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Dr. Says it's NOT Strep- Tonsils look like golf balls
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Samariya posted:
Two days ago, I woke up to two very swollen tonsils. My tolsils are unusually large anyway, but this day, they were kissing! I mad an appointment and the dr said that I don't have strep, and that I should gargle with warm salty water and rest. And that was it.

My tonsils have these white ribbons of puss on them. They do not hurt, but it is very challenging to swallow and speak normally.

I took some 800 MG of Advil with the hopes that the swelling would go down. NOTHING.

If it isn't strep, what is it??? What can I do about this swelling?

HELP!!!!!
1 Replies |Watch This Discussion | Report This| Share this:Dr. Says it's NOT Strep- Tonsils look like golf ballsTwo days ago, I woke up to two very swollen tonsils. My tolsils are unusually large anyway, but this day, they were kissing! I mad an appointment and the dr said that I don't have strep, and that I should gargle with warm salty water and rest. And that was it.<br /><br />My tonsils have these white ribbons of puss on them. They do not hurt, but it is very challenging to swallow and speak normally. <br /><br />I took some 800 MG of Advil with the hopes that the swelling would go down. NOTHING.<br /><br />If it isn't strep, what is it??? What can I do about this swelling?<br /><br />HELP!!!!!
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Rod Moser, PA, PhD responded:
I have no way of examining you to tell you what you DO have, but I can offer you an idea.....

You know you do not have Strep, at least according to, I presume, a rapid strep test. Did your doctor do a back up CULTURE which is 100% accurate. The rapid strep test is not 100%.

The strongest possibility would be a viral infection, however, one nasty virus in particular -- Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) would be my guess as to what you may have. EBV causes mono (mononucleosis).

You have only been ill for 2 days, so many clinicians will not order an CBC (blood count) or an EBV panel (the most accurate of the mono tests. The mono "spot" test is not as accurate) until you have been ill about a week. If the mono test is taken too early, before your body has produced sufficient antibodies that can be detected, you could have a false-negative results.

The Advil suggestion, along with gargling with warm saline (weak salt water) will help. If you do have mono, those tonsils can get huge and compromise your airway. Should this happen, this is a medical emergency and may require steroid medications, so please be watchful (and hopeful that it does not progress).
Report This| Share this:Dr. Says it's NOT Strep- Tonsils look like golf ballsI have no way of examining you to tell you what you DO have, but I can offer you an idea.....<br /> <br />You know you do not have Strep, at least according to, I presume, a rapid strep test. Did your doctor do a back up CULTURE which is 100% accurate. The rapid strep test is not 100%.<br /> <br />The strongest possibility would be a viral infection, however, one nasty virus in particular -- Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) would be my guess as to what you may have. EBV causes mono (mononucleosis).<br /> <br />You have only been ill for 2 days, so many clinicians will not order an CBC (blood count) or an EBV panel (the most accurate of the mono tests. The mono "spot" test is not as accurate) until you have been ill about a week. If the mono test is taken too early, before your body has produced sufficient antibodies that can be detected, you could have a false-negative results.<br /> <br />The Advil suggestion, along with gargling with warm saline (weak salt water) will help. If you do have mono, those tonsils can get huge and compromise your airway. Should this happen, this is a medical emergency and may require steroid medications, so please be watchful (and hopeful that it does not progress).
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