Last week when i swallowed the left side of my throat hurt, now today its the right side that hurts.

Here is what a quick search through some medical journals on line yielded:

Definition
Tonsillitis is inflammation of the tonsils. (See also sore throat.)

Causes, incidence, and risk factors
The tonsils are lymph nodes in the back of the mouth and top of the throat. They normally help to filter out bacteria and other microorganisms to prevent infection in the body.

They may become so overwhelmed by bacterial or viral infection that they swell and become inflamed, causing tonsillitis. The infection may also be present in the throat and surrounding areas, causing pharyngitis.

Tonsillitis is extremely common, particularly in children.

Symptoms
* Sore throat
o Persisting longer than 48 hours
o Possibly severe
* Difficulty swallowing
* Headache
* Fever, chills
* Tenderness of the jaw and throat
* Voice changes, loss of voice

Signs and tests
The health care provider will look in the mouth and throat for enlarged, visible tonsils. They are usually reddened and may have white spots on them. The lymph nodes of the jaw and neck may be enlarged and tender to the touch.

A culture of the tonsils may show bacterial infection. A culture for the streptococcus bacteria (strep) may be taken because it is the most common and most dangerous form of tonsillitis. A rapid strep test may also be performed by your physician by taking a throat swab for a quick diagnosis.

Treatment
If the cause of the tonsillitis is bacteria such as strep, antibiotics are given to cure the infection. The antibiotics may be given as a one-time injection, or by a 10-day course of antibiotic pills.

If antibiotic pills are used, they must be taken for the full course. They must not be stopped just because the discomfort stops, or the infection will NOT be cured. Some health care providers will treat all tonsillitis with antibiotics to prevent the chance of strep-related complications. Others treat only known bacterial and strep infections to minimize the chance of reaction to the antibiotic.

Rest to allow the body to heal. Fluids, especially warm (not hot), bland fluids or very cold fluids may soothe the throat. Gargle with warm salt water or suck on lozenges (containing benzocaine or similar ingredients) to reduce pain.

Over-the-counter medications may be used to reduce pain and fever. Do NOT use aspirin in children if the infection could be viral, because this may be associated with Reye's syndrome.

Surgery to remove the tonsils (tonsillectomy) may be necessary for some people.

Expectations (prognosis)
Tonsillitis symptoms usually lessen in 2 or 3 days after treatment starts. The infection usually is cured by then, but may require more than one course of antibiotics. Complications of untreated strep tonsillitis may be severe. A tonsillectomy may be recommended if tonsillitis is severe, comes back, or does not respond to antibiotics.

Complications
* Pharyngitis - bacterial
* Pharyngitis - viral
* Dehydration from difficulty swallowing fluids
* Blocked airway from enlarged tonsils
* Peritonsillar abscess or abscess in other parts of the throat
* Rheumatic fever and subsequent cardiovascular disorders
* Kidney failure
* Post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis

Hope this helps,
MG

I am curious, if tonsils are there to help prevent infection in your body and you have them removed, won't that mean your body will be more prone to catching infection more often?

Not necessarily. If your tonsils are defective or prone to be hyperactive.. i.e. react to anything, then your body will in effect start attacking itself in what is known as an auto-immune response. I had the auto0immune response happen to me twice in the last two years. Both occured after long bouts of sinus infections with a few viral infections giving generously to me by my son topped of by my environmental allergens being up. When all of my infections were clear and allergies apparently managed, my body was almost at a loss and started to go into a.. what is the best way to discribe it.. slow progression anephlatic shock response over a period of three days versus minutes.

Symptoms? Extreme swelling of the lymph nodes, mucus over drive, throat constriction... I have some pretty nasty allergies and take care to avoid anything new or that I know will trigger sudh responses, but out of no where it was there slowly cutting of my air flow and worsening with increased anxiety/stress. It took a respiratory inhaled and short term (5 days) high dose steriodal kicks for my immune system to just stop and chill. My doctors ranging from an Internal Medicine/Pharmacologist to an Allergist/Immunologist were stumped as to the cause after much testing. Finally, it was concluded to be an auto -immune response and that was that.

I finally got my tonsils and adnoids removed as well as a complete roto-rootering of my sinuses on Oct. 17th. Since then I have had no complications due to illness or allergy. It has been almost seven weeks, and still no sinus infection. This may be the first christmas in 31 years that I am anti-biotic free. Before surgery I would have maybe two weeks out of each month anti-biotic free; but mostly I would have sinus infections requiring one-two months of anti-biotics with a brief respite in between. The last three years I had spent 9-10 month of the year on anti-biotics. So if you tonsils are behaving poorly, yank 'em ans say good riddence.

It has been documented that the percentage of tonsillectomy cases to experience strep and various other throat ailments is decreased by over 80%. That is good enough stat's for me.

Sincerely,
MG