Can you get strep if tonsils have been removed?

Nurses General Nursing

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Hi all, quick question, can I still get strep if I had my tonsils removed as a kid? I've had a swollen, dry and very sore throat for over a week, have been very nauseous and just feeling yucky. Is strep a possibility without tonsils? I tried to find information through online searches can't find an answer to the question. Thanks for any help!

Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

About all we can tell you is to go see your doctor. Although there is a rapid strep test, its difficult to perform over the computer.

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I used to get strep all the time as a little kid. I hadn't had it since but then one year at band camp I was exposed to it again. I was told that because it was hot and sweaty (typically lose 5 pounds during those weeks, mixed with the amount of sun we were exposed to) a gene was activated and now I get strep all the time. Turns out I'm a carrier for it.

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Just in case anybody cares, "strep" is not short for "wicked bad sore throat," which is what a lot of earlier posters seem to believe. You can get Streptococcus whether you have tonsils or not.

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Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

Per our terms of service we can't provide medical advice

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