Do any of you deal with tonsil stones? Luckily I rare get them anymore, but there was a year when I had them nearly nonstop. As soon as one went away, it would just gone right back within days. They were very painful to the point where I would not be able to talk and would usually lose my voice. I was able to reach back with my finger and remove the stone (about the size of a pea) but the hole where it was would get a new one very quickly. I'd get them in both sides. I lived in a different state when I had these and thought maybe something I was allergic to caused them, because I moved and it got better. Even the doctor didn't help! They said I had strep once and I took the antibiotics and they didn't help. The only thing that seemed to help was a numbing throat spray, but it would only help the pain for a little bit and would fade. Another doctor just said they didn't know and left it as was. They would also bleed sometimes... I could taste it and it was so gross. I could touch it and see the blood.

Just wondering if anybody has these and what is best to do for them, or if there is any helpful medication just in case I get them again in the future.

I get them too. I have found that the are worst when I take medicine that breaks up congestion, sudafed and things like this. Its gross but I usually reach back and try to knock them out. I hate them because they smell so bad. Like you though, mine come and go.

I had similar issues, would notice increased tonsil stone production after a particularly nasty sinus headache. They'd sometimes bleed. Break loose. I finally just had the ENT remove my tonsils.

:)thank goodness for the internet. For the last 5 months i have suffered every couple of weeks with a one sided sore throat and creamy, irregular lumps of what look like cottage cheese in the back of my mouth. I have now discovered i have tonsil stones thanks to the internet. During the last 5 months i have seen 4 different doctors who could not diagnose what was wrong and kept saying everything was normal. What i do not understand is why are doctors seemingly so ignorant of this condition. There is not even any info given in medical books. Do doctors never see anyone with this problem or are they simply not taught about it. Surely, if i can find out what my condition is on the internet then surely doctors can take the time and do some research to help their patients rather than dismissing them and leaving them to worry. It just goes to prove doctors do not always know best and perhaps we should not have such blind faith in them.

Yea, I have them. My ENT told me they were caused from trapped food and bacteria in my own mouth. He told me some pop them out with a water pik.
I tried that, and made my tonsils bleed. I try and keep an eye on this every day. If I don't I get a sore throat and earache. I use a dental apparatus (long plastic) you get from a drug store. I suffered from this for years and never knew what they were until this year (2008). I think people with post nasal drip/allergies have these more often. They are gross!!

Most doctors will tell you it's trapped food; however, when the ENT removed my tonsils he indicated that my tonsils were full of that nasty curdlike stuff -- that it was infection that went very deep. I believe the amount of tissue on one side was about the size of a golf ball.

:)thank goodness for the internet. For the last 5 months i have suffered every couple of weeks with a one sided sore throat and creamy, irregular lumps of what look like cottage cheese in the back of my mouth. I have now discovered i have tonsil stones thanks to the internet. During the last 5 months i have seen 4 different doctors who could not diagnose what was wrong and kept saying everything was normal. What i do not understand is why are doctors seemingly so ignorant of this condition. There is not even any info given in medical books. Do doctors never see anyone with this problem or are they simply not taught about it. Surely, if i can find out what my condition is on the internet then surely doctors can take the time and do some research to help their patients rather than dismissing them and leaving them to worry. It just goes to prove doctors do not always know best and perhaps we should not have such blind faith in them.

I know how you feel ....... I also have them and worked it out for myself on the internet. I had a problem with my eyes recently and the doctor looked down my throat and saw the stone but hadn't a clue (I live in Holland).

It is rather worrying that something as simple as this can't be diagnosed by a health expert and we have to figure it out ourselves!