Sore Throat and Strep Throat

Sometimes I feel so sorry for patients that come in to the ER in the middle of the night.  They’re suffering from a sore throat, and I know damn well it feels like they’re trying to swallow razor blades.   The sore throat is often accompanied by fever and body aches, and just plain ‘ol misery.  The more throat hurts, the more reluctant the patient is to swallowing any fluids, and soon dehydration ensues.

So, first things first.  You have to know how to effectively see the tonsils.  Get a bright flashlight, and tongue depressor (a butter-knife will do in a pinch).  Then have the patient stick out their tongue and open up wide.  Have the patient say Aaahhhh.   Actually saying aaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh helps lower the tongue and raise the uvula so you can see.   Now let’s keep in mind, that First Aid Lessons.info, is about what kind of things you can do at home, when you need to go to the ER.  With that in mind, let’s continue:

Treatment and Expectatons:

1. Here is a normal looking throat.  See how all the mucosa is nice and even pink color with no

   

   swelling?  There are no spots, pus, dark deep redness or inflammation.   This person may still have a severely sore throat however, but in this case, it’s going to be viral.  He can come to the ER, but he won’t get anything but Advil to go home with, along with a good dose of reassurance.

2. Now look at this throat, it has spots all over it.  This is possible

   

   strep throat.  No one will know for sure if it’s TRUELY strep, unless it’s cultured.  Either way, antibiotics are in order, so go see the doctor.

3. This last picture is a an abscess of the tonsilar area.  An abscess is a deep infected pocket of pus.  This probably wont get any better, unless a doctor drains and it with a needle and gives the person steroids and antibiotics. These can get so bad, that it actually pushes the uvula sideways.  If you see this, definitely go see the doctor!

So here’s the bottom line.  If the throat is sore, and looks normal, there is probably nothing anyone will do about it.  If however, the patient is completely unable to swallow even their own saliva, better go to the ER.  If the throat looks any different from the normal picture above, you can make a regular appointment with you doctor to have it checked out