Infection.

[tailgate]

Hello. I have a question regarding infections. If you were to look at the inside of your mouth how (what color) should your throat look like? I have had a problem with soar lump like sensation for the past couple of months but not all the time. I've been to see a couple of doctors re:this. I have had a X-ray(normal) throat swab for strep(normal). I finally got in to see my family MD. He took a flashlight and was almost thrown back by what he saw. He said that I had post nasil drip and prescribed me with (Nasonex) nasil spray. I finished that but I still have weird sesations in my throat. He looked in my throat again with a flashlight and again he was commenting on how red my throat is. This time he gave me a pretty good dose of Amoxicillin 500ml 3 times a day for 10 days.My throat color around all my teeth and the roof of my mouth is pink.But when you look from my tosils back it at times is beet red. My question is this. How long "undetected" can infection live in you before having to be treated? My point is that this has been going on for 2 mnths now. Another point of interest is that I'm always haveing to clear my throat because it can at times go a little hoarse. And is post nasil drip hard to treat? How long does it last? Thank you in advance for your comments.

[Bruce]

Originally Posted by tailgate

Hello. I have a question regarding infections. If you were to look at the inside of your mouth how (what color) should your throat look like? I have had a problem with soar lump like sensation for the past couple of months but not all the time. I've been to see a couple of doctors re:this. I have had a X-ray(normal) throat swab for strep(normal). I finally got in to see my family MD. He took a flashlight and was almost thrown back by what he saw. He said that I had post nasil drip and prescribed me with (Nasonex) nasil spray. I finished that but I still have weird sesations in my throat. He looked in my throat again with a flashlight and again he was commenting on how red my throat is. This time he gave me a pretty good dose of Amoxicillin 500ml 3 times a day for 10 days.My throat color around all my teeth and the roof of my mouth is pink.But when you look from my tosils back it at times is beet red. My question is this. How long "undetected" can infection live in you before having to be treated? My point is that this has been going on for 2 mnths now. Another point of interest is that I'm always haveing to clear my throat because it can at times go a little hoarse. And is post nasil drip hard to treat? How long does it last? Thank you in advance for your comments.

The post nasal drip is nothing more then sputum draining into your throat. The Nasonex might be an antihistamine which will dry up the congestion.

Be careful about clearing your throat, because you could end up with laryingitis.

Most sore throats are caused by a virus and taking an antibiotic will have no effect on the virus. In fact, it might prolong the infection.

An infected throat rersembles red meat and you can't tell the difference between a viral infection and a strep by observation without doing a strep test.

A virus infection cannot be cleared up with an antibiotic and just trerat the symptoms.

A strep has a sudden onset and can easily be treated with penicillin. The purpoae of testing for strep is to prevent rheumatic fever.

[tailgate]

Thank you for your reply. Can you tell me what rheumatic fever is.

[Bruce]

Originally Posted by tailgate

Thank you for your reply. Can you tell me what rheumatic fever is.

Rheumatic fever is now a rare disease It is a complication of strep throat and is potentially a fatal disease. It is caused by Group A strep (Strep pyogenes) and you may have a rash and joint pain

This is why if you suspect you have a a strep throat, get treated as soon as possible.