Lupus tonsil stones

[jensen_lynne]

Can lupus cause tonsil stones?

[Tay171]

Literally woke up today with the same problem

[jensen_lynne in reply to Tay171]

You have tonsil stones? Do you have Lupus? I went to the doctor yesterday!

[BubbleMonkey]

Tonsil stones are basically food getting stuck in your tonsils and rotting. I'm sure lupus could contribute in some way as I think infections can contribute too and lupus can contribute to those, but it's super common without lupus too. I think swelling from infections can trigger tonsil stones becoming an issue and from there you're more likely to get them cos the craters in your tonsils are bigger so more likely to catch food in them. They became an issue for me after having tonsillitis.

It's probably more likely that you have tonsil stones just because bad luck than because lupus is causing it. That said, the bad luck could have been affected somewhat by lupus.

If you want to help reduce tonsil stones gargle with mouthwash or salted water and keep generally good oral hygiene. You may also want to cut down on dairy a bit as it's a food that contributes more to them. To remove them, either wait for them to fall out themselves, gently poke them with a cotton bud or use an oral irrigator.

You could also talk to your dr about seeing an ENT. Not much they can do apart from cut your tonsils out or give the general advice above though. And for an NHS tonsillectomy you need multiple infections etc.

Interesting fact: all the doctors I saw (walk-in, gp etc) didn't even know what tonsil stones were. One of them just googled it and quoted a page i'd already found. One was smart enough to just send me onto an ENT though on the grounds they would know what they were.

Tonsil stones are a real annoyance for such tiny little things. Sorry you have them. Hopefully some of that advice can help reduce them.

[jensen_lynne in reply to BubbleMonkey]

Do you feel them come out? Is it bad If you swallow them?

[BubbleMonkey in reply to jensen_lynne]

No harm in swallowing them. Tonsil stones are just gross more than anything else.

You might feel them come out, but not always. Mine would tend to come out when I was brushing my teeth (which I would feel) or when I was eating (which I wouldn't). What I felt most was when they were on their way out. It was a bit like the feeling of something stuck between your teeth or on the roof or your mouth. Similar feeling when they came out, usually a little coughing or gagging or something then it's out.

I could never manage to get them out myself so I just had to wait for them to be ready.

Tonsil stones are only really an annoyance issue. The most harm they cause is a little more likelihood of infections and more chance of more tonsil stones. They don't cause any real harm.

[AnnNY]

I'm glad there was not Google when I had chronic tonsillitis! Gross. I always thought they were hardened infection which is bad enough.

When I was a teenager I did have chronic tonsillitis and I guess tonsil stones. After years of taking antibiotics on and off, I had them out when I was 20.

I didn't have lupus then, but I got sick with my lupus symptoms when I was 25 or 26. I have always wondered if getting my tonsils out was part of the reason my immune system went amok. This isn't anything I know, just something I wonder about. As if when my body was fighting an actual infection, it stopped my immune system from attacking other parts of me.