I know this is not a medical forum, opinions here are strickly personal and if I'm in a need of medical attention I should consult my doctor immediatelly etc. so we can skip that part. I just went down with strep throat. Yeah, new life, new city, loooot of stress and freaking out in the first week, few beers, a bunch of new people, ehm, one intercourse, definitelly not enough hand washing. So, yesterday morning I woke up with blades in my throat. Damn. I checked my tonsils in the mirror, yep, definitelly streps all over them. Not much, but well visible ones. Painfull swallowing, mild fever, biiiig disconfort, I felt like I have been beaten up. So, went to see a gp, no appointment, come back saturday evening. Ok, f*ck you too, bye. Bought a bunch of pain relief, tea, honey, cayenne and whatnot, went home and swallowed a shitload of them, gargled and stuff, stayed in bed and watched Archer (best sickleave ever!). So, today morning. Swallowing is definitelly less painfull, but tonsils feel like dumplings. Maybe it was the same yesterday, only the pain masked it. But definitelly less pain today. Strep are almost all gone before gargling (the first thing I checked when I woke up), tonsils are still swollen and stiff and throat is itching like hell. What do you think? Am I getting better?
Strep will go away on its own, but since it is a bacteria infection it goes away faster if you have a prescribed anti-biotic.
Go get antibiotics. Strep isn't something to take lightly. Yes, it's usually harmless, but the infection can seem like it's getting better then suddenly get much worse. If left alone for as little as 7 days (although usually a few weeks-month), then Strep can develop into a bunch of life threatening illnesses such as pneumonia, major sepsis, meningitis, rheumatic fever etc. You can wait it out if you'd like, but make sure it is getting better. If at any point it starts getting worse again, you really do need antibiotics. Usually strep throat is harmless and will go away on its own, but I just listed possible complications just in case, as a lot of people are unaware of just how serious it can be. Use salt rinses, and often as well. Salt violently forces the water out of the bacteria via osmosis, so the bacteria dies. Just add a mild amount of salt to a cup of water, and rinse with it multiple times until all the water in the cup is gone. Do this about every hour or two to keep bacteria levels down so the body is capable of fighting it on its own. If you're after relief, then Strepsils. Always Strepsils, I swear by them, they've always worked for me no matter how severe the throat irritation/soreness, Strepsils always make them tonnes better. EDIT: Oh, and just to add, even if you feel better it doesn't mean the Strep has gone away. Sometimes the Strep throat itself goes away, but the Strep bacteria has already traveled to other parts of the body. So I'd still advise getting antibiotics either way, but if you don't then note if you start feeling ill again soon, but if after about a month you feel completely fine, then you should have fully recovered.
Welcome to London!!!! A few journeys on the tube will soon get your immune system in shape!! Seriously, I don't know much about this but a good chemist will advise you - if not your doctor.
When my ex didnt have medical insurance, which it sounds like you do and I think you should defiantly take advantage of, he got really bad strep, and it was starting to turn into scarlet fever, and so I went to a pet store and bought fish penicillin and had him gurgle it and take it orally.... But again. Not a good idea if you already have a doctor and access to medical care.
Lol, thanks The tube was my first guess. ---------- Post added 12th Oct 2013 at 08:24 PM ---------- Actually, I do not have access to the nhs, it was a private clinic, but anyways, my strep is not so bad, it itches much more than it hurts. Anyways, thanks for the tip
