Will my tonsillitus EVER go away?!! Please help.

[Notyummy]

I have had 5 bouts of tonsillitus since September, all of which have involved a temperature, weakness, aches, blood and pus on tonsils etc. I have had 4 courses of antibiotics prescribed, and each time the symptoms have gone away over the course of about a week. The most recent one appeared last Sunday and is still with me. I am a in a fair amount of pain and have had a fluctuating temperature all week. The doctor tested me for glandular fever, but it came back negative. On my last visit (I am NEVER usually ill, so these repeated visits have felt quite embarrassing) he said he thought it might be viral rather than bacterial, and the fact that it had seemed to clear up with antibotics previously was just coincidence. He didn't prescribe antibiotics again for this reason; I understand why he has done this, but it doesn't leave me any furthwer forward. So far I have tried:

antibiotics
ibuprofen
paracetomal
gargles with cordosyl or tcp
asprin
extra vitamins, and mega doses of vit c
strepsils and Dequacaine lozenges
chloroseptic spray

Is there ANYTHING else I can do?? I have a job and dd and this is effecting my (and my families)quality of life. I realise this is not as bad as some peoples problems, but was hoping someone could help.

TIA

Haven't any help I'm afraid but am offering loads and loads of sympathy.

I had my first ever bout of Tonsillitus in October and can honestly say I've never felt so ill as when I had it. Mine got worse at night,when my neck swelled and at one point I thought I was going to die...and I'm not the melodramatic type ....so you have my complete sympathy at having to have had to suffer this almost constantly for months.

I would get back in touch with Gp,explain the pain and effect it's having on a day to day basis and hopefully he may be a bit more helpful.

I really hope you feel better soon

Try sipping Manuka honey slowly off a spoon several times a day. It is antiviral and antibiotic as well as being very soothing. You could try echinacea (but not if you have any allergies as it boosts the immune system and can make those worse) to see if it would help you fight it off. Taking a multivitamin for a few weeks also might help you fight it off as well. Hope you can get rid of it soon!

I was going to say hot lemon and honey - manuka honey even better. It's definitely worth a try and it certainly helped my tonsilitis!

I draknk about 3 in an evening I think. Very soothing drink for poorly people

What antibiotics do they give you? If its amoxycillin, tell your GP to try something else, its eas to develop an immunity to that stuff.

Keep warm.. keep your neck wrapped up, avoid drinking OJ.. it'll irritate it. If you need Vit C, buy some tablet form.

Drink wise, warm milk or Honey & Lemon are very good.

I do sympathise, i was so ill with tonsillitis when i was younger that i was told the needed to remove them or i'd end up in A&E next time it flared up.

Hiya from end Oct i got it 3 times in 6 weeks and had 3 courses of antiobiotics - my 4th visit to the docs for my 4th bite of it i was told poss viral and that my body would never build up resistance if i chucked anti bs at it which gutted me as i felt so crap. Anyway i gargled with solphadeine every day for about 5 days and it passed....(between solphadeine gargles i gargled with salty water) i have now been tonsilitus free since dec - tom i will prob wake up with it lol for daring to say it! get gargling

oh, wanted to add.. for the sore throat pain, try gargling co-codamol dissolvable.

Dequacaine isn't much good imho.. see if you can get the Dequadin pastilles.. you can only have one every 4 hours, but they used to work really well for me.

Thanks very much ladies.

Bump for any other ideas.

I had tonsillitus for 18 months, I was in and out of the doctors with various antibiotics and painkillers. In the end I had a dentist who x-rayed my wisdom teeth and discovered one was rotten though you'd never have been able to see it on the outside. The pain didn't feel like tooth pain either, it was wierd. Anyway, had the tooth pulled and the pain stopped and tonsills went back to normal.

I sympathise with you, it's awful. Gargling with cocoadamol helps if your doctor will prescribe it, though it does make you feel a bit spaced.

Could your GP not refer you to an ENT specialist?

I had recurrent tonsillitis years ago when I was very run down. It is very important to have a swab taken for culture when you are not on antibiotics. Mine was caused by group B haemolytic strep and it was resistant to the penicillin te GP had been giving me. Once I was given the correct antibiotic (after seeing a specialist) I was cured. 3 days of azithromycin and I was better, having been ill on and off for months. I had lost a lot of weight because I was in such pain i couldn't eat.

Having said that, if you are run down and your diet is poor, you need to look at ways of boosting your immune system etc.

Oraldene mouthwash is antibacterial and anti fungal and very soothing. I think you can only get it at chemists.

HTH

I also found that antacids and actimel helped, as when I have a sore throat (tonsils are out) it is aggrevated by reflux that othewise is unnoticed.

Thanks all. Dh bought me manuka honey and solpadene this pm. Am going to the docs tomorrow to ask for a referral to ent specialist.