posted 09-21-2003 04:02 PM            

Also, I disagree that antibiotics will get rid of these. I have had them my entire life, as long as I can remember. I never knew what they were until I found this board, but I can remember always having them. I have been on just about any kind of antibiotic you can name. I am constantly being diagnosed with sinus infections and put on antibiotics. Frankly, I am sick of taking them. I am sick of the stomach upsets, diarrhea, bad taste in my mouth and yeast infections. I put my body through hell, only to get the same infection all over again.

I certainly agree that the tonsil stones are a sign of an infection somewhere. They are most likely a symptom, not the problem itself. I don't think the cure is as simple as taking an antibiotic though. There has to be an explanation and a cure for these. But no doctors have seemed to care enough to find it. It's much easier to prescribe an antibiotic and send you on your way. Or even to tell you you need a surgery.

posted 09-21-2003 07:59 PM            

I just want to ask one thing....HOW in the heck are you guys getting so close to your throat to pull out those stones? I gag if I even get near the back of my tongue.

posted 09-22-2003 04:00 AM            

Thanks!

posted 09-24-2003 12:51 AM            

Unfortunately, I'm pretty far away from home, and Dubuque is not a bastion of medical care. Are there any OTC methods that I can utilize to reduce this problem (preferably methods that don't involve a hundred-dollar WaterPik)?

posted 09-26-2003 04:59 PM            

I don't have major allergies (I'm allergic to cats, bees, and medication). I don't think I have post-nasal drip, because I breathe pretty easily. I do have moderately bad breath, but I think thats because I consume massive amounts of sugar daily and chew sugary gums. My teeth are pretty good considering. I had a lot of cavities as a kid and am now sporting 6 fillings. I did suffer from strep throat a lot when I was little, but my doctor never suggested I have my tonsils out (I think she thought the practice was archaic). Now I never get strep, and have no throat/ear/nose problems, except for the occasional stuffy nose or itchy inner ear.

So, because I'm pretty *normal* in all those respects, and don't have any problems now, I don't think the tonsoliths are a sign of infection. I tend to agree with whoever said they were caused by regular mouth bacteria gasses, dead skin cells, & calcified saliva congealing or collecting in the cavities of the mouth, the main one being your tonsils since food/brushes/your tongue have access to everywhere else.

I also somewhat agree with the food theory, because it seems to me that whenever I eat foods that break up easily (e.g. cereal), I get more of them. I think that food like that either promotes the more rapid growth of bacteria, (maybe by having little particles that hang around your mouth longer) or that the food actually gets stuck in your tonsils and breeds more bacteria.

I think that everyone gets these tonsoliths, and I bet if you asked some people they would know what you're talking about (unless they're in denial). I also think that in most cases they're normal, but if they're exceptionally large or causing you pain, you should go ahead and get your tonsils removed. You can ask your doctor, but I dont think that tonsils perform any special functions that are absolutely necessary to your body.

posted 09-29-2003 12:59 PM            

I'm with you. If I eat hard crust bread, crackers, etc. -- even soft bread sometimes -- it is almost without fail that I'll feel a piece of it get lodged behind a tonsil, and sure enough I'll have a tonsil stone two or three days later. My friend and I were having lunch the other day and that happened as I was eating some sweetbread with olive oil, and I had a coughing fit that went on for ten minutes. I had to excuse myself to go to the bathroom I was coughing so much and kept gagging trying to dislodge this piece of food. Anyway, for me at least, I think it's related to small food particles getting lodged and then putrifying.

posted 09-30-2003 01:11 PM            

1. Scrape tounge (daily)
2. Chlorine Dioxide Mouthwash (Any brand 2x a day at least)
3. Hydro-Floss or WaterPik (at least every other night)
4. Nasal irrigation (at least 2x a week)

Please add anything I missed. The above regimine works for me when I don't get lazy. I have trouble remembering to shave every morning sometimes much less do this, but at least I'm trying.

posted 09-30-2003 10:25 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by Astf:
So, because I'm pretty *normal* in all those respects, and don't have any problems now, I don't think the tonsoliths are a sign of infection.

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If your tonsils are normal and you don't have any infections then your tonsils shouldn't be enlarged. When you look to the right or left of the back of your throat you should see pretty much smooth mucus membrane. If that is the case then where do your stones form? If you have no indentations or places for food particles to attach, how do they sit for weeks?

Since tonsil stones have been imaged INSIDE of and removed surgically from enlarged tonsils how could food manage to get in a sealed tonsil in the first place? While I agree particles can lodge in your throat for a short time, it is very unlikely that such food could lodge for weeks or months.

posted 09-30-2003 11:07 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by orion:
Firstly, that ENT is an idiot. To approve surgery before all other avenues are exhausted is just irresponsible. These stones are caused by infections in and around the tonsil area including ears, nose and throat. The stones are the remants of the fight between your body and the infection. Removing the tonsils won't fix the infection unless it's only in the tonsil itself. It will just displace the infection to someplace you can't see it. You can't get a cure by poking at your tonsils or using mouth wash. The problem is simply being focused inside the tonsil because that's what tonsils are for, but the source may well be outside it.

Many people have mentioned infections or mono that started the stones showing up and that is most likely the case. Most of these are long standing infections that were never dealt with properly, and have become chronic, and aren't going to go away without a fight.

Before you go having surgery or poking your tonsils full of holes it's time to get serious about the fight. Stop irritating your tonsils by touching and poking them. Depending on how serious the infection is (and it's serious if you have had it for years), you may well need several courses of different antibiotics, including septra, zithromax, possibly cephalexin. The key is to get rid of the infection. Septra can be taken for months fairly safely as can doxycycline. You need to keep hitting these infections til they are cured. A simple 7 day, there you have it, won't work because the infections have become deeply entrenched.

Everyone is so afraid of taking antibiotics these days but sometimes you have to deal with an infection properly. Antibiotics are safe for most people and the won't cause "superbugs" if taken correctly (until all the infection is gone the first time).

[This message has been edited by orion (edited 09-21-2003).]

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posted 10-07-2003 01:41 AM            

This is what I know about the condition and treatment:

1. The cause is bacteria that are sheltered in the crypts and pits in the tonsils and feed on mucous, converting it to an extremely smelly waste product. Food particles may also be trapped there, becoming part of the problem.

2. Whether you realize it or not, this decay makes your breath extremely foul. I got tired of people telling me how bad my breath was, even with all my brushing, flossing, gargling, tongue scraping, etc.

3. The only solution is tonsillectomy. Short of that, you can pay more attention to oral hygiene, including using a water pic to flush out the tonsils, but that won't help very much.

4. No reason to fear tonsillectomy. It takes a week for basic recovery, another week for full recovery. You will take powerful pain killers that will make life livable, but be prepared to take it easy and live with some pain for a week.

5. You can help your recovery by drinking plenty of liquids and eating regularly. Every time you take your pain medicine, a half hour later, when it's at full effect, eat something. I liked Jello, applesauce, thin mashed potatoes, baby food (but add salt because it's very bland). After a few days you can eat soup, and after ten days you can eat just about anything.

posted 10-08-2003 07:05 PM            

I have been squeezing the buggers with q-tips for a few years now and have definately done a bit of damage to my tonsils. I am going to try the irrigation methods that others have described here instead.

posted 10-09-2003 06:20 PM            

I wish I had known about this bulletin years ago!!!!!

I'm 30 years old and had this problem since I was 13 or 14.......

I wanted to let you all know that I'm going in for a laser procedure TODAY!!! which my ENT says will smooth out the surface of my tonsils helping rid of those nasty crevices....

I'll definitely keep you all posted on how this turns out...

posted 10-10-2003 08:15 AM            

quote:

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Originally posted by Tonsil Hater:
They're Gone!!
I'm in a lot of pain today, having had my tonsils removed 12 hours ago. Totally worth it. I have had these evil, sick little stones since I was a child and I had to go to several different doctors before they'd refer me to a ENT. The first one told me to "live with it", that my tonsils were healthy, even if they did catch food when I would eat and those stones would choke me in my sleep. I was so ticked off, but I went to a different ENT and he heard my problem and booked my surgery right there and then.
I am so happy they are gone. If these things are a problem for you, no amount of Water Pik-ing or Q-tip squeezing or tweezer locating will stop these things. Go out tomorrow find a doctor and get them removed. Keep looking! I waited for 8 years to get these removed and it is the best thing I have ever done.
If anyone has questions about the surgery, post them and I'll do my best to help you.

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posted 10-12-2003 09:18 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by NotHappy:
Hi--post again in a couple of days and let me know you are doing. I have heard that the pain gets worse after a few days. Can you talk? How long did the surgery take? Are you bleeding a lot?? I have mine out 10-22 because of a cyst on one of the tonsils. They say it's either a benign cyst (90%) or lymphoma (10%). I am pretty nervous, I just had a hysterectomy 9 weeks ago and am finally well again.
Firewife

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posted 10-14-2003 05:37 PM            

I suffered from bad breath for years because I had a couple of big gaps between my rear lower teeth I simply didn't know about - these used to fill up with gunk/food etc and get very smelly. A decent dental hygienist eventually sorted me out, but not before I had concluded that the problem was being caused by our friends the tonsil stones.

The ENT man concluded that the halitosis was being caused by nasal polyps - had these removed - very uncomfortable indeed - I thought I was going to die.

As I was so paranoid by now about bad breath, my doc prescribed me permanent antibiotics to keep my tonsils 'stone free' (hey, I wonder if Jimi Hendix had his tonsils removed?). Ths worked a treat - not one stone - however, after about 9 months on these I began to suffer from oral thrush and, you guessed it, bad breath! D'oh! I reckon I was beginning to go a bit loopy from the antibiotics too - feeling very stressed/nervous/paranoid. Possible vitamin B deficiency.

So, I came off the antibiotics and started to take a daily probiotic supplement and yoghurt to replace all the 'friendly' bacteria that the antibiotics had destroyed. This cleared up the oral thrush, but the stones are back. (blimey, another rock reference - will the Stones ever go away?).

Took the courage to share the problem with my wife again (she had previously not helped when I first told her about the stones by being disgusted about them - made me feel very alone/upset/weird). This time she was more supportive (I explained how distressed I was feeling) and she has been smelling my breath regularly since then, and not noticing any bad smell at all, even through particularly bad periods of stones / post nasal drip. I think the stones only start to smell when squashed or exposed to air (when in situ I guess they're surrounded by tonsil & mucous).

However, I can't get away from the feeling that there's simply something wrong with my tonsils (e.g. wrong shape, big crevices) and that bacteria is hanging around and causing mild infections (I don't suffer from bad sore throats, just the odd bit of discomfort).

So, I think I'm going to get the darn things removed. The ENT surgeon said he'd take them out if I insisted, I'm sure insurance will pay if my doc uses the right words in the diagnosis. I'll let you know how I get on.

P.S. I'm 39, male, generally fit and healthy (I run a lot and play footy regularly), healthy diet. Tonsil stones are small (no bigger than quarter inch) and they come in bouts of about 4-5 every 2-3 weeks, especially through Autumn. I floss and tongue scrape daily (if I don't scrape my tongue it gets furry (and hence I'm paranoid that it would be smelly).