My bro is really sick with some form of infection. He went to the doctor and had a bloodtest, nothing has come up. He has none of the classic infections. The main issue is that is throat is severly swollen and it gets tighter and tighter each night. We've tried practically every form of trying to reduce this, Nyquil, Advil, Cough Drops, gargling salt water, throat spray, and other things. Is there anything that will actually work, because he can only get like 1-2 hrs of sleep each night, my parents are being #)&%#)(%&)* because they want their sleep and can't keep getting up in the night to provide any form of emotional support. I'm staying up with him, but theres only so much i can do. He says it hurts to breathe and its the pain that keeps him awake. Any ideas on how to help the swelling reduce?

I am no medical anything, but I'd get him to an emergency room PRONTO!

<font color=skyblue>Could be an allergic reaction to something, and you could try Benadryl...but I am seriously wanting to slap your dumb parents.

This kid could die and they are griping about getting sleep? It sounds like something is getting worse, and the worse it gets, the harder it may be to heal.

I want to know what your parents know that they have not told you yet, because it is obvious they are not concerned over his health.</font>

Yes i am fully aware. They took him to like 3 different doctors but all of them haven't said anything useful. He has some prescription stuff and they say if its not better by Monday, come in again. So far, nothing good has happened.

<font color=skyblue>I am sorry to hear that he is suffering, poor guy.

My best wishes for his speedy recovery.

By the way, I was going to suggest a sleeping agent to help knock him out, as I had to do that once when I had the adult Chicken Pox, but that would not be advisable if he is having labored breathing. </font>

Yeah, i thought sleeping pills too but then I forgot to mention it. He's sleeping right now, he has to sleep with his mouth open cuz he's too congested. The worst part is when he wakes up, the throat is worse cuz it dries out.

give him some anti inflamitory medicine, like advil, it helps with the pain, and swelling as well, might not be the best, but what I use when my throat swells up, has he been checked for bronchitis? it will not show up as an actual infection, but can be caused by colds or smoke, nit just from smoking, but a fire of any kind, I have it all the time, and if I am not careful it could get aggitated, also, has he been checked for asthma? it has the same symptoms, and can be deadly if not treated

edit...do not give him any thing to make him sleep. as pointed out, it affects breathing, another thing that can help, is steam, caffine, and vicks vapor rub, not the cream, it is not as effective

[ 06-04-2004, 11:34 PM: Message edited by: Stormymystic ]

another thing my grand mother used to do for us, when we had trouble breathing, is take the vicks, and place it in water, boil it, until it is steaming really good, then get a towel, place over his head, have him hold his head over the bowl/pan for 5 to 10 minutes, it helps lossen the airways [img]smile.gif[/img] hope he gets better [img]smile.gif[/img]

his girlfriend's entire family smokes and he's always there. But she isn't sick so who knows. As for asthma, he was already tested for that at the doctors and he had no history of asthma or breathing problems.

he could have an allergy to the smoke, it is not umcommon in people, and I agree give him something for allergies, and some advil or something, see if that helps, there are alot of things that could be causing it, IMO you should keep taking him to see a doctor, if he is not better tomorrow, take him again, do not wait until monday, as Larry said, the longer you guys wait, the worse it can get, also, elevate his upper body, so his head and chest are higher than his abdomen, it helps lower the swelling in the upper body as well

Sounds like an allergic reaction, possibly to a sting or bite. I know someone with a severe allergy to bee stings who had similar symptoms when stung, but more extreme. Has he been bitten or stung by an insect or spider recently? But medical opinions from amatuers can be counter productive. GET HIM TO A HOSPITAL

Thanx, will do. He takes advil every 3 hrs or so to reduce his fever.

ok maybe they have looked for this, i don't know but have they tested for diptheria? it is rare but if he has not had a tetnus shot recently (last 10 years) it is possible. i had strep throat earlier this year that mimicked dptheria and now i am waiting ot have the money to get my tetnus shot.

It's called Strep. You need to get him to an ER, ASAP! Antibiotics can usually cure it when it's caught quickly, but after this amount of time, IV antibiotics are the only answer.

Having worked in the health service for over 15 years and having read some of the posts here I have to return to the age old question:

Why the hell would you take advice from complete strangers on a message board when you won't believe what 3 doctors have told you?!

I have to agree with Donut. I feel very uncomfortable about people diagnosing and prescribing medication, even over-the-counter stuff to someone whose symptoms they know from a second-hand account of them, and who are not in any way medical professionals. Especially when 3 doctors have given similar advice and your parents seem to be confident with that advice. I don't think you should be adding in any more medications at all - you said he has something prescribed by a doctor, you can't expect it to have an effect immediately.

[ 06-05-2004, 05:05 PM: Message edited by: Aelia Jusa ]

And I'm just going to jump on the bandwagon and say WELL SAID Donut and Aelia. I have asked for advice on a sore throat here myself at one time, but more in the way of grandmother's wisdom like ginger tea or something. If I seriously have a question about my health the only person I'd ask is a doctor. It has me stumped too that non-medics are just "prescribing" treatments here.
Try a silverfoil hat, I'd say.

Maybe he has a rash inside his throat or like Larry_OHF said.."an allergic reaction to something".
He should try swallowing some vodka (although I know it is strong, but it will help).
The vodka should kill the bad bacteria, and any nasties in there....it may sting if the throat is swollen....but that is a good sign.

Let me see!!

Difficulty in breathing.
Worse at night,
Keeps him awake.

I'm guessing he's coughing, there will be some phlegm!

I wonder what it could be!!! ;)

Seriously, some of the diagnoses given here are hilarious!!!

LOL Donut :D Hmmm... could be a hairball [img]smile.gif[/img]

On a more serious note, in addition to the "talk to a doctor" suggestions, you might try talking with your parents about it, SecretMaster, and asking them to explain to you so you understand why it's not so serious. That's important -- not just to explain, but to explain so you understand.