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Dr. Andrew Rynne
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Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Child Has Tonsillitis, Appetite Loss, Difficulty Swallowing. Any Suggestions?

Hi My 10month old baby has been suffering with tonsilitis for nearly 4 weeks, she is of an aboroginal decent, we have been prescrible 4 different lots of medication but none seem to be working, i m now at my wit ends and not sure what to do. She is not running any fevers with this but she has lost her appertite..She hasn t been to sleep for the last ten hours and has diffculty swollerning. can you help with any suggestions please.
Mon, 25 Feb 2013
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Pediatrician 's  Response
Hello nathansimpson43,

Sorry to hear that your daughter is suffering from a hard time. If she had tonsilitis I assume she had some antibiotics. Young children often experience thrush after a course of antibiotics which can cause their mouth to be sore and eating uncomfortable. They usually do not have fevers with thrush but can be very irritable. Have a look in her mouth for white plaques, but even if you do not see them it is worth giving her 7-10 days of nystatin.

Some viruses (eg glandular fever virus) that cause tonsillitis do not respond to antibiotics and can cause quite prolonged symptoms, including lethargy and general muscular aches and pains. There are blood tests that can be done to asses for a glandular fever, but not all viruses can be tested for.

Your daughter may be experiencing some sort of structural obstruction to her airway which can is making swallowing difficult. Children with this problem often have noisy breathing of some sort. I would suggest she is reviewed by an Ear Nose and Throat surgeon. If he is unable to ascertain much on examination (which is difficult at this age) he might need to examine her airway under anesthetic so he can get a good view of hidden pustules of pus, ulcers, lesions, a foreign body etc.

In the short term giving her regular anti-inflammatories (eg ibuprofen) with soft food and plenty of fluids may help. There are also anaesthetic sprays (eg benzocaine or xylocaine) available for short term relief. You can spray these directly onto the back of her throat 4-6 times a day. Please seek the advice of a pharmacist given your daughters young age.
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Child Has Tonsillitis, Appetite Loss, Difficulty Swallowing. Any Suggestions?

Hello nathansimpson43, Sorry to hear that your daughter is suffering from a hard time. If she had tonsilitis I assume she had some antibiotics. Young children often experience thrush after a course of antibiotics which can cause their mouth to be sore and eating uncomfortable. They usually do not have fevers with thrush but can be very irritable. Have a look in her mouth for white plaques, but even if you do not see them it is worth giving her 7-10 days of nystatin. Some viruses (eg glandular fever virus) that cause tonsillitis do not respond to antibiotics and can cause quite prolonged symptoms, including lethargy and general muscular aches and pains. There are blood tests that can be done to asses for a glandular fever, but not all viruses can be tested for. Your daughter may be experiencing some sort of structural obstruction to her airway which can is making swallowing difficult. Children with this problem often have noisy breathing of some sort. I would suggest she is reviewed by an Ear Nose and Throat surgeon. If he is unable to ascertain much on examination (which is difficult at this age) he might need to examine her airway under anesthetic so he can get a good view of hidden pustules of pus, ulcers, lesions, a foreign body etc. In the short term giving her regular anti-inflammatories (eg ibuprofen) with soft food and plenty of fluids may help. There are also anaesthetic sprays (eg benzocaine or xylocaine) available for short term relief. You can spray these directly onto the back of her throat 4-6 times a day. Please seek the advice of a pharmacist given your daughters young age.