White spot on back of throat?

There is a white spot in the back of my throat?

• I am not sure if the doctor noticed it today when I went to go see him. I went early today because I had a high fever, vomiting and sore throat. They even gave me a swab test to the ...show more

• Answer:

  White spots on the back of the throat is a very common sign of infection, usually bacterial, but sometimes viral. But it doesn't mean its strep-throat, as the test came back negative - that's just one of the better known infections. The white spots are filled with puss, and its a sign your immune system is fighting (and winning) against infection. You might sometimes accidentally swallow this fluid leading to nausea, vomiting. As you had high fever, and vomiting with it, sounds like a nasty bug whatever it is, and whilst the sore throat is probably a part of it, sometimes a virus hits us and lowers our immune system, allowing opportunistic infections to set in (some people always get a sore throat when they are ill with anything) The ibuprofen and numbing sprays are purely for comfort, they will not help fight the infection, just make life less difficult swallowing/sleeping until your immune system finishes the job. A cheap and common thing to do is gargle (don't swallow!) warm salt water, swish it around your mouth, and spit it out. This not only kills bacteria (you can google how that works :) ) but also dehydrates the tissues in the mouth/throat, forcing fresh blood (along with antibodies) to the surface helping fight off the infection. I suspect the reason he said 'the ER' was because, infections of the throat can cause such bad swelling as to lead to breathing difficulties, which is obviously an emergency, and on rare occasions the infection can move into the neck, spine, and brain. Both of the above are rare, and can easily be corrected/cured at the ER - I'm not trying to make you worry. As the white spots on the back of the throat is so common, that's probably why your doctor didn't do more tests. Ultimately, if its strep, you get treated for that, if not, then its most likely something that will clear up in a few days. In the meantime, the same old 'plenty of fluids and rest', and if your stomach is ok (no vomiting) ice cream will numb the throat for a while, whilst being a comfort :).***:D