Help diagnose my sore throat

[Joe Random]

Okay, so I have a sore throat. I don't want to waste time and money on visiting a doctor if it's a simple viral infection that will go away on its own.

Here are my symptoms:

Sore throat on swallowing. However, it's not sore when I'm not swallowing. Also the soreness is only on one side.

Related to that, a quick inspection with a flashlight and a mirror shows that the tonsil on that side is very slightly inflamed, with white patches on the surrounding tissue. There is no pain or swelling (and limited 'whiteness') on the opposite side.

I have no fever, nor are any of my lymph nodes swollen.

I have noticed a decrease in appetite.

Oh, and I first started noticing the soreness last night (about 15 hours ago).

So, does this sound like something that I really should see a doctor about? Should I wait a few days to see how things progress?

Oh, and please note that if the symptoms get markedly worse, or if I develop a fever, I will go see a doctor. I just don't know if something like a strep infection (which is probably the most worrisome possibility) always leads to fever or worse symptoms.

[Philster]

Strep.

Fever should develop soon, and the other side will worsen shortly.

Either that or I am wrong. Just got over strep. I let it go and the fever made me pay dearly.

[Joe Random]

Strep.Yep. I just went to the doctor, and it's definitely strep. I just took my first amoxicillin tablet, and I've got 19 left to take over the next 10 days.

I know I didn't want to visit a doctor, but then I thought about it for a minute, and I decided that there are times when procrastinating is okay, and times where it isn't. I really didn't want an easy-to-treat bacterial infection to develop into rheumatic fever (rare but possible) just because I'm too lazy or too cheap to get it checked out.

Fever should develop soon, and the other side will worsen shortly.The other side's still fine, but I'm getting chills and slight body aches that tend to be a prelude to fever.

Just got over strep. I let it go and the fever made me pay dearly.Yeah, I had strep several times as a kid, but I haven't been sick (beyond a cold or mild allergies) for at least 15 years. Still, I remember how badly it sucked, and I figured there was no point in repeating that if I could nip this one more-or-less in the bud.

[CookingWithGas]

. . .too cheap to get it checked out.OK to be cheap with your car; if that dies you can always get another one.

[Joe Random]

Here's a question for all you doctors out there: How long can I expect to be contageous after starting treatment for strep throat? I don't want to infect more people if I can avoid it, but I also would like to get back to work (and normal social interactions) as soon as possible.

[DeVena]

Not a doctor, but...

My doc told me that if not treated, strep throat is contagious as long as there is fever. If on antibiotics, you are contagious for 24 hours after starting the pills.

[SanibelMan]

Questions:

Is strep throat contagious through food? How long after exposure does it take to show symptoms?

I ask because I started feeling ill about a day after a large conference and banquet Saturday night, and a few of the other people who were there are also out sick this week. My first odd symptom came only a couple of hours after the event, though, so I'm assuming that's too soon. (My left jaw muscle was sore Saturday night every time I yawned. Now I have the same symptoms as Joe Random, except no fever and my lymph nodes are swollen. Saw the doc yesterday morning and got a Zithromax Tri-Pak. The doctor ran a quick strep test which came up negative, but she also ran a regular strep test and drew blood, and I haven't heard the results of those tests.)

[Joe Random]

Is strep throat contagious through food? How long after exposure does it take to show symptoms?I did a little research, and I found the following:

From the Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strep_throat):

The illness is caused by the bacterium Streptococcus pyogenes and is spread by direct, close contact with patients via respiratory droplets (coughing or sneezing). Casual contact rarely results in transmission. Rarely, contaminated food, especially milk and milk products, can result in outbreaks. Untreated patients are most infectious for 2-3 weeks after onset of infection. Incubation period, the period after exposure and before symptoms show up, is 2-4 days. Patient is no longer infectious within 24 hrs. after treatment begins.

It seems that DeVena was right about how long I'd be contagious, by the way. It's good to know that I'm no longer going to infect anyone.

[Philster]

A big ol' bottle of pills in this day and age? I got 6 pills. That's it. 1 per day for six days, and they work for four days after the last one.

A 10-day treatment consisting of six Azithromicin tablets.

And this thread reminded me to take number 5.

[Joe Random]

A 10-day treatment consisting of six Azithromicin tablets.Are you by any chance allergic to Penicillin? I ask because Azithromycin appears to be a non-Penicillin antibiotic.

Also, looking at the precautions for Azithromycin I see that it warns you to tell your doctor if you've ever had irregular heartbeat, and I mentioned to my doc that I do get a irregular heartbeat if I drink too much caffeine (which is why I stopped subsisting on Mountain Dew, by the way). So maybe that's why I wasn't prescribed Azithromycin.

But it doesn't matter to me if I have to take a few extra pills or not as long as those bacteria get the hell out of my throat.

[FilmGeek]

When I was in college, I got strep every six months or so. Apparently I'm a carrier and when I get run down I re-infect myself.

My strep never spreads to both sides. It's one or the other. I haven't had strep in over three years (hmm... graduated three years ago) but every sore throat has me nervous. I hate strep. I had a nice nine year break from the time I got my tonsils out at nine until I graduated from high school.

I used to get the antibiotic pills until the emergency room offered me a shot of penicillin... one time thing. I got it and I was better in three days. I'm never going to pills again. :) (I'd always avoided penicillin before because both of my parents are allergic).

(crosses fingers and toes and knocks on wood that I don't get it again).