Tonsillitis… AGAIN

I am writing this from the comfort of my bed, wearing four layers of clothing and wrapped in my duvet. Unfortunately for me, tonsillitis has hit again. It has come at a pretty bad time as I have an essay due on Wednesday and have spent the majority of the past 5 days sleeping/ taking medication. I’m not one for leaving things until the last minute so pre-Christmas I had made considerable headway on the essay, thankfully.

I was first struck with tonsillitis the summer after my first year at uni. It was pretty unpleasant but after a few days of being housebound it cleared up. I had it again during my second year, just after my January exams. This time it was viral so antibiotics didn’t help and I remember having to run out of a tutorial to throw up. That’s probably the most ill I’ve been for a long time; I’m one of those people that are rarely sick. The memories still haunt me. Since then, I’ve had it at least seven times but for the most part I just ride it out rather than wasting time going to the doctors. Yes, the GP can give me antibiotics, but in reality I will get better just as quickly by letting the infection run its course. Plus, antibiotics only work if it’s bacterial and sometimes it can be a viral infection. Since November, I have been struck down with tonsillitis three times, so I decided I’d better see a doctor. My intentions were to discuss the option of having a tonsillectomy, as I’m getting to the stage where it’s taking too much time out of my studies and is becoming a real pain. However, because I haven’t been to see the doctor each time I’ve had tonsillitis, my cases aren’t documented therefore I can’t get a referral. I guess I’m having a bit of a moan here, as I’m stuck in a viscous cycle; I don’t see the doctors because I’m wasting not only my time but also their time that could be better spent with other patients, yet the only way for me to be considered for a tonsillectomy is to go to the doctors every time my tonsils swell up. Of course I can understand why the cases must be documented, otherwise I could be making it all up. Not that anyone would willingly ask for an operation if they didn’t think they needed one, obviously.

So for now my tonsils are staying with me, but maybe we will part at some point in the future if they keep giving me grief. If I could give any advice to anyone that is unfortunate to have tonsillitis, it would be to invest in some Ultra Chloraseptic throat spray (this numbs your throat and makes swallowing a lot less painful), drink plenty of water and try to avoid setting alarms. As with most illnesses, sleep really is the best thing. Cutting down on sleep to complete work might seem the best thing to do at the time but it will take you a lot longer to recover!

My essay is almost ready to be submitted and then I can start writing up my dissertation. As a final year student, I really don’t have time to be ill! Good luck to all students who are in the middle of revising for January exams or meeting coursework deadlines (or both, you poor things)! Check out what the university has on to help de-stress during the exam period!

Daisy x