Tonsillitis that won’t go away

[BunsyGirl]

I’ve had tonsillitis on and off for the last six months. The last three weeks have been particularly bad. I’m on my second lot of antiobiotics but I still have white spots on my tonsils, a furry, coated tongue, a sore throat and painful neck glands. Has anyone else been in a similar situation and got better without a tonsillectomy?

I take it you have done the traditional list of
Salt water gargling
Honey & lemon drinks
DD blighted for ten years and eventually got tonsillectomy

do you have oral thrush too?

OH gets tonsillitis a lot. It didn't go away last time on phenoxymethylpenicillin so he needed a course of clarithromycin and then it did go away. If the second round of abx are the same as last time I'd ask for a different type if it's not going away.

@toiletpaper I had clarithromycin first and am currently taking doxcycline.

@Rinsefirst Yes. I’ve tried all the home remedies and nothing works. GP is saying they will do blood tests next. I just want to feel normal again. I’ve suffered with tonsillitis since I was a child but this is the most prolonged period of suffering that I have experienced!

Gargle with Diluted Milton 40 parts water to 1 part milton. Totally safe and it will kill everything. I know I sound mad but i promise it works and it isn't harmful

If it's been off and on for the past six months maybe a tonsillectomy is the next step? I'm assuming from your op that you don't want it done but surely it might be the best thing for you. DP has looked into it has he gets it every couple of months and I think he was told you need it 6/7 times in a 12 month period to qualify for a tonsillectomy. for you though, I've had strep throat a few times and it's absolutely horrendous.

I feel for you. I'm prone to it and know how bad you can feel with it.

Keep badgering the doctor, over and over, until it's sorted.

I’m trying to remember what the nhs consultant told my DD.
By the time she presented she also had tonsil stones. The consultant said her tonsils were pitted and the stones would only go with a tonsillectomy.
The consultant only performed the operation to cut out the tonsils but I believe there is an option for laser surgery if you go privately.

I had this in my twenties.
Had my tonsils out and felt SO much better almost immediately. I hadn't realised how much having a constant infection was making my whole life miserable. Things like, instead of sleeping in til 11/12 every day off, I was awake after 7 hours sleep, and raring to go.

When I had it, nothing would make it go. antibiotics made it ledd agressive. In the end I was on low dose antibiotics permanently until they came out. That stopped the outbreaks, but they were never 100% better

Sorry, I had my tonsils out.
Best thing I ever did.
I used to suffer so much

@toiletpaper I had it seven times in a year (about 8 years ago) and my GP refused to refer me. I am not opposed to a tonsillectomy but suspect my chances of getting one any time soon, particularly in the current climate, are slim.

@whattodo2019 Thanks, I have gargled with TCP. Will try Milton to see if that works any better!

DD had a student friend who went for the private laser option which I think was £2.5k.
Not cheap but it may be an option if you are losing lots of time off work and are faced with a very long and painful wait.

@Rinsefirst Thank you. I was wondering how much it would be privately for the laser option. I do have private medical cover but it is a second rate policy and doesn’t cover all consultants so they may not cover the laser option.

[quote BunsyGirl]@toiletpaper I had it seven times in a year (about 8 years ago) and my GP refused to refer me. I am not opposed to a tonsillectomy but suspect my chances of getting one any time soon, particularly in the current climate, are slim.[/quote]
Absolutely dreadful. I can't believe they allow people to go on living like this knowing how awful it is.

Is there a chance you might have glandular fever? My son was v poorly during lockdown with persistent tonsillitis (weeks not months) and ended up in a&e. I asked them if it could be glandular fever and a blood test revealed it was. No treatment so doesn't really solve anything I know but just a thought! Hope you feel better soon

It was only when I got threatened with the sack at work for having so much time off with tonsillitis that my GP finally agreed to refer me to the ENT department at the hospital. The consultant took one look and said "Good God, those have got to come out."

Keep on at your GP and they will refer you eventually.

@toffeelatte It’s crazy. My temperature has gone up to 37.7 today again and my throat is so sore. So fed up of this situation.

@Hoviscats I have had glandular fever before so I think it’s unlikely - my understanding is that you can only have it once but I could be wrong! GP has said that they will send me for blood tests of current antiobiotics don’t work.

My sister suffered horrendously, often hospitalised with Airways closing.... Grand old age of 35 they agreed to remove them. And then she was the 1 in 100000 or whatever to have complications. You couldn't make it up!

If you have private cover I'd get them removed OP, and hopefully not have the same luck as my sister. (she's fine now though)

I suffered for years, then I got the pneumonia jab (the bacterial one) and hardly ever get it now. Not sure if it is medically possible for that to have been the remedy but can’t think of any other reason! Might be worth getting it done privately?

Serious 💐 op

I had strep a couple of years ago it was awful! Felt wrecked for a week, spent one full day in bed, couldn't move. Sheets were wet with the fever, awful

You do need to keep pushing the doctors on this. Untreated tonsillitis can lead to heart valve problems.

I had this issue OP. Basically chronic tonsils that kept coming back every few weeks for about a year. One bout landed me in hospital. I had them taken out and felt so much better. The unpleasant feeling I had all the time, sore throats, feeling tired, generally feeling rough, the tonsil stones that used to give me weird ear pain until I pressed them out, it all vanished. Some people said I'd just get chest infections instead if I had them removed, but that didn't happen, despite being a heavy smoker at the time. I would say I've had a lot less chest infections since having the tonsils out actually. I really recommend pushing to get it done. I don't regret it at all and think it was exactly the right thing to have done.