Always feeling ill, tonsillitis?

Seems to me that you would do well to see a Doctor of some sort. You
description seem to point to a long standing infection. If it were me, I
would go to a Doctor of Chinese Medicine. But, 3-4 years is too long to
ignore. Go see someone about this.
"Peabody" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hi,

I'm 22 and for the past 3-4 years I've been feeling constantly unwell, and suffer from chills on
most days. On the worse days it's also accompanied by sweating, mainly between my thighs, and
sometimes my feet. The worst times are when i wake up; I feel really cold and often have a dry
throat. Every month or so it gets really bad, and I have to go to bed for a few days, because I
feel weak and feverish. When it does get bad, a 'stiff' throat (can't think of any other way to
describe it, it's not a sore throat) is something I get, but there's no cough, headaches, etc.

The other thing that accompanies all this is cold intolerance, a lot of the time I can't even
stand in the frozen section of a supermarket without feeling ill, and any exposure to cold (when I
say 'cold' I mean cold for me, not other people) makes the subsequent chills and sweating worse.
On some days though the cold doesn't bother me, it depends. This cold intolerance seems to have
gotten worse over the past 18 months.

A thyroid problem would seem to be the obvious thing, it would explain the cold intolerance and
feeling cold first thing when I wake up, however blood tests have ruled this out. A post-viral
infection has been suggested, but 4 years is surely too long? Circulation problems too I think is
unlikely, since the symptoms seem a bit too extreme and specific for it to be down to just this.
The only other thing that I can think of is my tonsils. As a child, they gave me recurring
problems and the doctors nearly took them out. They're well above normal in size, and food
particles often get trapped in them. Also, when I do 'fall ill' and am in bed for 3 days, they do
look inflamed, though not heavily so. Any ideas?

Thanks.

You most likely have psychophysiologic illness. You should seek help from someone specializing in
this type of medicine.

Peabody said:

Hi,

I'm 22 and for the past 3-4 years I've been feeling constantly unwell, and suffer from chills on
most days. On the worse days it's also accompanied by sweating, mainly between my thighs, and
sometimes my feet. The worst times are when i wake up; I feel really cold and often have a dry
throat. Every month or so it gets really bad, and I have to go to bed for a few days, because I
feel weak and feverish. When it does get bad, a 'stiff' throat (can't think of any other way to
describe it, it's not a sore throat) is something I get, but there's no cough, headaches, etc.

The other thing that accompanies all this is cold intolerance, a lot of the time I can't even
stand in the frozen section of a supermarket without feeling ill, and any exposure to cold (when I
say 'cold' I mean cold for me, not other people) makes the subsequent chills and sweating worse.
On some days though the cold doesn't bother me, it depends. This cold intolerance seems to have
gotten worse over the past 18 months.

A thyroid problem would seem to be the obvious thing, it would explain the cold intolerance and
feeling cold first thing when I wake up, however blood tests have ruled this out. A post-viral
infection has been suggested, but 4 years is surely too long? Circulation problems too I think is
unlikely, since the symptoms seem a bit too extreme and specific for it to be down to just this.
The only other thing that I can think of is my tonsils. As a child, they gave me recurring
problems and the doctors nearly took them out. They're well above normal in size, and food
particles often get trapped in them. Also, when I do 'fall ill' and am in bed for 3 days, they do
look inflamed, though not heavily so. Any ideas?

Thanks.

What about mineral levels? Iron, potassium, etc? Do you have food allergies? Try food elimination to
see if it helps - most likely milk, wheat and corn. These will not only play havoc with your nose &
throat, but your immune system will be depressed. Try wearing cotton, not polyester, for the
sweating. Polyester doesn't breath.

Do you have severe airborne allergies? Have you tried antihistamines? There are excellent natural
alternatives as well. I have a sore throat everyday due to allergies. Grapeseed extract is
wonderful.

Best of luck. Keep us posted! (ps. I saw a rheumatoid specialist recently. He was an idiot. He
couldn't find any 'specific' reason to give me medication, so he couldn't help me.)

--

Virginia
"Forgiveness is easier to obtain than permission."

www.thedesignuniverse.com

"Peabody" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hi,

I'm 22 and for the past 3-4 years I've been feeling constantly
unwell, and suffer from chills on most days. On the worse days it's
also accompanied by sweating, mainly between my thighs, and sometimes
my feet. The worst times are when i wake up; I feel really cold and
often have a dry throat. Every month or so it gets really bad, and I
have to go to bed for a few days, because I feel weak and feverish.
When it does get bad, a 'stiff' throat (can't think of any other way
to describe it, it's not a sore throat) is something I get, but
there's no cough, headaches, etc.

The other thing that accompanies all this is cold intolerance, a lot
of the time I can't even stand in the frozen section of a supermarket
without feeling ill, and any exposure to cold (when I say 'cold' I
mean cold for me, not other people) makes the subsequent chills and
sweating worse. On some days though the cold doesn't bother me, it
depends. This cold intolerance seems to have gotten worse over the
past 18 months.

A thyroid problem would seem to be the obvious thing, it would explain
the cold intolerance and feeling cold first thing when I wake up,
however blood tests have ruled this out. A post-viral infection has
been suggested, but 4 years is surely too long? Circulation problems
too I think is unlikely, since the symptoms seem a bit too extreme and
specific for it to be down to just this. The only other thing that I
can think of is my tonsils. As a child, they gave me recurring
problems and the doctors nearly took them out. They're well above
normal in size, and food particles often get trapped in them. Also,
when I do 'fall ill' and am in bed for 3 days, they do look inflamed,
though not heavily so. Any ideas?

Thanks.

Peabody said:

The only other thing that I can think of is my tonsils. As a child, they gave me recurring
problems and the doctors nearly took them out. They're well above normal in size, and food
particles often get trapped in them. Also, when I do 'fall ill' and am in bed for 3 days, they do
look inflamed, though not heavily so. Any ideas?

I had continual problems with tonsilitis in my childhood until my tonsils were finally removed. My
sister did, too. I still recall many late nights sitting up with fever and chills while my parents
tried to take care of me. After my tonsils were removed, I didn't have any problems.

--
Transpose hotmail and mxsmanic in my e-mail address to reach me directly.

On Sat, 6 Sep 2003 09:33:34 -0700, "Virginia" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

(ps. I saw a rheumatoid specialist recently. He was an idiot. He couldn't find any 'specific'
reason to give me medication, so he couldn't help me.)

So did you instead want him to give you medication for no good reason? Sounds like you're the idiot.

PF

"Virginia" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Best of luck. Keep us posted! (ps. I saw a rheumatoid specialist recently. He was an idiot. He
couldn't find any 'specific' reason to give me medication, so he couldn't help me.)

Hi,

Just posting to let everyone know what's happening. I've just seen an ENT specialist, and within 5
minutes he said that it was very likely that my tonsils were causing the chronic infection: his
description of the condition more accurately summed up my illness better than my own description!!!
My history of recurring tonsillitis as a child also contributed to his diagnosis. He said that the
only thing to do is remove them, unless I'm willing to live with the problem. Unsurprisingly, I'm
booked to have them out next week!

Take care!

--------------030709010805030704090706
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

have you ever taken a course of antibiotics in the four years?

Peabody said:

Carey Gregory said:

Thyroid, post-viral syndrome, circulation problems.... wow, you thought of everything except the
blatantly obvious.

Look, here's my free diagnosis: You have an infection. You need to see a doctor and get it
cleared up.

Hi,

Well I've seen various doctors, and they range from not believing me, to saying that it's something
I just have to live with, since it's not a serious cause for concern. Considering the affect it has
on my quality of life, I feel otherwise. I've had absolutely loads of blood tests done, they've all
been normal, or close enough to normal not to take any action.

An infection does seem like the most obvious answer, but what kind of low level infection could
hang around for 4 years? That's why I mentioned the possibility of it being tonsil-related.

--------------030709010805030704090706 Content-Type: text/html; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-
Encoding: 7bit

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN"> <html> <head> <title></title>
</head> <body> have you ever taken a course of antibiotics in the four years?<br> <br> Peabody
wrote:<br> <blockquote type="cite" cite="[email hidden]"> <pre
wrap="">Carey Gregory <a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E"
href=""][email hidden]"><[email hidden]></a> wrote:

</pre> <blockquote type="cite"> <pre wrap="">Thyroid, post-viral syndrome, circulation
problems.... wow, you thought of everything except the blatantly obvious.

Look, here's my free diagnosis: You have an infection. You need to see a doctor and get it cleared
up. </pre> </blockquote> <pre wrap=""><!---->

Hi,

Well I've seen various doctors, and they range from not believing me, to saying that it's something
I just have to live with, since it's not a serious cause for concern. Considering the affect it has
on my quality of life, I feel otherwise. I've had absolutely loads of blood tests done, they've all
been normal, or close enough to normal not to take any action.

An infection does seem like the most obvious answer, but what kind of low level infection could hang
around for 4 years? That's why I mentioned the possibility of it being tonsil-related. </pre>
</blockquote> <br> </body> </html>

--------------030709010805030704090706--

Post viral? If it's viral it could be hepatitis or aids of course, but with hepatitis you would have
allot more symptoms (i.e. kidney pain, yellow BM, and liver pain just to name a few).

Here's a thought however, what about the gulf war syndrome. You remember after the "line in the
sand" thing, allot of vets came home with this mysterious sickness that was not recognized by the
u.s. government. France, however, did a study on it and treated it with a specific type of
antibiotic which helped something like 80% of people treated. This [censored] was said to be contagious.

Then there is always stuff like lyme disease, mono, ect...

~Ray~

PF Riley said:

Virginia said:

(ps. I saw a rheumatoid specialist recently. He was an idiot. He couldn't find any 'specific'
reason to give me medication, so he couldn't help me.)

So did you instead want him to give you medication for no good reason? Sounds like you're
the idiot.

Goodness me PF, we've had a patient on the lupus newsgroup for 3 years, in excruciating pain and
pancreatitis and (then found) a kidney failure, who did not meet the criteria of Lupus, yet of
course he'd be treated for his symptoms
!

Patients with autoimmune or arthritic conditons are frequently treated even though the bloodwork
and/or signs/symptoms don't meet the particular "criteria of the day". (ie something that can be
"found" (or seen);. It's the humane and wise thing to do.

I'm happy to report that after 3 years of worsening symptoms, having to stop work, and most days
unable to walk due to the pain, he's now out (with treatment), enjoying his young family and has
"his life back".

J

"PF Riley" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

So did you instead want him to give you medication for no good reason? Sounds like you're
the idiot.

PF

Um no, actually. I'm sorry I didn't make it clear just for you. I was there to try to get to the
bottom of a few physical problems, needing to know the cause of my symptoms. He did some bloodwork
and QUOTE "couldn't find a reason to give me medication". That was his only suggestion. No other
help. I wasn't there for medication - I was there for a diagnosis. I prefer natural methods and
refuse to take most medications if I can find a viable alternative. So the next time you feel like
making yourself look like the idiot, think first.

--

Virginia
"Forgiveness is easier to obtain than permission."

www.thedesignuniverse.com

Wow, that's great! Good luck dude.

--
~Ray~

"Peabody" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

ENT specialist, and within 5 minutes he said that it was very likely
that my tonsils were causing the chronic infection: his description of
the condition more accurately summed up my illness better than my own
description!!! My history of recurring tonsillitis as a child also
contributed to his diagnosis. He said that the only thing to do is
remove them, unless I'm willing to live with the problem.
Unsurprisingly, I'm booked to have them out next week!

Take care!

(Peabody) said:

Just posting to let everyone know what's happening. I've just seen an ENT specialist, and within 5
minutes he said that it was very likely that my tonsils were causing the chronic infection: his
description of the condition more accurately summed up my illness better than my own
description!!! My history of recurring tonsillitis as a child also contributed to his diagnosis.
He said that the only thing to do is remove them, unless I'm willing to live with the problem.
Unsurprisingly, I'm booked to have them out next week!

Gosh, you saw a surgeon, and he recommended surgery! What a shock!

I have never understood why, when a patient sees a doctor who makes a diagnosis very quickly, the
patient tends to interpret that as evidence that the doctor must be very knowledgeable and
therefore correct, when in fact it could actually mean the doctor is simply not very thorough and
could very easily be completely off-base because of subtleties in the history or physical exam
that were missed. Instead of being delighted that a doctor "instantly" "knew" what was wrong, one
should be wary instead that the doctor jumped to a conclusion and may have missed something. Haste
makes waste.

I remember, as a medical student, seeing a patient with a very astute and wise preceptor. We
gathered a detailed history on a patient's rash and had begun to formulate a differential diagnosis
when another doctor who likes to rush in and out of patient rooms walked by, saw the rash, and
instantly declared, "That's tinea versicolor!" We politely disagreed, but he nonetheless insisted
on doing a KOH prep right there. Naturally, he was disappointed in the results. It was a good
lesson for me.

I don't think it's necessary to impress patients or their families with how hastily you can make a
diagnosis. Heck, I'd say in general day-to-day pediatric practice, I know about half the time from
the chief complaint already what the diagnosis will be before I even walk in the room. If you pick
up a chart of a 16-year-old girl that says "knee pain x 2 mos." you can put the chart on your
forehead like Johnny Carson and say, "patellofemoral syndrome" then walk in the room and be right

Quoted message said:

80% of the time, but I still get a complete history and examine both knees, hips, ankles, and feet

thoroughly before I draw any conclusions. When a kid has a left earache, the left ear is the part I
examine last. This helps me not to missing anything else.

This all doesn't mean, of course, that I think you don't really need your tonsils out. There's no
way for me to know. You may very well benefit from a tonsillectomy and have complete resolution of
your symptoms, and such results may be so common in this surgeon's experience that he has developed
such a low threshold for recommending tonsillectomy for symptoms such as yours that he can indeed
appropriately recommend surgery to someone whom he just met. I just hope you're not disappointed in
the results.

PF

On 4 Sep 2003 20:15:12 -0500, "Howard McCollister" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

"Peabody" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

An infection does seem like the most obvious answer, but what kind of low level infection could
hang around for 4 years? That's why I mentioned the possibility of it being tonsil-related.

Another chronic-but-undiagnoseable-infection thread.

Actually, to me, it seems like the patient is considering the possibility that (s)he has a chronic
infection but is skeptical.

This kind of patient would require a very thorough, detailed history and physical exam by a doctor
who has the time and inclination to help.

I wonder if this patient would benefit, if his/her primary care physician felt it worthwhile, from
an evaluation by a rheumatologist.

PF

[email hidden] (PF Riley) wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

I have never understood why, when a patient sees a doctor who makes a diagnosis very quickly, the
patient tends to interpret that as evidence that the doctor must be very knowledgeable and
therefore correct

Hi,

I just wanted to clarify that I don't think the doctor was being hasty. He was aware of my past
history, and he did discuss the issue with me thoroughly. He examined my throat, and saw the
state of my tonsils. He said that they looked very irregular and displayed a lot of scarring,
and that they were probably of no use to me because of this, and were quite obviously bound to
cause problems.

I don't think he was looking for a quick diagnosis, more that IN MY PARTICULAR CASE, the course of
action appeared obvious. It was also clear that he wasn't saying 'you must have a tonsillectomy',
but rather offering it as the most likely solution to my problems, should I choose such a course
of action.

Damn PF, that was good. t
"PF Riley" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

(Peabody) said:

Just posting to let everyone know what's happening. I've just seen an ENT specialist, and within
5 minutes he said that it was very likely that my tonsils were causing the chronic infection:
his description of the condition more accurately summed up my illness better than my own
description!!! My history of recurring tonsillitis as a child also contributed to his diagnosis.
He said that the only thing to do is remove them, unless I'm willing to live with the problem.
Unsurprisingly, I'm booked to have them out next week!

Gosh, you saw a surgeon, and he recommended surgery! What a shock!

I have never understood why, when a patient sees a doctor who makes a diagnosis very quickly, the
patient tends to interpret that as evidence that the doctor must be very knowledgeable and
therefore correct, when in fact it could actually mean the doctor is simply not very thorough and
could very easily be completely off-base because of subtleties in the history or physical exam
that were missed. Instead of being delighted that a doctor "instantly" "knew" what was wrong, one
should be wary instead that the doctor jumped to a conclusion and may have missed something. Haste
makes waste.

I remember, as a medical student, seeing a patient with a very astute and wise preceptor. We
gathered a detailed history on a patient's rash and had begun to formulate a differential
diagnosis when another doctor who likes to rush in and out of patient rooms walked by, saw the
rash, and instantly declared, "That's tinea versicolor!" We politely disagreed, but he nonetheless
insisted on doing a KOH prep right there. Naturally, he was disappointed in the results. It was a
good lesson for me.

I don't think it's necessary to impress patients or their families with how hastily you can make a
diagnosis. Heck, I'd say in general day-to-day pediatric practice, I know about half the time from
the chief complaint already what the diagnosis will be before I even walk in the room. If you pick
up a chart of a 16-year-old girl that says "knee pain x 2 mos." you can put the chart on your
forehead like Johnny Carson and say, "patellofemoral syndrome" then walk in the room and be right

Quoted message said:

80% of the time, but I still get a complete history and examine both knees, hips, ankles, and

feet thoroughly before I draw any conclusions. When a kid has a left earache, the left ear is the
part I examine last. This helps me not to missing anything else.

This all doesn't mean, of course, that I think you don't really need your tonsils out. There's no
way for me to know. You may very well benefit from a tonsillectomy and have complete resolution of
your symptoms, and such results may be so common in this surgeon's experience that he has
developed such a low threshold for recommending tonsillectomy for symptoms such as yours that he
can indeed appropriately recommend surgery to someone whom he just met. I just hope you're not
disappointed in the results.

PF

Virginia said:

Um no, actually. I'm sorry I didn't make it clear just for you. I was there to try to get to the
bottom of a few physical problems, needing to know the cause of my symptoms. He did some bloodwork
and QUOTE "couldn't find a reason to give me medication". That was his only suggestion. No other
help. I wasn't there for medication - I was there for a diagnosis. I prefer natural methods and
refuse to take most medications if I can find a viable alternative. So the next time you feel like
making yourself look like the idiot, think first.

Canada eh? Well start with a list of your signs and symptoms on paper and sci.med. Then get your GP
to check you for anemias, and esp B12 and (possibly) folic acid. Absorption can be a problem
requiring B12 injections. (B12 comes from animal proteins, which apparently you're cutting back on?)
I was getting sudden crashes same as you and it was B12 absorption problem and lack of red meat.

Here's (some) lymph nodes nlm.nih.gov003097.htmOpen ↗ (what's been
ruled out on that list?) ..and autoimmune does fall under the purview of rheumy's but the rheumy's
need more than what you've posted to get a working diagnosis or rule some things out.

If you try, I'll try but not while you're possibly getting misinformation on alt.health. I'll watch
for your new post on sci.med (if applicable) Update us if you get it figured out. J

(PF Riley) said:

Actually, to me, it seems like the patient is considering the possibility that (s)he has a chronic
infection but is skeptical.

This kind of patient would require a very thorough, detailed history and physical exam by a doctor
who has the time and inclination to help.

I wonder if this patient would benefit, if his/her primary care physician felt it worthwhile, from
an evaluation by a rheumatologist.

Hi,

I've actually been referred to an ENT specialist, so that he can have a good look at my tonsils and
the surrounding area. Assuming that what I am suffering from IS chronic infection, he should
hopefully be able to tell me whether the tonsils are the source of my problem. Also, you mentioned
rheumatology. I understand that they deal with joint, muscle and tendon-related problems, in what
way might they be able to help me?

Thanks.

(Peabody) said:

[email hidden] (PF Riley) wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

I have never understood why, when a patient sees a doctor who makes a diagnosis very quickly, the
patient tends to interpret that as evidence that the doctor must be very knowledgeable and
therefore correct

Hi,

I just wanted to clarify that I don't think the doctor was being hasty. He was aware of my past
history, and he did discuss the issue with me thoroughly. He examined my throat, and saw the state
of my tonsils. He said that they looked very irregular and displayed a lot of scarring, and that
they were probably of no use to me because of this, and were quite obviously bound to cause
problems.

I don't think he was looking for a quick diagnosis, more that IN MY PARTICULAR CASE, the course of
action appeared obvious. It was also clear that he wasn't saying 'you must have a tonsillectomy',
but rather offering it as the most likely solution to my problems, should I choose such a course
of action.

That's good to hear! Please let us know how you fare post-operatively.

PF

Thanks, J. I'd appreciate it you could e-mail me personally.

Also see my newer post "Tiredness, Lethargy, Crashing."

--

Virginia
"Forgiveness is easier to obtain than permission."

www.thedesignuniverse.com

"J" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Virginia said:

Um no, actually. I'm sorry I didn't make it clear just for you.
I was there to try to get to the bottom of a few physical problems,

needing

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

to know the cause of my symptoms.
He did some bloodwork and QUOTE "couldn't find a reason to give me
medication". That was his only suggestion. No other help. I wasn't there

for

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

medication - I was there for a diagnosis. I prefer natural methods and
refuse to take most medications if I can find a viable alternative.
So the next time you feel like making yourself look like the idiot,

think

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

first.

Canada eh?
Well start with a list of your signs and symptoms on paper and sci.med.
Then get your GP to check you for anemias, and esp B12 and (possibly)

folic

Quoted message said:

acid.
Absorption can be a problem requiring B12 injections.
(B12 comes from animal proteins, which apparently you're cutting back on?)
I was getting sudden crashes same as you and it was B12 absorption problem

and

Quoted message said:

lack of red meat.

Here's (some) lymph nodes
nlm.nih.gov003097.htmOpen ↗
(what's been ruled out on that list?) ..and autoimmune does fall under the
purview of rheumy's but the rheumy's need more than what you've posted to

get a

Quoted message said:

working diagnosis or rule some things out.

If you try, I'll try but not while you're possibly getting misinformation

on

Quoted message said:

alt.health.
I'll watch for your new post on sci.med (if applicable)
Update us if you get it figured out.
J