sore throat ear and stiff neck.

[Niamh20]

hi,
i have had a sore throat for 2 weeks now. i tried gargling with disprin and strepsils, none with any effect. previous to having a sore throat i had a URTI chest infection and was prescribed amoxicillon 500mg TDS and these gave me very bad chest pain so i stopped taking them. i went to the doctor again as i was concerned that i am still feeling sick and he didnt really listen to what i had to say and just prescribed me more antibiotics, calvepen. i am still feeling very ill with a stiff neck going down my back my tonsils are inflammed and very sore and have one sore ear also.
any ideas what i should do now?

[Enoch Choi, MD]

If you were placed on plavix, there usually is a reason you need to have your blood thinned.  I wouldn't stop it without discussing it with your physician, you could suffer a blood clot of something (e.g. cardiac stent, stroke, heart attack).

[dannysing]

i have a feeling something is caught in my throat with a mild headache and sore throat.also my neck seems stiff and i have ear pain and i can feel my neck popping when i walk. any suggestions?

[zerothyme]

I have had a cold since the second week of January and my throat has had a constant itchyness and very dry. Got a humidifier, helped a little. Also on 50-100mg/day Spironolactone to fight acne. The diuretic effect my be causing the dryness. My concern is if this is a more serious problem. I've never had a cold for more than 2 weeks and I am 34. I do not have insurance so I don't want to overreact and pay a bundle for doc's visits and meds but I also don't want money to get in the way of my health. I quit smoking a while back and always have a fear of lung cancer or something. I am always reminded of Christopher Reeve's wife, Dana, and Peter Jennings, when they both reported that the only symptoms they experienced was a cold that wouldn't go away and flu-like symptoms for several months. I know they are much older but I also know it's not too far-fetched for someone my age to be diagnosed. Are there lung cancer screening clinics in NYC for people without insurance? Any feedback you could give me would be great. Thank you.

[elpatricko]

i could be dead before you would answer me ;) its getting better with every day thanks ciao :)

[elpatricko]

got the same - sore throat ear... i thought it was Peritonsillar abscess because i had it 2 times before(1st time had to cut throat and 2nd was just possibility of abscess) i took Augmentin to cure it.. but now the doctor told me that we wont cut anythin and she gave me penicilin on the 1st night + metronide and now im cure on calvepen + metronide.. and on the morning its not so bad but on the evening its really hard.. and i still got temperature even when i take apap (painkiller, decrease temp)
what should i do? wait or change antibiotic? im 1-2day on it
over n out peace

[Enoch Choi, MD]

how's it going now?

[paw400]

Of course you are right, but I think a few days off Plavix will be okay. I rang my doctor and he agreed to take this line. I was on aspirin before that for 3 years. Tried Plavix because of a general 'bad' feeling in my body which may have been created by aspirin. It was suggested that a move to Plavix might help.
Feeling a little better again today. The sore throat is not so 'sharp' and has moved from the left side to the middle. It seems a lot of people in this area have similar ailments - mine just seems excessive in duration and hence I 'blame' Plavix.
Thanks for your concern.
Paul.

[paw400]

Hi, Thanks for the reply. I thought I should let you know what I discovered myself. I was put on Plavix 6 weeks ago. It checked the side effects and saw that I had several of them. These included, sore throat, chest infections, bleeding gums when brushing teeth, blood in nasal mucus, fatigue and a bit depressed. I have stopped Plavix now for two days to test my hypothesis. Not much of a change yet (but a little better). The half life of Plavix is 5 to seven days, so I will give it a week to judge.
I will keep you posted. And thanks for your suggestion.
Paul.

[Enoch Choi, MD]

1 month of suffering is long enough.  See another doctor, and ask about allergic rhinitis or other causes of post-nasal drip since 2 different antibiotics didn't cure it, it may not be a bacterial infection

[paw400]

Hi Niamh,
I'd like to know how you got on and solved the infections you had because I have similar infections and had similar experience as you with my doctor. He gave me Amoxicillion for my upper chest. Nothing changed and I went to a different doctor that gave me Calvepen for my throat. I just started on that today. I have been suffering for four weeks now between my chest and throat. It seems to alternate from one to the other. The infection in my throat just wanders from left to right and parks itself for a few days on one side. It often goes away for 24 hours and I think, thank god its over, and then returns once again.

[Enoch Choi, MD]

I'm sorry your doctor didn't listen to you, that sucks.

It's worth getting a second opinion from a doctor that does listen to you.  If amoxicillin and calvepen (phenoxymethylpenicillin) didn't help I have to wonder if your sore throat, sore ear, and sore neck are more from a virus.  But 2 weeks is a long time for a virus.

I'd get a second opinion if I were you.

Dr. Enoch Choi, MD
Palo Alto, CA