White spots at back of throat, sore and hard to swallow?

Okay, so a little update to provide the missing information. I went to the hospital on the 19th, and the doctor there didn't seem all too competent, though I am not in a place to pass judgement there. He never took a swab of my throat and merely looked at the site for a second or two and diagnosed it as a bacterial infection, I was prescribed 250mg Amoxicillin at 3 times a day for 7 days. On the topic of having a local GP, I do have one, but they are about as good as useless and getting an appointment there is on the verge of being impossible, so for most things I visit a walk-in center or the A&E if it is serious enough. As for allowing the treatment to do it's course, I will do so, however I was a little skeptical about the diagnosis and thought there may be a possibility of something more serious, I thought that A). because the diagnosis was quick and not very thorough, and B). because the spots look very much like oral herpes, which of course requires a different route in terms of treatment.

I would also like to point out that the picture doesn't show too well the severity of their appearance, to the naked eye they are much more noticable, and have a white/creamy colour.

Hi Michael. I agree it would have been preferable for the doctor to take swabs, but strep throat is such a common condition that I can understand why he would have gone straight to a broad-spectrum antibiotic. I'm sure you know that you absolutely must finish the 7-day course (unless you develop an allergic reaction, of course). You may find you still have the symptoms for a few days after you stop taking the antibiotics too, as they sometimes take a while to work.

If the soreness hasn't worn off within a few days of taking the antibiotics, you should see a doctor again. The spots, on the other hand, can persist for years without causing any symptoms. This was true in my case.

I can only urge you to start using your GP service, even if it does take a while to get an appointment. This will ensure a degree of continuity in your treatment. A walk-in centre is the next best alternative. A&E should never be used unless you have a serious injury or illness, as it takes up capacity that is needed for others, and also makes it less likely that you'll get a correct diagnosis from an overworked doctor who's not really interested in trivial cases. I'm speaking as a former nurse who worked on an A&E department for a year or so. That was 45 years ago, when the NHS was in a slightly better state than it is now, but even then the constant flow of people who should have been seen by their GP (or even their pharmacist!) often meant delays in care for seriously ill people.

Michael...with the vitamin d defficiency and the outbreak in your mouth I am thinking it just possible that you are developing auto immune disorder and not herpes. I would request swabs yes. And if you have ulceration anywhere else ever be sure to let your doctor know about that.

The only other health issues are a controlled vitamin D deficiency, which should be sorted now and I'm due to have a test for that very soon, and the before mentioned ongoing swallowing difficulty. I am also an ex-smoker, so that may have something to do with it. Other than that I am, as far as I can say, pretty healthy.

Hey Michael. They do look like ulcers to me. Have they gone now?? How long have you had them?

They are still there, and have been there for roughly a week I presume, although I can't be certain, since that is when the swallowing difficulty and pain suddenly spiked.

Ok...I know this will sound odd. I am not sure what your gp is like. I would advise you to go back....ask if it could be ulcers and ask your doc to prescribe a steroid inhaler not to inhale but to spray over affected area. I reckon they are ulcers.