Tonsilitis

[TheBlueRaja]

My god man - what did i do to deserve this?

I've had a sore throat for the past week or so which delveloped into full blown tonsilitis this weekend.

I was at hospital on Saturday (4am in the moring) and this morning (9am) for an emergency visit to the GP.

On Saturday he gave me antibitotics (Penecillin) to help it but by this morning it was getting worse and when i went back the doctor actually said "oof" when he had a look.

To get an idea, my dangly bit at the back of my throat is pinned in between the two tonsils either side. Fortunately he says i wont need an operation (as yet) but he did give me a second set of antibiotics this morning.

So thats two sets oif anti-bi's and much Nuerophen for the pain and the fever i have.

Its still like swallowing glass though and you feel like hell.

The real bitch of this is that i had a weekend break to Krakow planned for next weekend (a long friends 30th), but as the anti-bi's are a 10 day course i will still be on them so its no drinkies for me, assuming i can even make it.

One thing i do want to say though - NHS Direct what a service - very helpful!

[Russ]

Originally Posted by TheBlueRaja

the doctor actually said "oof"

My next-door neighbour's dog has a cleft lip and says exactly the same thing.

Sorry to hear about your tonsillic nasties btw

[Chimaera]

I think it depends which antibiotics you are taking - I know you can't drink with metronidazole (Flagyl), might be worth checking with your GP or pharmacist - unless you really don't want to drink next weekend!
Hope you feel better soon - I was plagued with tonsilitis very badly as a child, so I do sympathise.

[TheBlueRaja]

Thanks guys,
To be honest, i dont want to go IF i still have this because if i run myself down again i really dont want this coming back.

Another question, i will be phoning in sick tomorrow, do you think its wrong to cancel my leave for the trip abroad and to take it as a sicky instead?

Or is that chancing your luck?

if your ill your ill stuff em

[Chimaera]

If you're not going on the trip at the weekend because you are sick - then yes, it's sick leave! Tonsillitis really does make you feel awful - you're best off to stay at home and rest - don't start doing things because you are at home - shut your eyes to anything that needs doing and relax.

[ikthius]

sorry to hear about the tonsilitis BR.

I would deffinitely change the hols for sickies, and make sure you get a docs cert if off for more than 7 days(consecutive, not mon-fri then mon-fri). then you can take your hols when you are better.

good luck, and in the mean time, while your taking the pills, try to take a tea spoonful of honey, to try to lubricate your throat.

ik

[greencreeper]

I'd be asking for them removing. Easy for doctors to write scripts - they're not the ones suffering. It seems to be the modern thing to avoid surgery.

[Shaun]

Originally Posted by greencreeper

I'd be asking for them removing. Easy for doctors to write scripts - they're not the ones suffering. It seems to be the modern thing to avoid surgery.

Noooooooooooo.............I had mine out to help with night time breathing (I had rather large ones apparently ) and I had the worst infection in the world afterwards. Bloody dirty hospitals.

Ended back in hospital on a saline and antibiotic drip in the end.

Took ages to get over it - I hope yours goes quicker mate, I know how miserable it can make you.

[Maggy J]

As a constant tonsillitus sufferer I can only say I've never had it as bad as that.I've only had it bad enough to travel up my Eustachian tubes and make me deaf for a few weeks.

As for having them out well it swings and roundabouts.Your tonsils are a form of early warning system after all.If you don't have them then worse infections may become harder to shift from your system.If maybe I'd gone to the doctor sooner I'd have avoided some of my complications.

[Anonymouse]

Yes, leave your tonsils where they are.

I had tonsilitis myself, and the antibiotics I was put on weren't penicillin - something stronger. It was only a 5-day course, and I felt completely wiped out. But the reason why they don't simply take 'em out these days at the first sign of trouble is because a) there are now more effective drugs to deal with tonsilitis than there were, say, 30 years ago, and b) because the tonsils have been recognised as being an important part of your immune system - you can do without them, but you're better off with them.

As for work, you must stay off if you have tonsilitis, because it's contagious - no use having the entire with-tonsils workforce coming down with it. Phone your boss and ask for sick leave; your doctor will give you a sick note. And why go on holiday if you're too ill to enjoy it, or too wiped-out from the antibiotics and fighting the infection? Much better to reschedule, surely.

Stay home. Relax. Rest. You can still look forward to the holiday.

[TheBlueRaja]

Thanks for the advice folks, im not going into work tomorrow (or this week) thats for sure. I just wondered if it was cheeky to get my annual leave changed because im sick.

As for keeping or removing the (not so ikkle) blighters i think i would rather keep them to be honest if i can, i dont think i perticularly like the thought of scalpel and thoat getting too close together if you catch my drift.

BR - Patiently (and painfully) waiting for the Anti-Bi's to kick some ass, wish it would get a bloody move on though.

[Chimaera]

Well if you send in a sick note from your GP or if you self-certify when you return, surely they would have to change your 'holiday' status to 'sick' anyway? Especially if you are cancelling the trip - it's not as if you can enjoy your time off when you are tanked up to the eyeballs with manky tonsils and loads of antibiotics and painkillers!

[Jules]

Try drinking through a straw it does help with the pain of swallowing

[Marge]

Get em out, I had constant sore throats but since the blighters came out I've never looked back. Is very painful after the op but worth it