How do i know if i have anything serious in my throat?!
Question: On friday, I woke up and I had a huge headache. So i didn't go to school. I got worse and worse. And I naturally have big tonsils, but i took a look at them and now they are really big, and they have been like this for 3 days. It hurts when i swallow water, or my saliva or anything. and they look like they are less than an inch away from touching. My saliva is very gooey, and i have alot of mucus in my throat. Do I have strep or something. Please help.
Answers: On friday, I woke up and I had a huge headache. So i didn't go to school. I got worse and worse. And I naturally have big tonsils, but i took a look at them and now they are really big, and they have been like this for 3 days. It hurts when i swallow water, or my saliva or anything. and they look like they are less than an inch away from touching. My saliva is very gooey, and i have alot of mucus in my throat. Do I have strep or something. Please help.
There's no way to say for sure if you have strep. Tonsils that are infected with strep may have white gunky patches on them.
You should go to the doctor first thing in the morning because even if it isn't strep, it may be an infection from another type of bacteria. However, if you are having a hard time swallowing your own saliva, such that you are practically drooling, go to an Urgent Care clinic or to the ER.
In the meantime, put 1/4 tsp salt in a cup of very warm water and gargle with it. Do that every 2 hours. That will help thin the mucous in your throat. DO NOT gargle with hydrogen peroxide! Sip on cool liquids as often as you can, to help reduce the swelling of your tonsils. Sleep with your head elevated, either in a chair or with 3 pillows. That will help reduce the swelling. Put some pots of water next to the heat sources in your bedroom to help moisturize the air in your room. Breathe in the steam of a shower or hot water, to ease your throat; don't burn yourself! Take ibuprofen, if you can tolerate it, or at least take tylenol to help ease the pain.
I hope you feel better in the morning, but if you don't, get to a doctor!
EDIT: I just saw your new question. --itis means inflammation. So tonsillitis is an inflammation of the tonsils. There can be different causes of tonsillitis, including strep.
it could be tonsillitis go on to http://www.itonsil.com/tonsils_tonsillit...
and it will tell you the symptoms and treatments
You need to go to the doctors and be tested for strep. It will only get worse if you don't get some medicines.
It sounds like you do have strep. I have big tonsils too and I got strep constantly growing up. The time I had it the worse you could see white stuff on my tonsils, along with other ailments. It was so gross!
You may or you may have tonsillitis.
Gargle with very warm salt water 3-4X/day
Gargle with Hydrogen peroxide. It will feel weird because it bubbles a lot, but it's an antiseptic.
Drink flenty of fluids. Vit. C 2000mg. every 2 hrs., Zinc 50 mg.
Suck on Zinc lozenges & cough drops with eucalyptus.
Take Aleve or Advil to relieve pain & swelling.
Take Mucinex which thins mucus & clear it out.
Feel better.