Strep or tonsilitis? any ideas? well for the past week, my throat has really been bothering me. it started just like a sore throat, but now the pain has gone from the back of my throat up to my ears. my throat is red and when i complained to my mother, sh

What : What has been your past history of sore throats or clinically diagnosed tonsillitis? How often, how severe, and do they typically respond to a single course of antibiotics? Do you get the white spots in your tonsils (tonsilloliths), have chronic bad breath (halitosis), or persistent swelling of your upper neck glands(lymphadenitis)? It wouldn't be unreasonable to get a throat culture (potentially confounded by current antibiotic useage), draw a monospot, and consider second line therapy of a broader spectrum antibiotic (i.e., augmentin) if symptoms persist beyond 10 days of the amoxicillin. Based on what your history is, it may be that you are a candidate for tonsillectomy but I do not have enough information to even counsel you on that.