Tonsil Stones TMI!

I also get them. I generally can taste them, and then I know it's time to get them out. I just push them out with whatever long, blunt edged tool I can find.
Don't worry about the bad breath too much. My kids have huge ones, and their breath never stinks from them. Trust me, I know the smell. :)

Search tonsil stones in the search bar on the upper right side of the home page. This has been discussed a lot on here.

Oooh, one of my favorite topics. :)

I love cleaning out people's tonsil stones. Did it on my kids. If it were me, and I got them a lot, I would probably go through the pain of the surgery, if insurance covered it.

But you can clean them out yourself. Just use q-tips, the best ones are the long ones you can get at the doctor's office. I think you can order them online, or ask a dr. if s/he can give you a bunch. My dr. gave me some. They are better because the stem is wood and doesn't bend like a regular q-tip does.

So just pry them out with the q-tip. If there's a little blood, that's okay.

The other thing is that you may also have a slit in your tonsils, called a crypt, which fills up with more liquidy, pussy goo, that smells just as bad. You just push around the slit, kind of the way you would squeeze a zit (sorry for the tmi). And the stuff oozes out. My daughter had a ton of it and I spent months expressing her tonsils, but the last time I did it, very little came out.

It may need to be a weekly routine to keep them clean, but you can do it. The worst thing for people's breath was when they stopped routinely removing everyone's tonsils. I'm old enough that I had mine removed. Yay.

p.s. Many doctors and dentists don't seem to know about this, or if they do, they claim ignorance. Probably because they are so gross they don't want to deal with them. But yes, they are real.

ETA - Oh God, Rosemud. I nearly threw up when I read your post, sweetie! You are a strong woman. I couldn't do what you are talking about. Holy moly!!

Original:
Wow, this is a new one on me. Quite frankly, I would have gone ahead and gotten those things out long ago if I were you.

I had my tonsils taken out when I was 17. Yes, it's painful. You need a full week downtime with someone helping you at home. And then another week where you are not doing much. You need to go by the doc's instructions for getting better.

I would definitely do this. If I were coughing up pieces of my tonsils, I would SO want those things out of there!!

Dawn

I read that you can flush them out with a water pic.

My husband has them. He found he was able to manage them with a water pic at very low pressure, then he gargles with peroxide. He does that maybe once or twice a week, and his breath is fresher than mine these days. He did try using q-tips for awhile, but his tonsils are a funny shape (almost hidden), so he didn't like poking around. The water pic has been great though!

Yes I had them. I used good old qtips to get them out. Yuck! Yes I got my tonsils removed for that reason only. Yes insurance covered it. Yes the pain was the worst I've ever experienced in recovery...and I've had 4 kids. I don't know if it was worth it. Now, every time I have sinus drainage in the back of my throat it hurts bad!

I had my tonsils removed as an adult, age early 30's. The surgery, which was my first, was easy. The recovery should've been just a few days but I got an infection and I was in pain for a couple of weeks. I did not have tonsil stones.

You'll have to ask your insurance whether or not it's covered. I suggest that it's like that it will be.

If I were you. I'd definitely have them out. You're in a great deal of discomfort now. I wouldn't want to deal with this the rest of my life. The surgery is simple and safe. The recovery time is short.

I'd go to an ENT and ask about this.

Eww. Our bodies can be pretty gross sometimes :)

I had a tonsillectomy when I was 25 due to persistent tonsillitis and strep throat. Recovery was painful like strep throat to me, not that bad. I did not need pain medication, but did use the numbing sprays. After a jaw fracture, wisdom tooth surgery and countless infections, I am a pro at the jello / pudding / milkshake / applesauce diet. I know, not healthy, but hey, you're recovering. Eat whatever makes your throat happy!
Anyway, I think I ate like that for a week and then another 2 weeks of softer foods, avoiding crackers and cereal and other things that felt like eating razor blades.
For me, 3 weeks kinda in pain was totally worth a lifetime free of tonsil stones, infections, bad breath, etc. I would do it.

I had stones for about a year before being diagnosed with them. They are gross. My ENT explained that as an allergy sufferer, the daily sinus drainage I dealt with wore pitted paths THROUGH my tonsils over the years (like water through a canyon), where eventually food and other particles could collect and then become encrusted with infection and white blood cells as the body fought them. Once they got big enough, out they came.

I had my tonsils out at the age of 28, not due to stones but rather consistent strep (my hubby is a regular typhoid mary for strep). It took 3 weeks to recover (not two) and six months before I could yawn without pain. My two youngest children both had their tonsils out at 2. One screamed for a few hours, slept, then ate Mac n Cheese for a week straight nonstop while talking her head off. The other ate sooner, but was in a bit more obvious pain for longer (about 3 days). Neither would take the suckers or popsicles.

Basically, I would totally recommend it. We're healthier without our tonsils. I'm not sure if I would do it simply for bad breath though. The Loratadine was great thoguh and I would recommend that if you do have it done, take your meds on time and stay ahead of the pain. If it catches up to you you can't get back.... also, cold (ice cream) was a no-no for me. It felt great while eating it but once my throat started to thaw, there was a tremendous amount of MORE pain. Hot soup seemed best, plus the salt content in the premade canned stuff helped too.

Our insurance covered it, sure, but we ended up paying out about $1k between the Dr, the surgery center, the labs, etc....

Good luck!

Do you still have your wisdom teeth by chance? I stopped getting tonsil stones after I had those taken out.

I talked to my doctor about it recently, she said that I would be very hard pressed to find a doctor that would remove my tonsils at this age (34). Because it's not a "medically necessary" surgery insurance probably wouldn't cover it.

I've read that oxygenated mouthwashes help (the bacteria that grows in the grooves back there are anaerobic, so adding oxygen to the mix is a good thing). I've seen minor improvements with that. I've also read that a water pic is really good for getting them out, but I don't own one.

The breath thing is annoying, but if you get them out you're usually okay, the trouble is the ones that are deep inside, and be careful not to scar your tonsils because the creases and stuff from old infections is where the bacteria grows, so a new scar = another area for the bacteria to play.

i have them, and i haven't had my wisdom teeth in a decade. i can go weeks without having any major issues, then will have tons of them sometimes or just a little one sometimes. i hate them, and i also worry about my breath because of them (esp. when i'm close to my husband). :( they suck! i've always had issues with my tonsils and throat issues.... but i didn't start getting them until after i had mono and then killer strep (type a) in college about 12-13 years ago. i dont blame you for wanting the surgery; i sure as heck would consider it (ya know, if i had the resources--time and perfect insurance)!!

I had a tonsillectomy my senior year of high school for other reasons. But it sure did take care of those nasty,pesky tonsil stones. Oh..those things were the worst stink ever!!

Talk to your doctor. Get a medical opinion. I do warn you..my tonsillectomy was the worst pain I have ever experienced. And I have had 3 kids...two painful miscarriages with D&C's. Tonsillectomy recovery is excruciatingly painful....but a great weight loss diet!!

Before reading all these responses, I had no idea so many people get these stinky little stones. Now you know you are not alone and regular digging in your throat can clear up the accumulation if you don't go through with surgery. I believe surgery is covered by your insurance if a doctor can justify medical need for it. It is a simple procedure that ENT's do all the time. In and out within hours. But recovery seemed like at least 2 weeks before I felt I could eat JELLO without wincing. Painkillers were my best friend.

Good luck and best wishes!!

I had my wisdom teeth out a million years ago and still get them..

Water pick works the best to remove them..

just use your finger or a qtip to get them off of your tonsil.. they seem to only happen when I have been sick.. or the kids have been sick and I have been fighting a bug.

I would nto have surgery for this.

I only get them when I eat oatmeal or things like it, granola bars, etc. I dig them out with a flashlight and rubber dental pick tool when I get one. I can usually feel them, so I know when it's time to get rid of them.

I seem to get them when I eat french fries. I have hear them called tonsil stones, sneeze nuggets and tonsilloths. I have never thought about doing anything about them, I guess because I don't get them often enough to worry about them.

I had this problem in one of my tonsils for awhile. Last year, my doctor told me this tonsil was swollen and needed to get it checked out by an ENT. I put if off for awhile because it never really bothered me, but once I went, he told me I should probably have it removed because he wasn't sure why it was enlarged. So I had one tonsil removed last September at the age of 38. I had no idea what I was in for until I started reading some online forums about tonsil removal in adults. The doctor really told me nothing about the recovery time until the nurse called to schedule the surgery and told me to prepare to be out of work for 2 weeks. That was my first clue it was a bigger deal than I thought. After having a child, wisdom teeth removed, and poison ivy, I would rank it up there at the top of all of those. Probably one of the hardest things I have had to deal with in my life as far as pain levels. I was back at work after a week with 2 full weekends on either end to recover. But I will say the first couple days aren't bad, it's once they start to heal that it is really uncomfortable. On the follow up after surgery, the doctor told me what my tonsil looked like when he removed it (it was really gross so I'll spare you the details) but I guess I am glad he took it out if it was that gross. My husband and family swear I never had bad breath, but I find it hard to believe with what he told me. So maybe it's not as bad as you think, but I'd let the doctor steer you in the right direction on which way to go. It's not a simple surgery/recovery once you are an adult so make sure you read up on the recovery times before you decide.