Hi

Thanks for the query

After going through your description I do feel you are suffering from early stages of acute pharyngitis.

Acute pharyngitis is the sudden onset of inflammation of the throat, characterized by throat pain, enlargement of the lymph node in the neck, associated with or without fever, etc.

The enlarged papillae are the hypertrophied lymphoid follicles secondary to pharyngitis. These lymphoid papillae will normally be smaller in size. During inflammation or infection in the surrounding region the lymphoid papillae gets hypertrophied in order to combat infection. Do not worry! The hypertrophied lymphoid tissues are harmless. With appropriate intervention this can be take care of.

You can try the following:
1. Drink plenty of warm water – this helps in improving the blood circulation, keeping the mucosa moist and relief from pain
2. Anti-inflammatory medicines such as diclofenac or ibuprofen for the pain relief.
3. Do gargles with povidone iodine solution for the speedy recovery.
4. Also, avoid smoking/chilled food & beverages/alcohol/coffee till you recover.
5. If the symptoms does not improve within 3-4 days you can start on antibiotic such as a combination of amoxicillin and clavulanic acid or cefuroxime

Hope I have answered your queries; I will be available for the follow-up queries.

Regards
Dr. Naveen Kumar N.
ENT and Head & Neck Surgeon

---

Hi

Thanks for writing back

Yes, tonsils can get congested and hypertrophied following pharyngitis. It depends on the type of antibiotics you are taking and the other supportive measures you have taken.

If you can let us know the type of antibiotics you are on, it is easy to say whether the antibiotic is effective for this condition or not. In my previous response I have mentioned about the ideal antibiotics for this conditions. With ideal antibiotics, the symptoms will reduce within 3-4 days.

Regards
Dr. Naveen Kumar N.
ENT and Head & Neck Surgeon

---