Sore throat for 3.5 months

[navyeyelasH]

Hey all I have had a sore throat for ages now DRS don't know why but am having a scan done soon.

I have suffered with sore throats all my life and ofen have tonsillitis once a month but this is something a little different and the DRS seem a bit bewildered by my descriptions so wondering if anyone else know what I am talking about!

There are no white spots and my tonsils are not swollen etc the pain seems to be "deeper" the best I can describe is the pain seems to be coming from the top of my neck, almost where you would feel for swollen glands IYSWIM?

The pain is there constantly and it's not as bad as tonsillitis pain & hurts ever so slightly more when I swallow. I have also had a swollen gland on that side for about 11 months and over the last 2 weeks have had horrific headaches that seem to be over the right side of my head.

I don't think it's anything too serious probably just an ear, nose, throat thing but am reluctant to google as will just scare myself. Does anyone have any idea what could be wrong or better yet how to make it bugger off?

Thanks!

any other symptoms?

how old is your child(ren)?

any complications?

any digestive probs?

sore throat worse after something in particualr (eg food, drink etc?)

how do you generally feel? tired, sluggish, depressed?

history of unexplained illness?

seroius use of AB's ever?

Acid reflux?

post-nasal drip? Do you suffer from allergies? I had very similar symptoms for ages, and thats what was eventually diagnosed (and made sense)...it came on with the central heating in the autumn, originally.

misi - I have no children (work as a nanny hence why here), a few digestive problems apparently I have IBS (not buying it though - diagnosed 5 months ago) have a lot of tummy pain which led to this diagnosis.

I had glandular fever about 22 months ago and since then have been feeling tired but this has been a lot better over last 6 months or so. Assuming AB=antibiotics, I used to take them all the time for my throat.

Throat is marginally better after food and worse in the morning and night.

Jalopy - I thought acid reflux meant heart burn? I've never had heart burn but my heart rate does randomly speed up sometimes and occasionaly feels like it missed a beat and makes me sort of gasp (not as dramatic as it sounds).

elibean not a single allergy as far as I'm concerned; but I have been having these weird rashes after getting a bit hot/flustered/sometimes after coming into contact with water. GP said I was probably allergic to water (which I also don't believe because the rash doesn't always come up when I've used water and sometimes comes up when I'm nowhere near water!). I can't see what the throat could be linked to allergy wise because I am out of the house at 8 most mornings and don't get home till 6pm and there is no change at all throat wise so I can't see it being linked to my home environment? Not sure though TBH, something I will ask the DR.

It does make you feel a little insane though when GPs etc tell you you're fine when really most mornings I wake up feeling horrible!

navy, I would say you have a candida infection (common with anti biotic use and post viral immune suppression).
post nasal drip can be linked to this as well as it is all linked into the lymph system which is your bodies ''drainage'' system. anything your immune system kills off (like the GF 22 months ago) gets dumped into the lymphatic system to be disposed of via the liver and kidneys or other elimination pathway. when it is overloaded like in a GF attack it can take ages to clear but if it takes a bit longer than usual, the lymphatic system itself can become infected.
the candida can come about as long term of strong AB use kills off the freindly bugs in your gut as well as the baddies. as the baddies come back quicker, things like candida, other fungi and bad bacteria can get a hold and then suppress your friendlies even more by secreting an enzyme that inhibits thier growth. candida can pass through the gut into the blood and go anywhere in your body. this is chronic candida infection. no change in your throat also suggests candida rather than allergy.

white spots in the mouth can indicate oral thrush (candida) but not all the time.
it may well be worth asking for a candida anti body blood test.

have a look at these sites to see if anything is familiar;

www.candidafree.co.uk/
there is a questionaire on this one, never tried it but may be worth a go?

www.candida-society.org/ncs/symptoms.htm

www.thefinchleyclinic.co.uk/nojavascript/products/What_Is_Candida.htm

the other thing I have in mind is thyroid trouble which can be common post GF sufferers. if you look at the above sites and think its not candida, let me know and I'll ask you a few more questions to see if it may be thyroid instead!

Misi thanks very very much for your help - I have filled out the questionnaire on the first link and will see what happens with that. I answered yes to most of the questions on there so it does sound like that.

When I first went to my DR about vomiting & stomach pain (Jan) he did say something about antibiotics effecting the balance of good and bad bacteria (??). He suggested I drink those drinks, so have been drinking actimel once a day and also eating those yogurts, Activia I think?

Would that not have "cured" me if it is Candida? I know nothing so not questioning you, just adding some more info the the equation.

Thanks again for the great advice & suggestions.

I was also told in Feb that I have an under active thyroid; so I just decided to google Candida and thyroid and BINGO millions of returns!

How annoying my GP didn't point this out sooner and saved me a year of (mainly) hell. It seem that many professionals do not think Candida really does "exist" though, could that be why he fobbed me off?

I mention acid reflux because sometimes the acid from your stomach can reflux up your oesophagus and cause a burning sensation/sore throat.

It's called laryngopharyngeal reflux. (LPR)

Just a guess

yes, candida and hypothyroidism go hand in hand I am afraid!! actimel etc are useless for chronic candida. you have several hundred TRILLION friendlies in your gut, all preferring an alkaline environment. actimel conrtains a few million? and when they enter the very acidic stomach, many are killed before they even leave the stomach let alone go 1/3 of the way down the digestive tract to where they live. the headaches you mention are not only the candida causing nerve interference but also the thyroid state which I am guessing is not under control yet and there is a conflicting reaction here. hypothyroidism does depress the immune system, I am again guessing that either the GF was partly due to an undetected thyroid prob and your depressed immunity was unable to cope with the virus or the GF damaged your thyroid gland. either way, the candida will be a result of both of these and the AB's.
jalopys reflux is a major symptom of candida. the acid loving candida thrive in the stomach and when they reach a critical amount, they spill out of the gut. the oesophageal valve is usually one way, from the oesophagus into the stomach, but the candida can hold it open as s the acid juices of your stomach can leak back up into the oesophagus and even the throat sometimes.(especially when laying down like overnight!!). if you do have candida, your doc will try to give you canestan or similar, good stuff and effective but with many side effects. please google this if you are likely to be prescribed it. for my clients, there is only one bug prep I will reccommend, its the solaray multidopholis. each pill has 20 billion and is enteric coated meaning the casing only disolves in alkali and not acid.

I hope this all helps, any more info you want/need let me know.

BTW, what is your thyroxine dosage? and do you know your TFT4 count, TSH or standard T4 count is?

Thanks both for your insightful guidance - my main worry is that this Candida diagnosis matches many many many of my syptoms (most of which I haven't even mentioned - like jittery/shaky hands) BUT most of the websites that detail Candida symptoms seem to be trying to sell something.

I am very cynical, also it seems too simple I wonder why my DR hasn't mentioned it before - every GP (5 so far!) I have seen over this last year (when it has been at its worst) have been male - does that have any bearing do you think?

Thyroxine dosage misi? I don't take any medicine / supplements other than Microgynon (have done for the last 5 years; another link FGS!). For my thyroid I have 3 test one was borderline and the other 2 were under active (over about 9 months) and the DR who saw me each time said to exercise more. I currently exercise for approx 45 minutes 3 times a week, maybe not as much as I should but as much as I can manage without feeling exhausted the next day.

Misi you mention your clients do you mind me asking what line of work you are in? Thanks for the wonderful help once again it's lovely to know I'm not going mad and I feel armed with this new info now to offload onto my GP.

candida is still not recogniosed as a problem by many Drs. many sites do try to sell stuff as they know help from GP's is limited.
unfortunately, although exercise does increase thyroxine sensitivity and helps to convert T4's into T3's, it does not help you produce more T4 though which is probably what you are lacking.

I am a herbalist/nutritionist BTW.

when you go to your GP, ask for a proper thyroid test. most only test for T4 (TFT4) and not TSH. ask for a TSH test and a candida anti body blood test (or even a stool sample test).

jcm.asm.org/cgi/content/abstract/41/10/4551

you can have private blood tests as well for both these, I have used a blood testing place before that does complete thyroid panel blood tests which is a test of every thyroid hormone and reactions but best to try you GP first and have a moan until they do the tests for you

the one thing every thyroid sufferer has in common, they all feel they are going mad until they are diagnosed and treated properly!!!!!

Right it all makes a bit more sense now I suppose; it's a bit like the ME debate where many DRs still feel it doesn't exist. My dad has asked me to ask the GP about LUPUS as my aunt has it but I worry about looking like a google nut case who want to find something wrong with her IYSWIM. Sometimes I wish we had an insurance style healthcare then I could feel like I had the right to demand X, Y & Z!

Do you think it is worth going private for this Misi, when I see my GP I never really tell the whole story as I feel like the GP thinks I'm making it up . I once even wrote down all my symptoms determined to get it all out but when I got in the room was too scared to get it out of my bag without looking like a loon. I am too BRITISH dammit.

Also do you think that the rash is linked as I would love dearly to be rid of that! I took a picture of it to one GP (after having it break out for over 5 months) and he said he couldn't see anything!!!

I will keep you updated about what the GP says and thanks ever so much for your help. Am very hopeful now

candida oftens causes skin eruptions too. they can exist on the skin where they upset the pH balance.
lupus and thyroid can be linked too!!!!!

you could go private but as you have paid into this, you CAN demand X,Y and Z. try your doc first, it is your right to go and ask, the NHS has changed, some GP's stuck in the past need to know this too.
that is the problem with thyroid and candida, you can have so many symptoms, you can feel like a hypochondriac and if doctors learnt that these multiple symptoms could suggest candida, thyroid or several other problems, the undiagnosed hypothyroidic and systemic candida sufferers that are quite like a ticking timebomb in many western countries would be treated. (sorry, this is my high horse rant I have had with a few GP's!!)
if you do end up going private, then you will need to come back to your GP for treatment as if you are hypothyroidic, as under legislation you will be entitled to free meds from now on whereas privately you would have to pay.

forgot to add, I will look up private vampires blood testers as the one I use is not open to 'people' only practitioners.

Hey Misi thought I would update you; managed to get a GP apt and the GP has prescribed me omeprazole. I am sick within 1 hr of taking it, normally within 30 mins but she wants me to finish he course and go back .

In the mean while I have started looking into candida diets and have stocked my fridge, I have cut out bread since our last convo and other obvious yest based foods but have not been doing it religiously until this weekend so will see if that helps at all.

Throat is still on fire (GP said nothing wrong with it and it looks normal to me too) and another things that started happening is that my bones in my chest hurt. Don't know how best to explain it!

Basically my collar bone on my right side has been aching on and off for the last 10-12 months, but over last few weeks I also have pain at the back on my ribs on the right side. It seems to be on the last rib and hurts on and off, but if you touch it, it always hurts. Dr said was muscle strain .

Also over last 3 weeks my bones around my collar bone hurt to touch basically all around my chest/ribs, as do my bones around the base of ribs where ribs meet tummy area.

I mentioned Candida to my GP and she said "don't be so silly" . Misis do you know how I can go about diagnosing this myself without the help of my GP? Am happy to pay as it's just getting beyond a joke now.

Thanks for all your help!

Bump, misi are you out there?