To think this should have been picked up sooner?

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DD has been ill the last few days with tonsillitis. She called me yesterday morning at 5 a.m., telling me her tonsils were so swollen she couldn't breathe. She has anxiety, so I assumed it was a panic attack, and she did seem to breathe more easily once she calmed down, but she still maintained her breathing was restricted because of her tonsils, so I directed her to the pharmacist (still believing it was a panic attack/anxiety)

The pharmacist looked in her throat and told her that her tonsils were swollen and that he could see "white stuff," but ultimately, there is nothing that can be done for tonsillitis, so he sent her home with a throat-numbing spray and advice to rest and contact her GP if it got worse.

She came home very distressed, which I still believed was anxiety, but I told her to contact her GP if she was in enough pain that she felt she needed to be seen that day. I heard her on the phone telling them one side of her throat was more swollen than the other side, and it was making her "feel" like she couldn't breathe easily. She also told them she'd not eaten in 48 hours as she couldn't swallow but was managing small sips of liquid with difficulty. She was told there were no appointments and nothing could be done for tonsillitis, so try to rest, drink plenty of fluids, and call 111 if it gets worse.

She tried 111 immediately but kept getting directed to a voice message giving her details on how to find an emergency NHS dentist. She was in too much pain to keep trying, so she put the phone down and went to bed in tears. I did manage to get through on 111 on her behalf, who also said it was tonsillitis and to rest/drink fluids, but to call back if it got worse.

The second I finished work, she was up begging me to take her to the walk-in center. I did, but at this point, not being a medical professional, I still thought it was tonsillitis and anxiety.

As soon as she was seen, they told us to go to A and E immediately and to call 999 if she felt like the swelling was worsening on the way there. The on-call ENT specialist was called out to meet us there.

It turns out she had an abscess on her tonsil, which is very serious because it can worsen rapidly and prevent breathing. People have died from not getting treatment quickly enough, apparently.

AIBU to think this should have been picked up by the pharmacist, the GP, and the 111 algorithm? The main warning sign is one tonsil being significantly more swollen than the other, which she told all three services, along with trouble breathing and swallowing.

I realise I didn't help by dismissing it as anxiety, but I am not a medical professional and wasn't aware that tonsil abscesses were a thing, let alone a potentially life-threatening thing.

My daughter had this a month ago.
Even I, a complete non medic, knows white spots indicates an infection, which i double checked on google, rang our doctor, whom confirmed it.
She sent a prescription through for me to collect.

This is appalling and you need to go back and report it to them.

This is very very basic.

I saw the white spots using the phone light in her mouth.

18yo ds at uni had the same symptoms. Pharmacist gave him same reply and spray, plus advice to call 111 if swelling got worse. It did. But in his case 111 sent ds to OOH where he was examined and given given antibiotics.

Viral tonsillitis may not be treated with meds, but bacterial is. And you cannot differentiate between them over the phone.

This is really upsetting to hear. As the exact thing happened to me. From the pharmacy to gp appointment. I ended up quite unwell in hospital for a few days on iv antibiotics and something else I can't remember which. Wish your dd a quick recovery x

My daughter is 18 too.
Must have been going around.

She was very sick for the bones of a week.

Yabu. She should have went to a&e first if she was feeling so bad. The pharmacist is medically competent as a pharmacist not a consultant.

She also told them she'd not eaten in 48 hours as she couldn't swallow but was managing small sips of liquid with difficulty

Regardless of any other symptoms she had that you didn't realise the significance of, not eating for 2 days and not being able to drink properly is a potential medical emergency.

Did that not occur to you?

Agree with PP that you're feeling guilty and trying to deflect responsibility. I hope she improves quickly.

God help you if you struggle with mental illness and become physically unwell. It's difficult to be taken seriously by anyone, including the medical profession. Especially if you're a woman. The potential delays in treatment can have serious consequences.

Glad your daughter's okay.

Quinsy can be fatal if the swollen tissue blocks the airway. That's why it's treated as a medical emergency and the ENT doctor was waiting at hospital to treat OP's daughter upon arrival. So it is a "big deal".

YANBU OP. The same thing happened to me, although 111 arranged an emergency GP appointment for me, and the GP did not diagnose it correctly and gave me a dose of low level antibiotics, which were wholly inadequate.

Later that day I went to A&E because it was becoming unbearable, and the triage nurse insinuated that I was wasting his time because I had already seen a GP earlier that day.

I opened my mouth so he could see the swelling. He immediately knew what it was but did not apologise to me for suggesting I'd wasted his time. He actually called his trainee nurses into the room so that they could see the swelling and told them this was Quinsy and what to look out for.

I was sent straight through to the ENT doctor, who drained the abscess and said I had come in in the nick of time and therefore wouldn't need to be admitted. But if I'd left it any longer, it would have been a medical emergency.

So glad your daughter has been seen and treated OP and I'm sorry that you had this experience.

Not sure why you’re getting such a hard time here OP.

Our GPs are massively snowed under and our EDs are packed out 24/7. That’s why people are encouraged to attend a pharmacy with sore throats etc, and pharmacists are supposed to be able to identify those that need further treatment. Pus on the tonsils appears as white spots and is an indication for antibiotics so once the pharmacist had correctly identified this and if they were unable to prescribe them (some pharmacists are prescribers) then they should have referred your dd on. It’s a fuck up.

Well done to her for continuing to seek medical attention, I hope she feels better soon.

The way you treated your DD is how the worst doctors treat patients with anxiety - assuming everything is anxiety.

I would expect the pharmacist the GP and 111 to be aware of quinsy yes.

There was a very sad case recently where a young man died as the 999 algorithm would not allow whatever the higher priority ambulance is.

I would be speaking the the pharmacy and the GP to see if lessons can be learned fully expecting them to deflect and ignore you (sadly that’s my experience of care being poor and opportunities being missed).

The NHS describes it as an emergency as it is potentially life threatening.

Your post is medical disinformation.

Quinsy is a serious complication and can become life-threatening, unless said human has a spare airway to hand.

It's easy to look back on things with hindsight, OP. It might be worth feeding back to the pharmacist etc what the diagnosis was, I would want to know if someone I had advised developed a complication.

Quinsy is life threatening. That’s the point. The abscess can block the airway.

Shame on those people making nasty remarks.
If tonsillitis is bacterial, of course she must be treated.
These box tickers relying on algorithms are downright dangerous.
My pulmonary embolism was ignored because it was only a 6% possibility.
I do hope your daughter is feeling much better soon.

I do not think people should be getting at the OP - how was she to know the pharmacist, the surgery and 111 were getting it wrong? They are there to provide sound advice and failed to do so. All of them should have known that a quinsey can be life-threatening and should have erred on the side of caution. It is not up to OP or her DD to know that.

I hope she is now on the mend.

Why pharmacy first doesn't work
The pharmacist should have sent a throat swab as well as prescribe the throat sprat
That's the protocol where I am anyway

My pharmacist can prescribe antibiotics. I’ve taken my son in there a few times.
She provides an excellent service. I love her.

How fucking dare you tell OP it’s not a big deal. If you’re a nurse, you’re not one I’d want.

My friend was hospitalised with quinsy and ended up with sepsis. It took him a very long time to recover, so it absolutely can be a big deal.

Ouch poor dd! I think the advice was on the whole poor; breathing difficulties are ALWAYS a reason to seek F2F urgent medical attention.

Im glad your dd got the help she needs eventually.

https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/26202672.langley-moor-man-died-ambulance-took-67-minutes/
It is actually

@ToddlerteapleaseQuinsy is a medical emergency- when someone is drooling or having difficulty breathing it is absolutely the right thing to go to A&E. Are you medical?

I had a quinsy. Fortunately I went to walk-in centre and caught it early, so just had antibiotics and strong painkillers. It felt like swallowing glass. I believe one of the main clues that it’s not just tonsillitis is that the uvula is pushed to the side rather than being in the centre (or that’s what the nurse practitioner told me).