Recurring Sore Throat

I have a sore throat that I just can't seem to get rid of.  About a month ago I went to the doctor and was given amoxicillan for 10 days, the sore throat went away and a week later it came back.  I have some congestion which I can't get rid of from blowing my nose, it stays in the back of my throat.  When I wake up in the morning I am extrememly dry.  My tongue has a light white coating on it which goes away throughout the day but returns every morning.  I went to the dr again and he gave me a Z Pac which didn't help at all.  I don't know what else to do.  I don't have strep and have been to the dr twice.  No fever or any other symptoms, I feel great otherwise.  Any ideas?

[National Jewish]

You may have a fungus infection of your mouth and throat, rather than a bacterial infection.  A fungus would not respond to antibiotics, but there are anti-fungal meds that would work.  Check with your doctor on this and, if you don't get a response, you should seek a 2nd opinion.

[bactitech]

I have been a microbiologist for 31 years. Has the doctor cultured your throat? Many treat empirically without a culture. Maybe you're due for one.

If he did on and ordered a strep screen, your local lab will probably ignore everything that grows but probably Group A strep, although some labs will mention them as "beta strep not group A". If he orders a regular throat culture, and includes a yeast screen, you may find out more information.

Is the white stuff on your throat patchy? Thrush can appear as white patches. Thrush is caused by Candida albicans, which is a yeast. If you've been on heavy antibiotics (amox and Z-pak) you could now have an overgrowth of yeast on your tongue. Here are a couple of pictures:

http://tinyurl.com/6992l

http://www.thachers.org/images/Thrush.JPG

In the meantime, try eating some live culture yogurt (Dannon fruit on the bottom is one). It can't hurt you and might possibly help.

Sometimes Group C strep can cause sore throats in late teens/early twenties. Also, tonsillar abscesses or mono can cause sore throats. Group A strep (the cause of "strep throat") is not the only pathogen.

Good luck.

[ozark]

your nose could be blocked up and you're breathing thru your mouth at night causing a sore throat and dry mouth...try a humidifier, drinks lots of fluids and try a decongestant or nasal spray or saline sprays to help open your nose   good luck

[virgogirl73]

Thanks for your comments.  I don't think it's oral thrush, doesn't look like any of the pictures.  I also don't think it is strep because if it was wouldn't the ZPac have taken care of it?  I can barely swallow and still have a cold, it sounds to me like it's viral but why is it lasting this long???  I'm in pain!!

[virgogirl73]

For anyone who is reading this, I have mono!!  I knew something wasn't right.

[bactitech]

Interesting! I remember a workshop I went to once. They said that mono typically presents with "one of the worst looking throats you'll ever see."

We as techs don't get to see the actual throats, however, just the swabs and growth on the plates, so we're at a disadvantage.

Mono can present weirdly. From my own personal experience, I had mono when I was in college. I was 20 at the time (36 years ago :-(). Mine presented totally differently than yours, which is what makes diagnosing mono a very tricky thing indeed.

I started with flu-like symptoms. I just felt lousy, with night sweats that just soaked the bed. I was in a dorm, so this was not handy, as I lived on the third floor at the west end, and the laundry was in the basement at the east end, and I only had two sets of sheets. I was having to wash them every day.

Anyway, I dragged myself to the student clinic (small university) and could barely stay awake or sit up. I had NO sore throat at all, and believed I didn't have mono due to the lack of having one. They asked me if I thought I had mono and I told them no. They didn't test me at that time. I went back to the dorm, but came back in two days as I felt just totally wiped out and sick. They tested me this time and had me stay in the infirmary. I tested positive, and ended up in the infirmary for a week. I mostly slept. They let me out for a couple of classes, and encouraged me to do what I could, which wasn't much. After a week, I felt much better and moved back to the dorm. I was still tired, but the night sweats were gone.

Anyway, glad they figured your problem out. Stay rested. This is most important to prevent complications (rare chance of splenic rupture).

Check out this website:

http://www.emedicine.com/EMERG/topic319.htm

Good luck!

[Chegirl]

I am a 26 year female, I have been a vegetarian for the last 2 years.  I got strep throat about 2 months ago and was given Augmentin to treat it for 10 days.  It came back about 2 weeks ago and I was treated again with Augmentin for 10 days.  Now it is back again and the doctor said I should consider having my tonsils removed if it comes back again.  He has me taking Tetracyclin now.  He never gave me any type of throat culture though.  He said he was sure that it was strep because of the pus sacs.  

I don't want to have my tonsils removed, even the doctor told me that there is no gurantee that I won't get another throat infection.  I am so worried and am tired of feeling aching, sore and ill every other few weeks.  I used to get a lot of sore throats as a child but just recently started getting them alot this year, in addition to 2 upper respiratory infections.  I hate the fact that I have to keep taking antibiotics and am wondering if my immune system is conking out on me and if so why?  Why do I keep getting sick.  Also I am currently taking Microbiology and deal with specimens but I am careful, furthermore I am the only student getting sick.

[outofenergy]

A related discussion, tired and sore throat was started.