Itchy or Scratchy Throat? Is Swallowing Painful?

You might have tonsillitis or be on the way to developing this painful condition.

As a child, I had horrible sore throats, thrash, tonsillitis, etc. I know it was terrible cause I blocked it out, or tried to.....I remember misery, though, vaguely, even decades later.

Yet, if I'd had a say in whether those tonsils came out or not, and knew what I know now, I'd have suffered through and left them in if possible. That's because I now know that tonsils filter bacteria and viruses that could cause even more harmful infections so best to leave them in tact if you can.

This article covers a question asked about two different subjects, tonsillitis and psoriasis. Part one deals with throat issues. If you came here looking for information on the skin disorder, psoriasis, then skip to part two: About psoriasis * Natural Remedies for Tonsillitis

What to Notice BEFORE You Feel Sick

Recognizing the Onset of Tonsillitis

© Neva J Howell, All Rights Reserved

Before I talk about symptoms of tonsillitis, let's talk about the signs that almost everybody misses.

I call these early warning signs "pre-symptoms" because they happen about 24 hours before you actually feel sick.

Pre-Symptoms:

Scratchy feeling in throat. It isn't pain, exactly, and it could just be that you didn't drink enough water or that there's something in the air. It could also be an important pre-symptom.

Not quite clear-thinking. This is one I almost always notice. It isn't that I can't function ok, it's just that I can't quite think as clear as I normally do. Big warning pre-symptom.

A bit of drag and fatique. Again, easy to overlook. Maybe I worked a little harder than I thought I did. Nope, if you don't think you should be that tired, you probably should not be that tired.

It's not an earache but.....it's just a funny kind of itchy feeling in the ears.

The earliest warning signs of tonsillitis, colds and flu are all easy to dismiss and most people do.

I've learned (the hard way) that catching a cold, flu, sore throat, ear infection or tonsillitis is a LOT easier if I don't assume those early pre-symptoms are just fatique or feeling "a little under the weather".

Long before you come down with a cold, your body tries to warn you that something is attempting to attack your system but these pre-symptoms are often not so bad that you can't keep working....at least for one day.

So....pay attention to the pre-symptoms and you may seldom need the next list, which is symptoms that come after that early warning period. If you wait til you have these symptoms to treat tonsillitis, in my opinion, you've waited too long.

Symptoms of Tonsillitis

Symptoms that could indicate tonsillitis include:

sore throat

difficulty swallowing

red, swollen tonsils

white patches on tonsils or around tonsils

headache

loss of voice

fever and chills

swollen lymph glands

pain in ear that runs into jaw

Additional symptoms may include blisters in the mouth, which may indicate that the condition is caused by the Coxsackie virus. See your doctor any time a sore throat lasts more than a few days, symptoms include very high fever that does not respond to aspirin or other OTC treatments, and vomiting.

Is it a sore throat or Viral Pharyngitis? * What Your Doctor Will Likely Prescribe for Strep Throat

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Health Care Disclaimer: If you have one or more symptoms of tonsillitis, please see your doctor to both access the severity of the infection and to rule out potentially more serious infection such as strep throat, thrash or viral pharyngitis.