Tonsils and hormone fluctuations

[Mswa]

Hi All

I had tonsillitis earlier in the year for two months and since then I keep getting spots but they are mostly manageable and I don’t worry too much if I don’t feel unwell. However at the end of May I had loads yellow ish spots (usually white) on my tonsils and now I have the same on tonsils and behind. Both times accompanied by headache, stomach ache, ear ache and extreme tiredness.

I had the mirena coil fitted early April so no idea where I am in my cycle.

I used to feel fluey around ovulation and am beginning to wonder whether hormone fluctuations are responsible for this as is about 32days from last onslaught which I treated with regular scraping and gargling. Anyone experience anything similar and can offer some advice or tips?

[luthien]

Spots on tonsils seem to suggest a bacterial infection in your throat / saliva or tonsils. Which matches the symptoms you're also experiencing.

It may be an idea to arrange with your gp clinic about getting blood tests that look at your white blood cell count as you immune system may be a bit low. Then you can work out what vitamins / changes to make to improve this.

It doesn't sound like it's linked to your cycle but as you said it's difficult to tell; the mirena will be releasing a constant amount of hormones so you won't actually have any cycles now, hence no ovulation and no bleeding. Sometimes the body can experience "ghost cycles" when on hormones especially the first few months; it's so used to cycles and changes in hormones that it just goes through the motions by default as the body hormones are a little higher than the mirena, over time the body will normalise to the mirena hormones and cycles will stop.

It may be worth going to the gp to also check about what to do with regular tonsil infections; there are antibiotics you can take, or have tonsils removed (I had this done at 4 because of recurrent tonsil infections)

[Mswa in reply to luthien]

Hi Thank you for your reply, I’ve been backwards and forwards to GP but they won’t prescribe any more antibiotics, have referred me to ENT.

Lymphocytes consistently low however they are not concerned. I’m taking antioxidants, Vit b12, chia seed oil and a good multivitamin plus probiotics.

I’ve been in and out gp for years with extreme exhaustion for years till I got the endo diagnosis.

I bled from 13th April -23rd May. Two what I would say were periods and constant spotting in between and then nothing.

I didn’t know you don’t ovulate on mirena!

[luthien in reply to Mswa]

Ahh poor you

Lymphocytes consistently low is a worry but I guess it's not enough to mean actual treatment; the idea that you're doing fine and don't need emergency treatment is okay for docs.

Certain bacteria can become resistant to antibiotics, so it may be they won't give you more just in-case your throat ones do become resistant or they are already.

The mirena when you google it is like the coil (just copper that stops implantation by changing the uterus mucus) but also has hormones in it (like a birth control pill); I just googled "what does the mirena do" and it tells you. It's this stuff I really think docs should tell you before just putting you on hormones but they don't and I guess we don't ask either.

Bleeding can happen as your body is getting used to the new levels of hormones. A lot of women on here have reported problems / bleeding / pain with their mirena so it may be an idea to put a post up asking about what peoples experiences are with it. Just a thought. It'll be breakthrough bleeding rather than periods - these only follow an egg that hasn't implanted. Breakthrough bleeding happens when there's a drop in a simulated high level of hormones - like the 7 days off a pill or the start of contraception when the body is getting used to it all.

[Mswa in reply to luthien]

I keep tonsils clean by a gently scrape twice a day and have found in the past that by doing this and gargling I c an sometimes clear infection, but not always. What doesn’t help is that to get antibiotics I have to leave it a good few days to properly cover tonsils to go back to Gp to get antibiotics by which point I’m too ill to do anything and need to go off sick and I have a new job, so daren’t let it get that bad.

Will try and apply oraldene via cotton bud and see if that clears it 😂

[princessk09]

I get tonsil stones a lot even though I have good oral hygiene. I get them randomly but they don’t get too big to cause problems.

I don’t think it would be related to hormones as it’s to do with bacteria etc so maybe visit your dentist for advice xx

[Mswa in reply to princessk09]

Dentist said my oral hygiene is spot on, I use a tongue scraper to clean tongue twice daily and give it a super hot rinse and run over tonsils gently to dislodge anything on them and gargle oraldene twice a day.

My tonsils themselves don’t look too grim today but if I push my tongue down today behind my tonsils that tissue is covered in pus which is what I had before, feel truly rotten today and have dreadful ear pain - I can’t get to behind tonsils gargling so am clearing with finger and cotton bud which isn’t ideal.

What do your stones look like and do you have lots little ones that appear in hours after you’ve cleared the last lot even if you’ve not eaten?

[princessk09 in reply to Mswa]

They are just yellow in colour and they come and go, sometimes I can feel them and other times I don’t

Maybe you’re getting tonsillitis again xx

[Mswa in reply to princessk09]

Think that’s likely it hasn’t properly cleared, keeps flaring up 🙁

[princessk09 in reply to Mswa]

Your doctor will be able to give you some antibiotics to treat it xx

[Mswa in reply to princessk09]

You would think so but they won’t as they are waiting for me to be seen by ent

[princessk09 in reply to Mswa]

That’s so weird, they should as it will prevent it becoming worse. Same thing happened to my boyfriend last year xx

[Mswa in reply to princessk09]

I know but last time I had it behind they kept saying they couldn’t see that far, I was happy to squish my tongue to show them! would need ENT to look and then I got really ill! Will give it a few days scraping and get some oraldene on cotton buds as sometimes does clear. It hasn’t properly gone since Feb but this is the first time it’s gone behind. Thank you for all your help

[Hidden]

I’ve noticed the same thing, where it seems like my tonsil stones become dislodged at the same point in my monthly cycle. I’ve also noticed that as soon as my period starts, the remaining tonsil stones, if any are left, become dislodged. I’m not on any birth control, but it seems like they are somehow related to hormonal fluctuations.