Tonsil Stones? : I have had a horrible feeling... - Pain Concern

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Tonsil Stones?

Heartgal151 profile image
10 Replies

I have had a horrible feeling in the back of my throat at one side sometimes radiating into my ear. Doctor won’t see me but I have had a course of antibiotics and pain remains. Doctor suspected glandular fever which has now been ruled out.

The picture is what my sore tonsil looks like, the other doesn’t have those holes on it if you know what I mean. Does this look like tonsil stones or infection?

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Heartgal151 profile image
Heartgal151
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Bluesoul profile image
Bluesoul

Hi

Tonsil stones want to be in a long term relationship with me and won't leave me alone without a long drag 🤦🏽‍♀️😔

It's hard to tell from the picture. I regularly have trouble from tonsil stones. Which is also made worse by Amitriptyline at 50mg. Smoking, salty foods and tonsillitis of course can make it worse. I know it's not ideal but I tend to use cotton buds to push the area just outside of the crypt and squeeze your tonsils slightly and they can be pushed out. (Won't feel great at first)

Tongue scrapers are great to keep buildup low.

Benzydamine hydrochloride - Difflam oral rinse. I've found it good when tonsils are really bad, it has a numbing effect. You can buy behind the counter at pharmacies.

I'm trying to save up to have them removed privately through the nhs, as numerous tonsillitis episodes and difficulties swallowing isn't enough for them to refer.

Hope this helps

Nick2U profile image
Nick2U

Hi...

I finally had my tonsils removed in my mid thirties, but I remember vividly the disgusting tonsil stones that would accumulate around my tonsils, which were quite large. I don’t see them in your photo. I have a really long tongue and was able to reach back with it to dislodge the stones which were quite putrid odor wise. Looking at your photo reminds me of what my tonsils looked like towards the end—when they just gave up the fight—instead of being the firm, round lymph nodes they should be, they were left hanging at the back of my throat like a slightly deflated balloon. Granted, mine were definitely full of pus from my body trying to fight off the last case of tonsillitis and looked much worse than yours, but if you can get a doctor to look at them they might recommend removal. Otherwise you will probably need a hefty dose of antibiotics. Best wishes.

Bluesoul profile image
Bluesoul in reply to Nick2U

Have you had any problems since they have been removed. I've looked it up and advice says it's better to keep them. I'd prefer not to have the hassle of them.

Nick2U profile image
Nick2U in reply to Bluesoul

Since the tonsillectomy I get sick much less. Before the surgery I was catching everything that came my way, and would often be down with tonsillitis for a week, then a week or two later would have another bout or a cold. It was almost like clockwork. Since then I still get the occasional cold or sinus infection but they are not as frequent. Tonsils are the first line of defense but in my case they were getting beaten up so badly that they were no longer capable of fighting, so in my case it really made sense to remove them. Mine were rather huge, too, so it’s easier to swallow now. Full disclosure, my placebo effect is very high, so if you give me a sugar pill and tell me what it does, it will, and often almost immediately. So when the doctor assured me I would be getting sick much less often that was exactly my outcome.

I have my own remedy to stop colds from progressing which some of my doctors roll their eyes but it works for me: at the first sign of a cold (for me it is a series of three sneezes) I immediately breathe hot air from a hair dryer or the vents in my car through my nostrils, figuring it’ll kill whatever virus is trying to attack me, plus I’ll take extra zinc and vitamin C. It usually works and I get no further symptoms, but even if I was too late with the hot air the symptoms are less severe and go away in a few days.

By the way, I’m almost sure I caught the COVID-19 virus in late January but couldn’t get to a hair dryer quickly enough to completely stop it (if that’s even possible in this case) but my symptoms only lasted two weeks. They were severe but I opted to just stay in bed and treat it like a bad cold. My older partner took care of me but also caught it and kept getting worse until he had to be hospitalized for nearly a week in April but tested negative by the time he was finally hospitalized, even though all of his symptoms were exactly the same as COVID-19 (extreme difficulty breathing, lack of oxygen, lung and leg blood clots, etc. Fortunately he’s off oxygen now and able to walk around the block with me at a slow pace.

I have these same crypts in my tonsils on both sides and I have to use warm water on my finger and literally push them out as if you’re squeezing something out. It’s gross and I can taste them sometimes and that’s how I know that I have them. They definitely like to hide, you can also get one of those water piks and aim it at the opening and it will dislodge them as well. Hope this helps.

Heartgal151 profile image
Heartgal151 in reply to Username4everinvalid

I only seem to have the crypts at one side, which Dr Google diagnoses as definite cancer as usual!

Username4everinvalid profile image
Username4everinvalid in reply to Heartgal151

I have them on both and my ENT said he would be willing to remove them but it’s a difficult recovery as you get older

Batty1 profile image
Batty1

Gargle with warm salt water you probably have a stone thats stuck that you can not see. If you have post nasal drip this can cause tonsil stones too.

Nfsadam profile image
Nfsadam

My Mom suffers from these stones as well and she gargles every day with salt water and it definitely helps to dislodge them and she has them less of often now.

Amdrew profile image
Amdrew

I had the same infections for well over a decade, and when painfull I gargled with crushed paracetamol and water many times a day for weeks as per doctors advice because I was very scared of hospitals, you can also take Tyrozets from a chemist which taste vile but you get used to. Or you can get the tonsils removed which I avoided until my early 30s and what sorted my problem for good, the only thing I would say is that the back of your mouth is coterized and you can bleed quite a bit the older you are when you get the op.

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