Will tonsillitis sort itself without antibiotics?

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Flamechick had a raging temp this time last week, smelled tonsillitis-y, but when we got to the doctor on Tuesday morning she refused point blank to open her mouth (not keen on strangers or doctors and was a doc she didn't know). He didn't push the issue so as not to make her terrified for years to come.

Everything else looked clear, her temp was behaving etc.

She has spent all week saying that food doesn't taste nice though When I look they look big but not necessarily pussy (me with me 0 medical knowledge natch).

If I just leave it (I know she won't open her mouth for doc without a battle), will it clear up eventually or will she keel over with some rampant infection throughout her entire body that will be All My Fault?

Tonsillitis is caused by bacteria, and so needs antobiotics. She would probably eventually get rid of it herself, but it might damage her tonsills.

Back to docs I'd say! xxx

Actually tonsillitis can alos be viral, they normally take a swab to see which it is. Bacterial does need anti b's and can turn nasty - I ended up in hospital for 3 days on a drip after I developned Quincy's.

Oh yes, I was thinking of the strep kind is all!

I suppose 'itis' just means inflamation.

mine did.

Most tonsilitis is viral and won't respond to antibiotics. Sometimes it is bacterial but apparently not normally.

I didn't know there were different types, but I get recurrent bouts (once or twice a year) that clear up spontaneously after about a week or two.

Wow, DrN, I thought I was the only person ever to have had quinsy since the nineteenth centure! Shall we start a MN society for medieval diseases?

Lol Bluestocking! It's awful isn't it?

They even brough a group of med students into see me and they made me talk (hot potato voice the doctor called it) so they would recognsie it again as it is quite rare!

I had always been very prone to tonsillitis so when I got another sore throat I didn't think too much of it, until the pain got almost unbearable and drove me to the GP. He looked down my throat and said "yeess, i can see that you might be a bit uncomfortable" and prescribed me the most massive doses of antibiotics. My best friend (I was at college at the time) rang my mum and asked her to come and collect me and take me home for some TLC, because once she'd looked down my throat she thought I was going to croak on her! The back of my throat looked as though I was wearing a half-pound of stilton spread liberally all over it.

Ooh someone I worked with had quincy's!!

She is seeming much more normal today, and eating everything in sight < she has eaten most of NappiesGalore's home....>

The doc told me that the antibiotics only help to clear it up a bit quicker. Which is good because antibiotics are sooo bad for your system. I am glad she is on the mend.

Have a look in her mouth, if there are white spots on her tonsils she needs antibiotics.

Most tonsillitis is viral, even if there are white spots.

Are the white spots pus?

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I used to have it loads as a kid (I blame my dad for forcing me to breath in second hand smoke). I always had antibiotics. I thought bacterial would give temp, enlarged tonsills and white pus spots, with viral there would be no spots?

I was made to eat toast when they took my tonsills out, so painful and I still had an infection.