Health Question

[eredien]

Well, now I know why I was sick on Monday.

I think I am going to call the doctor and see if she can see me today, since I have no idea whether I have strep throat or thrush (please, not again!), but either way, these white patches probably are not supposed to be in my throat.

If anybody has an opinion on whether these might be thrush or strep, please let me know. Thanks!

Comments

[tiamat360.livejournal.com]

Based on your previous experiences with Candida, I'd guess it's that again. It's pretty hard to tell from those images alone; your physician should get you a quick Strep test, which can easily rule that in or out.

The way we've been taught I wouldn't expect Strep pharyngitis in someone over the age of 20 or so, except that my friends and relatives keep getting Strep, so I don't know how truthful that is anymore. If you're still taking any kind of immune-suppressive drug (I think you said you were on prednisone at some point?), that makes Candida more likely.

[eredien]

The prednisone was way back last summer, though, for only a week or so.

The nurse today said apparently strep is the "in" disease at the moment. I honestly don't really think it's Candida, and neither does the doctor--I have a kind of swelling around my throat that I usually get with a sore throat or earache but didn't have with thrush.

[breimh.livejournal.com]

It looks like they could be polyps, to me. But you really should find out from the experts, go see your doctor. And feel better soon. *hugs*

[tiamat360.livejournal.com]

(for the purposes of not unduly worrying eredien:)

If you are looking at the same thing I'm looking at (i.e. the white patches), I think that what you are calling polyps are actually tonsils.

[eredien]

Yeah, the white patches. It's hard to tell from the crappy photos (I shot it with my video camera upside-down while looking into a mirror and holding a flashlight), but I can tell they're not actually dangling or bulging or anything; it's not like a growth. It's more like a patch of something that's on the skin, like mold on bread or something.

[seishonagon.livejournal.com]

I've had things that looked like that diagnosed as a severe outbreak of canker sores, and in fact medicine for canker sores made them go away.

But yeah, what others have said: go see a doctor. Good luck! *crosses fingers*

[eredien]

It does not seem like a sore to me. Thanks though.

[seishonagon.livejournal.com]

It didn't seem like a sore to me either, but in fact, the thing that was actually causing my throat pain was much further down than I thought; they had to stick a scope down my throat to get a look at them.

They suck. On the upside, they're easy to get rid of.

On the other hand, as you point out above, there are variations on strep going around pretty much everywhere these days. We're in the grip of a massive outbreak in my schoo; almost 30% of the people in the building have had it since January.