The Student Nurse is Sick

Ok, I can't believe that I'm sick again. I was just in the hospital last December 30 to January 2 and now I'm fearing that I might be admitted in the hospital for the same reason: tonsillitis or pharyngitis.

It's either one of the two because my doctor really didn't inform me of my medical diagnosis but I'm sure that it's either of the two. I have a long history of tonsillitis so I'm not anymore surprised if I get Rheumatoid Heart Disease.

For those who don't know what tonsillitis or pharyngitis is here's a quick overview:

Pharyngitis and tonsillitis are infections in the throat that cause inflammation. If the tonsils are primarily affected, it is called tonsillitis. If the throat is primarily affected, it is called pharyngitis. A person might even have inflammation and infection of both the tonsils and the throat. This would be called pharyngotonsillitis. These infections are spread by close contact with other individuals. Bacterial infections are more common during the winter. Viral infections are more common in summer and fall.

I'm not sure though if my sore (yeah I have one near my uvula and it's painful) is caused by a virus or bacteria. Either way my doctor gave me this medical management:

• Clindamycin (300 mg BID PO) - is a lincosamide antibiotic that is used to treat the infection causing my pharyngitis/tonsillitis
• Mefenamic Acid (500 mg TID PO) - an analgesic that is prescribed for the pain

And for my nursing management (I added this one ):

• Warm saline gargle BID (that's twice a day)
• Good oral care
• Increase fluid intake and rest

I would like to add a pathophysiology of my disease condition but I guess that it would be over-doing it right? I have a few ideas though why I got infected:

• There are times that I fall asleep with out brushing my teeth
• I have a tooth decay near the tonsils
• I'm genetically predisposed to tonsillitis/pharyngitis - a very unlikely reason hahaha