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.

You can actually get anti inflammatory mouth wash which I used because I cannot take oral anti inflammatories.

I agree, surely the most simple way of managing these situations is that each GP surgery and pharmacy has simple swab tests to see whether a patient has a bacterial infection.

As seen by this thread, people think that the severity of pain, the appearance of white spots, the height of the temperature are all indicators of what type of infection it is.

OP might have a bacterial infection or she might not. And if she hasnt, then she'll take the anti biotics, feel better in a few days because thats how a virus runs and then be convinced it was a bacterial infection, despite never really knowing because no swab has been done.

Here is the NICE guidance on sore throat in adults. If your score indicates the clinical need for antibiotics you will be prescribed them.

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng84/resources/sore-throat-acute-in-adults-antimicrobial-prescribing-visual-summary-pdf-11315864557

Really glad you are following this up with your GP. You do seem to fit the criteria for quinsy so would defiantly be good to have a medical professional examine you. Even it turns our to 'just' be tonsilitis, five days will be too short a course (I've had severe tonsilitis many times and always given 10 day course) so if GP is happy with you taking oral antibiotics I would just query with them that you have been prescribed enough to sufficiently kill the infection. Don't want it coming back!

I have bought antibiotics and other medications via private prescription for sailing too.

https://www.anytimedoctor.co.uk/onlinedoctor/medipac.html

Saved me from a nasty chest infection when we were weeks from shore!

What can happen, though, is you become unable to continue to take the form of antibiotic you have had a lot of. Happened to me - I had IV penicillin in hospital years ago (septicaemia), then had the odd prescription for bacterial infections through the years and then suddenly had a rash whilst on penicillin. GP told me because I had the reaction, I must now consider myself allergic to penicillin and ask to be prescribed another form of antibiotic in the future otherwise it was potentially life threatening (seizures etc) and was caused by the amount I had taken in my life so far.

Because it is so easy to be seen at the GP, walk in centre or A and E, isn’t it? the pharmacist was wrong not to look at the throat but they are required to do quite a bit of training before they can hand out antibiotics. Let’s face it, most doctors are consulting by telephone these days anyway. Very hard to get a face to face appointment.

I agree that we need GP practices funded properly but in the meantime what do you expect people to do?
My daughter came home from a school trip on Friday night complaining of earache, Saturday morning it was worse and I checked and could see it was red and inflamed. I could either go to a walk in 40 mins drive away and wait hours, ring 111 and wait hours, or go to our local pharmacist who examined her ear and could see the infection.

Most offshore sailors/explorers will have morphine and other painkilling drugs. We do. It's absolutely normal, because as I said, you can be weeks away from help.

You don't seem to understand that it's normal, and that in some places prescriptions don't exist. You buy what you need.

Why do you think the GP won't give you antibiotics? It's almost certainly a bacterial throat infection. I think you're looking for a fight that won't happen.

How are you today @Turtlegurl888 ?

You allow the qualified medical practitioner to prescribe whatever is most appropriate. Why do lay people think they know better?

@BeaRF75 she couldn’t see a qualified medical practitioner, that was the problem. Only a pharmacist who didn’t examine her. A qualified medical practitioner has commented on this thread that it warrants further investigation

a pharmacist can prescribe antibiotics if appropriate for tonsillitis, it doesn’t have to be a doctor

Read the thread!!!

If you keep getting tonsillitis that mich then time to get them removed.

To qualify for referral you need 7 confirmed episodes of tonsillitis in 12 months. It's quite rarely performed now because it's been identified that whilst the procedure is relatively risky there's often little benefit - people still go onto have recurrent painful throat infections.

Very unreasonable to push for antibiotics like that. 🙄😤

So many replies here showing how much we have been brainwashed to accept very little and be happy with the fact that all essential services that are in decline in the Uk. Wake up!
If the community, is not healthy, educated and fed then there’s no country.
At present, health and education are now stripped to the bones and you could also argue that having access to healthy food is not accessible to everyone as reflected in the rise in food bank demand.

There is no country. But what we have is just high taxes and some rather nicely distributed pot holes (I call them chicken pox scars) across the country that are unlikely to get fixed by autumn time and oh by then hospitals will start to get overwhelmed again by the Covid and flu season….

I think it depends how you ask
If I see a different GP and they say "it might be viral" I will say I've never had viral tonsillitis as I've had it maybe 25-30 times and it's always bacterial
They then look at my notes and throat and say "ah yes, definitely antibiotics"

Similar with my daughter. She rang 111 and explained. They sent her to the nearest chemist who was to look at her throat, did and gave her antibiotics. I'm sure you could do the same.

Quinsy does not stop you making your own way to A+E if that’s what op thinks it may be, she does not require an ambulance that someone else possibly really does!

Worrying because of improper use / dilution

This just makes me so sad. Not all
pharmacists are the same, and not all doctors are the same. As a healthcare professional, discrediting another healthcare profession on a forum like this is unprofessional. As a pharmacist, I have countless times picked up on errors and omissions made by doctors. I have had doctors say ‘I’ve saved their bacon’. Being the safety net is a huge part of the job. We are not doctors and don’t claim to be. This is a case of the Pharmacy First protocol not being followed correctly. Things might not be up to standard in this case and that is inexcusable and lets the profession down, but your comment on a public platform is not professional either.

I had a school mum go to her GP with an insect bite this week, came home with a script for fluoxacillin. There was no single infection, it was clearly an allergic response. But these things happen.

I'm sure the doctor will give you ab, you are thinking the worst. Xx