight because I couldn’t eat because of the pain.

They won't tell you it's viral if you have white and yellow patches, and a high temperature.
You'll be given antibiotics.

I took my daughter to pharmacy for an ear infection, the pharmacist saw us almost straight away and prescribed antibiotics after an examination. Don't hesitate to go there if you are struggling to get hold of your Dr @Turtlegurl888

Meanwhile if you can swallow them do take paracetamol. Perhaps in the form of Calpol or Lemsip may be easier, though do watch your dose.

My sympathies, I know how painful it can be.

I'm sorry your going through a horrible time, I hope your LO is OK. I agree that sometimes it can be not too bad and one time I had it and was extremely ill, got worse after I started the antibiotics and when I went back the GP said he'd never see a throat so manky, its the most ill I've ever felt, hopefully you can get antibiotics soon.

Ouch, you poor thing.

Just head for the pharmacy and get the medication.

I completely sympathise, bacterial tonsillitis is the worst.

Hope you feel better soon.

Can you do an E consult?
Our gp prescribed for me based on photos.
All done in 3 hours.

My dad is a retired pharmacist and his rule of thumb was that if you have a fever which hasn't started to subside after 48 hours then it's likely that you have a bacterial infection (even if the illness started off as a virus).

This has always proven to be true for me and my kids. If you've been ill since Friday and you still have a high fever then it's likely you do need antibiotics. Pharmacist might be a good call. The thing about antibiotics is that if they are needed they will start to have an effect pretty quickly which in itself confirms it.

As other posters have suggested you might get some relief from hydrogen peroxide mouthwash (gargle it if you can bear). It's easily available as commonly used for sore mouth/gingivitis. The one I get is called Peroxyl (1.5%) but there are lots, some are 3% or 6% so all safely diluted!

Doctors and pharmacists are wary about antibiotic resistance, that is true. My friend from Eastern Europe turns up at the doctor demanding antibiotics as soon as she gets a cold or sore throat and will claim she's been ill for "days" as she's convinced they are necessary (routinely prescribed in her home country). But in your case what you have described is clearly not the same thing and your symptoms warrant a proper look.

I've been to the chemist and been given a 5 day course of penicillin. The pharmacist did not even look in my mouth. She commented on my odd muffled voice, very swollen jaw and neck and took my (39.7) temperature. I'm glad I've got them anyway and I hope I will feel better in the next few days. Also got some liquid paracetamol and ibuprofen as that's a shout. Tablets too scratchy to face today. Thanks all for your advice 🙏 I was completely unaware of this service but will definitely be utilising again if I need to (hopefully not)