How Long Does Tonsillitis Last?

I have this right now and I don't know what to do 😞

I have 2 kids so as much as I want to just stay in bed and rest I can't .

What a miserable condition. I decided to post on here since I'm currently struggling through tonsillitis and reading the other discussion board posts was very helpful for me. 

On a Friday my throat was feeling sore but I chalked it off to a cold until that night I had the worst sleep I believe I've ever had due to being sick. I kept waking up feverish, hot, clammy, sore, disoriented, and with a pounding headache. The next day I was so exhausted and my whole body hurt that it took all the energy I had to go to the kitchen to get something to eat (even though I was not hungry I figured it would help me get better sooner if I ate). Only my right tonsil was swollen at this point and I was thankful that it was only one side. The next night was about as miserable as the first. On Sunday the swelling of my right tonsil started going down a little which got me very excited until I noticed that my left tonsil was starting to swell up! At this point I would feel like puking when I tried to eat and the one thing that happened to go down without me gagging was cucumbers. I decided I'd had enough of this no sleeping business so I drug myself over to a pharmacy and bought NyQuil max - I think I woke up one time (compared to numerous times both nights before) and felt much more rested the next day. 

Here is a summary of what has worked for me:

-NyQuil before bed

-gargling salt water

-sucking on ice cubes (I don't think sugary popsicles did much good)

-ibuprofen

-eating cucumbers

-although anesthetic lozenges did numb the pain for a short while I felt like the sugar was eating away at my teeth

Although I haven't tried this one yet I was told about a spray called "cepacol" that completely numbs the throat.

 

also glad to have found this post, hopeful for releif soon

I'm 23 and have never had any case of a sore throat, until now.

I'm on day 7 of pretty horrible pain:

- excruciating to swallow, open my mouth wide, or talk loudly

- trouble sleeping because of waking up from pain of swallowing

- ear pain on same side as the swollen tonil

- what looks like white plaque on the tonsil 

I went to the doctor to get a strep test and it came back negative.

If your infection is confirmed NON-bacterial then it is most likely viral.

If that is the case, then do not take anti-biotics (they only are effective on bacterial infections and can make future bacterial infections worse).

Viral infections just have to run their course.

Treat and manage symptoms!

This is a horrible illness! I'm a healthy 24 years old guy. Here's my story... =(

I made a mistake after working out in a gym one Tueday night (9/29/2015) by eating dinner after coming home without giving myself some time to rest. After doing so, 30min to 1 hour, I got a burp that contained acid, which never happened to me before. It burned the right side of my throat, which I shrugged off and drinking water. The pain was relieved for now...

Wednesday, Had breakfast fine and went to work. By lunch time, I noticed the soreness in my throat and didn't even get to eat half of my packed lunch! Everything I ate since then felt like sand.

Thursday, I came down with a fever, chills, and headache. Looked at my throat and noticed my right tonsil, had a small wound, possibly from the acid burp I had on Tuesday night, which I'm not 100% if it was related or not, but I'm pretty sure it was. It's hard to force myself to eat and drink without mentally preparing before swallows and cringing everytime I do so.

Fast forward to 10/03/2015 Saturday, I felt worse than ever. I consulted my parents, who are both nurses and experienced this in their young adult days. Fortunately, my Mother had tablets of antibiotics in her Med Cabinet. (Azithromycin) which is one of the best (according to my out-of-state oral surgeon friend through the phone) for Tonsilitis. 

Sunday, I slept most of the day, wanting to cry due to pain. Though the Ibuprofen helps numb the pain, the stinging ache is there evertime I swallow. Forcing self to at least drink hot soup and water. I've also been doing warm water + salt gargles since Thursday, I think it helps.

Now it's Monday night, 10/06/2015, and I'm still not seeing any recovery. Third day of Antibiotics and pain killer (Ibuprofen). Sixth day of Tonsilitis. In fact, I feel like my right tonsil has swelled even more! I'm typing this now before going (back) to bed, and I feel like if my right tonsil would to swell up even more, it could block my breathing and kill me in my sleep, which is already a hard thing to do with the painful swallows. It's also become painful to open my mouth wide enough to see my tonsil, and I feel like my lymphatic glands had been swollen, too, since around Saturday. 

Hoping to get better soon, will keep updating. =(

This thread has given me so much comfort and hope. Thanks for this discussion thread!

Hi all! I thought I was alone in this kind of illness.

Ever since I was a kid I have suffered from the horrible tonsilits you all know (fever, spots on throat, pain, etc.) I had about 2 infections a year from before age 25. My dad was a doctor so he always gave me abtibiotics. They never worked. Regular pain killers never worked! I had trouble even speaking, not to mention eating! It was almost impossible. My dad never quite believed that it hurt so much.... but then I discovered (superhoero music please) Diclofenac. For me Diclofenac was the only thing that actualy took away the pain enough for me to eat.

At age 25 everything changed. My tonsils were full of scars from previous infections. Then, I got a masive mononucleiosis infection on my throat. I mean both of my tonsils were completley covered with this white thing (grose!). I turned to my trusty diclofenac and was able to survive it. After that it seems the infection absolutey neutered my tonsils. They are hardly visible now. Now when I get an infection, it is not so harsh and does not even touch my tonsils any more. I feel one or 2 of these white spots on the top of my esofogus once in a while, or above my throat but nothing compared to the agonizing throat pain I remember.

My 8 year old kid is going through his first tonsilitis. Poor little guy, he is miserable, but the diclofenac dives him some relief for at least a few hours a day.

Love to all of you and braveness if you have another big infection.

As always consult with your doctor before taking any medicines.

Hi guys im 25 and this is my 1st time getting tonsillitis that i can recal. I started felling the serious pain on monday nd went to the pharmacy they gave me so unprescribed pills and meds it did not help 1 bit. I had troubles sleeping so i woke up tuesday morning nd booked a doctors appointment as the pain was unbearable. I was prescribed with APO-Cephalexin its now wednesday nd i feel so much more better the pain is slightly there but i can eat and drink with not much discomfort. It does wonders

Hi guys im 25 and this is my 1st time getting tonsillitis that i can recal. I started felling the serious pain on monday nd went to the pharmacy they gave me so unprescribed pills and meds it did not help 1 bit. I had troubles sleeping so i woke up tuesday morning nd booked a doctors appointment as the pain was unbearable. I was prescribed with APO-Cephalexin its now wednesday nd i feel so much more better the pain is slightly there but i can eat and drink with not much discomfort. It does wonders

Whatever u do:

-dont drink or eat anything cold it will make the pain worse

-mostly everything u drink should be warm

-i found it really easy to digest soup

-chopped up ginger in boiling water with honey to gargle with(let it cool down to being warm before gargling)

-warm water with salt to gargle

Hope this helps guys

It's my third day of struggling this hellish tonsillitis,,

And what my doctor said is that even if I take antibiotics, it won't work because my tonsillitis are likely to be caused by a virus and not bacteria.and virus caused tonsillitis can only be cured by our immune system.but then he recommended me lozenges and ibuprofen to sooth the pain but not to cure.

If you have cough and runny nose before or during tonsillitis attack,,it is likely caused by virus and antibiotics won't help.

But if not,,it's 100 caused by strep bacteria and antibiotics will help you recover..that's all I want to share and thank you.

So, I have been through the ringer of sicknesses over the last 6 weeks, let me just start with I have been veyond words miserable. It all started with a basic cold, I went to the doctor got some antibiotics and thought I was getting better. A day or two after those were gone I immediately took a turn for the worse. So, by this point I am roughly two weeks in and now I have a sinus infection and my ear feels like its popping out of my head. The pain is unbearable. Now, at this point everytime I fall asleep I wake up with two very very swollen eyes, my sinuses were so clogged that my right ear, right eye and right side of my throat just ached and throbbed all day, and all night. Dont forget the pounding migraine I've now managed to adopt for nearly 3 1/2 weeks now, oh and the fact that absolutely nothing I take medication wise relieves any pain/throbbing/aching misery I am enduring. Continuing on I go to the ER at 4 in the morning and spend 4 hours getting ignored crying, with a fever, and chills, cant hardly swallow and Im freaking out. After 4 hours of being ignored the doc finally came in said two words and prescribed a secomd round of antibiotics and sent me home....without even looking at my throat. Another week and a half go by and I again think Im finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Nope, my ear pain comes back full speed ahead and worse, then something happens. It felt as though my ear popped and everything was draining....uh scary, especially for someone whos NEVER in their 30 years of life had an ear infection. So, now I have a 101 fever, my ear is killing me and my throat is super swollen and red and Incant stop crying and my eyes are still swollen from all the sinus pressure. Back to docote for a third round of antibiotics and a steroid this time. The next day I go see my primary doctor who refers me to an ear, nose and throat doctor. Well, I got better a week and half later and felt like I was done with the madness. Nipe, everytime I try to go to bed my throat swells and I cant swallow and the aches from one side is causing my ear to throb again and its 3 in the morning Im now online typing this and looking everywhere to try and diagnose whether I have tonsillitis or not. How would I know Ive never had it before.

It hurts like mad to swallow, my ear hurts because my throat hurts, my teeth on that same side ache because of my throat and ear....once again I cant sleep in my bed because everytime I try to lay down with my husbad the pressure is too much to handle and I start crying and end up back on the couch in tears and the only way I can sleep is sitting up.

Tonight alone in the last 4 hours I have been trying to get some shut eye I have drank 6 cups of tea and throughout this entire process I have gone through 4 big things of honey and like 6 boxes of 40 count earl gray tea. .. usually the tea soothes my throat enough and i can go to sleep l. Well, its not working tonight.

I have ate an entire box of numbing cough drops, put numbing ear ache drops in my ear, sprayed my throat with numbing spray, had tea, tried ice, ugh Im crying and dont know what I am supposed to do.