if I've got white spots on my tonsils have I got tonsilitis or could it be something else?

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had a horribly sore throat, fevery and achey for the last couple of days. Just found some (smallish) white spots on my tonsils.
dh reckons it is tonsilitis. are white spots always a sign of that or could it be something else?

When I went to the Dr's with white spots at the back of my throat he diagnosed tonsilitis and a course of antibiotics.

I would get an appointment as soon as possible.

Hope you feel better soon.

White spots can be something else, known as 'crypts' or something like that - basically small pockets/dips in which dead cells and other rubbish collects

Totally harmless, usually painless.

I've had white spots on my tonsils that were, in fact, ulcers - like mouth ulcers, very very painful and made me feel really ill, but untreatable as viral and not bacterial infection. Best treatment for those was strong anti-inflammatories plus gargling with aspirin. I felt feverish, but didnt' have much of a temperature - and the ulcers were white with red around them, just like mouth ulcers. I think its pretty rare though, most likely if very run down or immune suppressed.

If you've actually had/got a fever, you're more likely to have tonsilitis - and either way, I would get checked out asap because if you do, you need antibiotics.

Hope you feel better soon!

sounds like tonsilitis to me. You may or may not need abs, mine were horribly inflammed and bloody painful, you could almost see the pus ready to burst out. No anti bs though as what is the point, viral

Hope you feel better soon. Remember the tonsilitis is a general term for inflammed tonsils. So any bug that gets in there can cause it. It is often strep A, hence the term strep throat. The white spots are pus, it is a sign that your immune system is fighting off infection as it is a build up of cells that are busy eating dead cells and bacteria - nice!

thanks for replying. feeling less sore this morning, and the swelling has definitely gone down so I'm hoping it all gets better from now on. I'm not that keen on taking antibiotics (last time I got nipple thrush afterwards which was not good at all). I'm still breastfeeding so the meds options are limited. Anyway, from what you say there is a good chance it's viral so not much I can do anyway except take paracetamol and resting. So I won't bother with the GP, unless it takes a turn for the worse.

I am gutted though, because dh has just gone overseas for work, just for a few days, but resting isn't going to be easy with a newly-crawling ds!! isn't it always the way.

oh poor you - i've just recovered from tonsilitis and thankfully i had help. i coped with having nurofen and paracetamol to keep pain down. and lots of icecream as it was the only thing that relieved the pain.
hope you get through it.
x

thanks moodlesoup - nurofen and paracetemol have been my saviours. Also got some echinacea spray from Neal's yard which soothed the burn.. feeling much better today, washed out but at least the pain has dropped off. And ds seems to know he needs to be kind to me! apart from this morning, when he just doesn't want to go down for his morning nap!!