Throat issues - Terrified

[Toots24]

Hello all, My first post ...

This is a bit of a long story but I'll try to keep it short. I have GAD and have had a few health issues in the last year that have brought out health anxiety which is an unfortunate addition to all my other anxieties!

I've been having a lot of issues with viral illnesses in the last 5 or so months, clogged ears causing frequent ear infections - sometimes they went away on their own sometimes I needed antibiotics (haven't had one since Christmas, touch wood!) general congestion, basically i have a constant feeling of malaise that won't budge.

I actually started to feel a little better for 1 or 2 days when the familiar feeling of 'coming down with something' came on. Long story short I've had a sore throat for about 3 weeks, swollen tonsils, on and off fever, pus on one side although strangely the tonsil without pus is usually more painful and it looks more swollen than the one with pus. The pain honestly isn't excruciating I have had worse but its starting to throb and I can feel throbbing in my ears. I've had 10 days of penicillin v which haven't helped I finished that course today, my doctor took a blood test for glandular fever and a throat swab I haven't had the results yet. He said he wouldn't give me anymore antibiotics which is causing me stress because I feel like I need another antibiotic since its been 3 weeks now. I had tonsillitis a few times as a teenager and it always went away quickly with penicillin so I'm really getting myself upset wondering why it hasn't worked this time.

I have been gargling with salty water and more recently with bicarbonate of soda which interestingly takes some of the pus away but it seems to just come back? I'm taking regular paracetamol and ibruprofen, I have a numbing throat spray, I've been drinking lots of water and tea with honey - I'm really doing everything that I possibly can.

My anxiety is so severe that I keep having to stop myself from going to a&e because I'm so worried of complications or something bad happening. I don't feel like it's glandular fever, to me it seems bacterial and I'm worried the longer this goes on the more likely something bad will happen. Googling things are only making it worse I know every possible complication from it and some are pretty bad, I also saw an article about a 20 year old who died from tonsillitis recently. Doesn't help my anxiety at all I know I shouldn't do it but I always feel like the more I know and the more aware of symptoms of complications the more chance I have at recognising it and getting help right away - sounds crazy I know.

I have amoxicillin at home that I was given a couple of months ago for a sinus infection, i was told to start taking them if my phlegm turned green which it never did so I have them still and am tempted to start taking them.

Is there anyone out there who's had swollen tonsils with pus for this long and survived to tell the tale? Some reassurance would be nice,

Sorry this post is a bit all over the place - it's 4.30 in the morning and I can't sleep because of of the stress of it all

[Oosh]

Absolutely. I've had tonsillitis many times. I had an infection of some sort a few years back that went from my sinuses to my ears and always seemed to be in my throat too. It lasted ages. I, like you, pushed for antibiotics then I pushed for more because I was going on holiday but they never really helped. It just all cleared up on its own.

It might be staying around a bit longer because your immune system isn't as strong as it could be that's all.
Good nutrition, keep hydrated, rest, no stress !!

[Toots24]

Thanks for your reply, I saw the doctor again today she said I tested negative for glandular fever and the swab was fine too. She said it will be viral and there's nothing I can do, it can last a while. I'm really depressed by it all, I feel so sure that it's a bacterial infection and I'm so worried it will spread

[Toots24]

I'm so worried about this, I just ate a slice of pizza then gargled with salty water and there was blood mixed in when I spit out. I feel like something is really wrong how can it be possible to have tonsillitis slowly getting worse after almost 3 weeks, can viral tonsilitis really go on like this

[Lifelonganxiety!]

Could well be your gums that are bleeding. How often do you go to the dentist?

[Toots24]

I've been keeping my mouth super clean throughout this infection, I definetly scraped my tonsil with the pizza crust (trust me I know how ridiculous this sounds) and there was a blob of blood in there, I gargled a few more times and there wasn't any more. God I so wish this anxiety would go away, I wouldn't wish it on anyone

[KeeKee]

I read that article about the girl with Tonsillitis (was it Dailymail by any chance?). If it helps, she didn't actually die from the tonsillitis it was a (very) rare thing believed to have been triggered by the infection. It's so hard not to worry and I read a scary article the other day about a girl who was really itchy (like me) and when my health anxiety is bad I keep thinking these are 'signs'.
I cut my finger on a tin can and was worried about tetanus 2 nights ago, then this morning my daughter asked me what tetanus was as it's in her book, I was thinking to myself 'is this a sign?'. Our minds are crazy.

[Toots24]

Yeah the article was in a few different newspapers, I know it's incredibly rare but when you're feeling so unwell you can't help but to relate to those horror stories, I felt the same as you I was in bed unwell and having anxiety I was reading the news and saw that article and I was like are you kidding me? Really? I've never in my life heard about anyone having serious complications from tonsillitis and right at that moment I was suffering from it, I thought for sure it was a sign.

I'm doing a little better today, mental health wise not physically my tonsils aren't any better. Hopefully there's at a light at the end of the tunnel

[Lucy1234]

Really sorry you've been going through all this.

I work with a girl who has terrible recurring tonsilitis, but for some reason she falls below the threshold of having it enough times to just get them removed.

I think she's had 5-6 cases of it a year for about 5 years, and has been hospitalised with it a few times. Not sure that is good news or bad news though. She's very well at the moment.

[Toots24]

Thanks Lucy, I don't really have recurring tonsillitis. I had it a few times as a teenager though. The main issue is just that it's not going away and it's been 3 weeks which seems like an awful long time for tonsillitis to hang around. Having surgery scares me so I don't really want to think of that as an option, my doc says they would only take them out if absolutely necessary.

Thanks for your support :)

[Lucy1234]

Also terrified of surgery, so I totally understand.

Did your doc mention whether stress can cause throat issues to hang around longer? I sometimes find I get a sore throat when run down and stressed.

I know so little about viruses, I remember hearing that glandular fever could go on for months, but you don't have that (which is hopefully a good thing). I bet it must be common for the tonsils to take a while to heal, as the nuisance factor must be why people started removing them? I wonder if your doc thinks the antibiotics have just moved the problem around. the sickest I ever was was after getting antibiotics for my chest- that cleared up, but it was like all the bacteria in my body just moved to my throat and I had the most horrible bacterial infection there- white stuff (sorry for the tmi) and everything. I wonder could pro-biotics help re-balance you?

[Toots24]

I've seen to different gp's in my practice one said its viral and can hang around for a while and seemed really uninterested and the other one said he will send me to an ENT if it's not better next week so I guess I'll go back and see him next week and hopefully I can get some answers from them. It's really just the pus on my tonsils that's bothering me most I think because I can physically see the infection :( it sometimes clears a little when I gargle but it just comes right back!

I have been drinking those pro biotic yougurts since being on the anti biotics I don't feel any difference from it,

[Lucy1234]

That's good that the other one was at least showing some genuine concern. It really annoys me when a doctor ignores the obvious quality of life issues beyond a problem.

If it's a virus that can travel around the body that can be a nightmare to get rid of. It liekly means nothing sinister, but must be so exhausting to deal with that it's very hard to remain positive.

I remember as part of getting rid of a sore throat, it was recommended to me to try salted distilled water (boiled, mixed with salt and left go cold), but to actually inhale it through your nose. You can get little pots called neti pots, that do this, or just inhale from a spoon (messy, but I managed it). You close one nostril and inhale through the other, and then repeat that the other side. The idea is that bacteria that is hidden in the nasal passage and will re-contaminate your throat is gotten rid of. I don't know if that would help you at all, but I do believe it rid me of bad throats faster (I'm very prone to them).

[Toots24]

I've heard about neti pots before and seen some conflicting reviews online, some seem to say it's not hygienic and can spread germs around but I might give it a go I've been having a lot of sinus issue which I think are contributing or are maybe even the cause of my sore throat so I may try it since nothing else is working

Thanks Lucy, you've been super helpful.

[Lucy1234]

I hope so, I'm sorry as i'm very out of my depth on medical things- which is what helps me to be able to worry about practically every disease!

I never even thought of how it could spread germs, that might be something to be careful of. I got introduced to them through a teacher I know- loads of germs in her work and she's always getting sinus stuff. You get so desperate with those miserable kinds of illness you will try anything. I tried cayenne pepper for my throat too, mixed with honey and warm water. I wouldn't recommend it as it tastes vile and I'm sure isn't medically sound!