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.

Don't do this. People not finishing their prescribed antibiotics and keeping them at home to take like smarties when they feel a bit crap is one of the reasons why we're getting more and more antibiotic resistance.

During Covid I had the same symptoms as you. I remember walking aimlessly round the supermarket trying to find ice cream, lemsip, painkillers etc, anything to help and trying very hard to stop the tears that would spring into my eyes every time I swallowed. It was like my brain went, oi, you need to swallow, and I'd grit my teeth in the middle of the aisle!

I rang 111 and had a callback a few hours later and a dr prescribed antibiotics straightaway. He didn't need to see the state of my tonsils, although they were impressive with the gunky patches.

When I had this but probably nowhere near as badly as you, I described the pain, the whitish yellow patches and spots inside my throat over the phone - the GP prescribed me antibiotics and a numbing throat spray, without seeing me.

I phoned 111 when I had this exact thing (white patches on tonsills, extreme pain struggling to drink or swallow) and got a call back from a Dr who prescribed antibiotics and sent the prescription to a nearby pharmacy. It worked within hours, so was clearly bacterial.

I wonder if it's strep throat and not quinsy?
Just looking up the symptoms of quinsy and it doesn't mention the patches you say you have @Turtlegurl888
I also looked up strep throat and that does have the patches plus all the other symptoms you mentioned. My ds had it a few years ago (early 20s) when he was in holiday and he was in so much pain.

No, I haven't. I called at 8am until 8:45am, over 300 times, to an engaged line. When I got through there were no appointments left. I have filled an online referral form out for the GP to contact me. I'm not sure what else I can do to get to speak to a doctor. I suppose I could drag my also ill, contagious toddler up to A&E and sit and wait for hours on end, but I'd much rather not. I have seen a pharmacist and gotten some antibiotics, anyway.

It was just a throwaway comment that they always say its viral. Maybe it is always viral. But when you feel incredibly shit it's just not what you want to hear that nothing can be done except painkillers and giving it time 😫

Generally, infections that affect multiple members of the household at the same time will be viral. It’s possible to start off with a viral infection and then develop a secondary bacterial infection later.

If your son is ill at present too then your infection may be viral (some viral tonsillitis can be awful) but with your symptoms you absolutely need to be properly examined to consider quinsy.

Good luck.

I find it odd that “you know the doctor will say it’s viral”

When I’ve had tonsillitis as an adult I’ve been prescribed antibiotics because they checked and determined it was bacterial.

Dont demand anything that never goes well. Just be polite and assertive.

I don't know if it's just in my head but I've literally taken 1 dose of antibiotics about 30 minutes ago and I can sense a slight change/improvement? Swallowing is still obviously extremely painful but there's certainly less constant pain in that general area. Probably just me 😂 if I get to the end of the day though after 4 doses and I'm much improved I'll be worshipping Alexander Fleming for sure. Still worried my little boy needs them and hasn't been given any though...

Honestly, one thing I hate is GPs thinking they know it all yet pharmacists are often more qualified in some aspects of medicine and make better judgements

yet pharmacists are often more qualified in some aspects of medicine and make better judgements give me what I want when I'm feeling a bit rubbish. There I fixed it for you

The online form I assume is the e consult form. I’ve done it twice and it’s always been really effective. Never ever ring now, in fact they actively discourage ringing.

Given the growing dangers from antibiotic-resistant bacteria, there have been many attempts to limit antibiotic prescribing in general practice. I did read an article once about how London GPs were getting fed up because people from some cultures expect to take away antibiotics from just about every visit to the doctor, they are used, in their home country, to having them handed out like sweets, especially for children. Refusal has led to angry shouting matches, people being ejected from surgeries, removed from patient lists, etc. Now it is becoming more common among UK native folk too.

In a survey of GPs, 55% reported pressure to prescribe antibiotics, 45% had prescribed antibiotics for a viral infection knowing that they would be ineffective, and 44% admitted that they had prescribed antibiotics in order to get a patient to leave the consulting room.

They won't give antibiotics for sinusitis any more . When I had really bad sinusitis years ago I was prescribed antibiotics and felt so much better a few hours later .

Perhaps everyone should Google their local pharmacy to see what services they offer. The pharmacists have training and are are shadowed by GPs in common ailments like sore throat and they have swabs which GPs don't usually have. They are not given a tick list and told to get on with it and they advise if symptoms do not improve then to contact the GP.

ONLY take antibiotics if they are genuinely needed. The body gets used to them if taken too often and when you do have a serious problem they don't work. I never take anything like this but 2 years ago I was seriously ill and taken to hospital after collapsing with sepsis.

I then got pneumonia and a selection of other problems. The surgeons were definitely going to take off my right, and probably my left, leg. Happily they are still attached. I was in hospital for 3 months and it is only because my body wasn't used to antibiotics that I survived. I am vegan, so don't consume any food that has been routinely pumped full of the stuff.

The doctors told me I was a medical miracle and a lot of people don't even recover from one of the problems I had. They kept asking about resuscitation and last rights etc (I'm not religious) but I knew this was serious. My weight dropped to 6 1/2 stones (from around 11) and by rights I should be dead.

Antibiotics are great for the big stuff but if taken like sweets you become immune to their effects. Obviously you needed this medication but some people just demand antibiotics for the most innocuous reasons so that when they have a real illness they are no use.

Having a really painfully swollen throat is rubbish, and a bit scary, so I hope you are soon feeling a lot better, but look on the bright side and take this opportunity to eat loads of ice-cream.

Thank you (and everyone, sorry I can't reply to all) for your response. My little one is actually on the mend now so perhaps I'm worrying for nothing. I think it seems likely we fell ill with a virus at the same time and mine has just progressed. He is now fairly lively and drinking very well (eating still crap but to be expected) so think he is getting through it. God help Mummy trying to play while feeling this awful 😭

I will take your advice on the quinsy I promise. I just need to have a nap first while my child naps or I think I might die on the way to the walk in.

I'm not sure if it's still the case but surgeries used to get paid to NOT issue antibiotics. If your usual GP refuses to give you any, wait til after hours and call 111 who will make you an appt for an on call GP local to you. They don't get the incentive so normally have no problem issuing a prescription for antibiotics. I used to do this before just switching surgeries.

Im so sorry OP its so frustrating that our NHS has been run down to the point where we can’t see a doctor (but still pay 20 or 40% tax 🤯)

This government has a big big job ahead of them.

Sorry op but that's definitely in your head!

Antibiotics take at least 24hrs to start working, more often 48hrs. And that's to feel even slightly better.

If you feel better before then it's likely it was viral

Hope you feel better soon

This is not how antibiotic resistance works. Good for you for being public-spirited. But you are still as likely as anyone to catch a resistant strain.

That's not how they work

I've had over 75 courses and antibiotics still work absolutely fine for me

Do people realise, a viral infection can be just as bad and worse than a bacterial infection? There's no hard and fast rule that a temperate or white spots, or the general severity of the symptoms, indicates whether its viral or bacterial. Its simply that antibiotics won't work with a viral infection and over prescribing can contribute to resistance.

I think its reasonable to insist on a swab test to check if its bacterial. Not reasonable to insist on antibiotics based solely on the severity of symptoms.

I think you're right, I've just remembered that before I left for the chemist I took anadin extra which has probably just properly kicked in 😂 duhhh. But hopefully the antibiotics do work! I said upthread I genuinely haven't had any antibiotics since I was a very, very young child, so I'm sure I'll be ok.

It's not that your individual body that gets used to them, it's that frequent use in the whole population can cause antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria to emerge. So although it's absolutely true that antibiotics shouldn't be used unless truly necessary, frequent use of antibiotics in one patient won't result in them being less effective in that individual. Doctors have to try to predict which bacterial infections are likely to resolve without antibiotics and which infections require antibiotics to prevent serious complications like sepsis from developing.

The op reported that the pharmacist prescribed abx without even looking in her throat, so no examination! This was absolutely highly inappropriate given the symptoms the op has discussed. There have been 3 seperate red flags given from the patient in her history, any 1 of which necessitating careful consideration of diagnosis which needs an examination, this just hasn't occurred. So either an absence of training/knowledge on the error the pharmacist was making, or they just discounted her symptoms/thought she had health anxiety nonsense that didn't warrant any investigation but just through some tablets at her so she goes away.

If this was a quinsy for example (there are other worse conditions as well) the abx will have no effect and could well experience life threatening complications in the next day or 2. There has been no examination to consider or exclude these.

If you are having difficulty opening your mouth, feel swallowing is impaired, voice has changed you should be examined by a professional.