I'm on my third day of this. I have a low-grade fever (like 100.5) and some swollen glands in my neck. I also have a sore throat. It's a mild-to-moderate sore throat, though, that comes and goes, and doesn't look especially red or anything. So I'm inclined to just let my body deal with whatever the problem is, especially since other than the fever I really don't feel all that sick.
I've never had strep throat, but I always thought if I had it, I'd KNOW-- I thought the sore throat would be VERY sore, so that I'd have trouble eating and all. And that's just not the case. But I don't have any cold symptoms either-- no nasal congestion and no cough.
I also know that strep can lead to complications, but that those (like rheumatic fever) are rare, especially in adults.
And antibiotics are a real problem for me--- I have ulcerative colitis that is kept in remission mostly by a very careful "management" of my gut flora with diet and probiotic treatment. Antibiotics will almost certainly throw me out of remission, which is nothing to play around with.
Given all this-- do you think you'd go to a doctor for a throat swab and the antibiotics? Or would you stay home?
I've never had strep throat, but I always thought if I had it, I'd KNOW-- I thought the sore throat would be VERY sore, so that I'd have trouble eating and all. And that's just not the case. But I don't have any cold symptoms either-- no nasal congestion and no cough.
I also know that strep can lead to complications, but that those (like rheumatic fever) are rare, especially in adults.
And antibiotics are a real problem for me--- I have ulcerative colitis that is kept in remission mostly by a very careful "management" of my gut flora with diet and probiotic treatment. Antibiotics will almost certainly throw me out of remission, which is nothing to play around with.
Given all this-- do you think you'd go to a doctor for a throat swab and the antibiotics? Or would you stay home?
