White Bumps In Throat _{Page 65 of 90}

I don't know where everyone is from, but do you think it could have something to do with climate change (dry versus humid, cold versus warm, etc...) If you're used to a certain climate and you go to a different one, if that could have something to do with it?

My 'lack of tonsils' is coming along quite well, other than still a feeling of maybe a scab on the left side. I feel completely healed other than that one thing. I hope it is not scar tissue or something that is not going to go away. It's odd, but even so, it's not as bad as what the stones were. 3 weeks out.

And if the weather issue has been discussed, my apologies. I can't remember.

I was so glad to see I'm not the only one experiencing this. I have read through a bunch of therse posts and could not find a cure for these calcium deposits, white lumps or whatever they are. I am 33 and started having this issue as of 2 years ago. I do not get them that often but when I do I get nervous.

Here is what I have observed about these alien white lumps in my throat and my habits that may or may not be causing them.

1) They feel like food stuck in the throat.
2)I can easily remove them with my finger or utensil.
3) I get really bad breath before they appear. (Breathe so bad, I can't stand it and I can't get rid of the bad breathe)
4) I just noticed that they do stink very bad after removing them, so this is what was causing the bad breathe.

My habits. Here are some of my habits that may or may not cause these unwanted visitors..
1) I've been smoking for about 17 years.
2) According to my physician, I've been diagnosed with asthma...and I have been using albuteral inhaler often.

I recently was prescribed Avair and was informed to gargle or drink water after inhaling the advair otherwise I could get in infection in my throat. I did have these white things in my throat before the advair, actually right around the time I was diagnosed with asthma adn was put on albuteral. I was thinking that I am getting these lumps from using the albuteral without rinsing my throat. Does anyone else that has these lumps use an inhaler or have asthma?
Does anyone know what is causing these lumps? I have a hard time believing that for 30 years - nothing then all of a sudden I have asthma and the white lumps appear. I am almost certain that the heavy smoking over the years has contributed to this. Attached is a pic of one of these foreign lumps I pulled from my throat. It is darker than it was when I pulled it out and it is next to a dime to get an idea of the size.

(This post contains an image. To view the image, please log on.)

ASIGirl & Katherine1-
I do think that environmental factors have something to do with how easily the stones form- It would make sense, I guess, that if one's mucous membranes were drier or wetter it might affect how the stones form or how easily they come out. A while ago in this forum someone mentioned that their stones seemed to fall out when they were exercising, which is something I've noticed, too. I think maybe the tonsils constrict or dry out a little when you're exerting yourself, and the stones dislodge. This could be true of changing to a drier climate, also.

If this is true about the environment factors having an effect, then why have I not had this problem earlier in my life? I have lived in the same location for 33 years.

Joker, I feel we could be 2 'peas' in a pod. I have also smoked for about as long as you have, I was diagnosed with a 'touch' of asthma about 2 years ago (I am 38), and was also put on albuterol. And now that you mention it, it seems like that's about the time the stones started showing up.

Interesting thought on the medicine. I never rinsed my throat out after inhaling it. This is really kinda weird for you to have posted what you did cause it's really making me think now.

And you know what else, not to get your's or anyone's hopes up about a tonsillectomy, but after 3 weeks, I feel as tho I am not wheezing as much as I was 'pre-tonsils' and have not used the albuterol, at all.

Herb and Katherine, considering that I live in a moist state and I don't excercise very much, then it's also a good possibility in my case that maybe I wasn't dried out enough for them to pop out. (I could never get them dislodged, even digging at them).

joker,

i'm a smoker too, and smoking doesn't seem to affect the frequency with which i get stones. sometimes i go for long stretches without getting any (like now), and sometimes i'll get them a few times a week. it doesn't seem to be dependent at all on my smoking.

i too lived in the same place my whole life, and only started getting stones when i was 15 or so. i had never had a single one before that. the only thing i can think of is that's the time when i had mono for a year straight, and started getting strep quite often.

I also have lived in NY/NYC my whole life...and have had them since I was little. Like Kmoeller said...they come at different times...mine are super way back...but I can usually taste them and my throat starts to hurt like I'm getting sick before they come. I still really feel that our tonsil crevices are larger then most peoples and therefore food gets stuck and builds up...kind of like tarter but in the form of a ball

i agree that our crypts are larger than those of most people. well, are tonsils are generally larger, too. i always thought it was normal to have tonsil that stick right out and that are totally visible when you open your mouth. and then other people showed me theirs, and i was in shock. my crypts are large enough that i can fit the end of a cotton swab into them, so it stands to reason that bacteria would be easily trapped.

as joker described, when i get stones, i experience the following:
- a very foul taste in my mouth a day or two before (can't be eliminated no matter how much i brush, floss, gargle, etc)
- a tickling sensation in the back of my throat right before i cough the stone up, as if a piece of food is stuck

i often dislodge them when i sneeze or cough. also when i brush my teeth- i brush my tongue, and tend to brush very far back, so the toothbrush might be bumping my tonsils and knocking loose any stones.

i'm working on the survey i mentioned awhile ago. so far, i've heard from one person with suggestions for questions to include. if you think you may have some particular questions that may not be common sense things to ask, let me know.

I was diagnosed with asthma about 6 years ago, and have been using the 'blue' sabutamol puffer for a while. I've also used advair. ( Kmoeller, perhaps you can include some questions about asthma and the realated prescribed treatments )

Thank you all for responding to these posts. This is my first time posting any messages on the web *ever* and what a disgusting topic to start with.... :) I think it is wonderful that we can all share our information and try to come up with reasons why this is occuring to us and what can be done.

I wanted to touch briefly on a couple points if I may.

1) I can understand why a dry climate may cause the 'stones' to break loose where as a moist climate would not be so easy. I live in Pennsylvania and thinking back on the occasions that I have had these buggers, I believe it was in the winter months...not 100% on that though.

2)kmoeller => I do not think that smoking affects the frequency with which you get stones. instead I think that years of smoking has an effect on the throat which, over time could cause the crypts, pits etc.. This of course is all a theory on my behalf.

3) ASIgirl => I was relieved after having read your post. I truly believe that if these calcium deposits or 'rocks' are a result of deep pits, crypts etc.. I think mine are do to smoking and not aging. Are you still smoking?

This is a bit off the subject but I wanted to share with you all some experiences my wife, my friend and I have had.

I went to the ER 10 years ago because periodically I would have sharp pains in my back which hindered my walking ability and the ability to stand. The ER Dr told me I had a sprained back and sent me home with aspirin. 2 weeks later I was in another ER out of state and they found a kidney stone the size of a quarter in me. I could of died from this. I ended up having surgery to have it removed.

A girl I know woke up one morning with half her body paralized. Of course this was frightning to her and after regaining feeling she went to her physician. They diagnosed her with Multiple Sclerosis. This is a very serious disease and she was on medication for MS for 2 and 1/2 months before she got a second opinion only to find out this was not true. She did not have the disease. I apologize but I forget exactly what was wrong with her, I just remember my jaw hitting the floor after finding out the horrible disgnosis from her Dr.

My wife sat at her desk at work crying from back pain for over 2 years. During those 2 years she went to he PCP 3 times. Each time the Doctor told her that it is common for people to have back pain and that she needed to exercise. One morning she was screaming for me because she was lying on the floor and could not move. After going to the ER and then immediately to a back specialist, she was informed that she had a slipped disk and went in for back surgery the very next morning....

My point in sharing this with you is that our physicians and Doctors, are practicing medicine and sometimes they don't know what they are doing. What makes me very upset is that they should just be honest and state that they do not know what to do or recommend help elsewhere. I do not believe that I suddenly developed asthma 2 years ago. I think that years of smoking have ruined my pipes as well as my lungs. This of course does not apply to everyone as we are all different. I am a firm believer in cause and effect though. If you have symptoms that run in the family, theres the cause. If symptoms appear out of nowhere...there has to be a better reason other than 'shet happens'.

I hope I didn't offend anyone by this post. Thanks for listening.

Just to clarify what I've said earlier: I don't think that climate _causes_ the stones, I just think that it influences how often they fall out or back up. I also think that being in a different place and eating different foods than one usually does might cause an increase or a decrease, as there might be more or less of the foods that usually catch back there in the crypts.

Joker, I am in Ohio, but for me it seems I was most affected by them this past summer, and once October hit and it got a little colder and drier, they disappeared. (Ohio is quite humid during summer months). ?? And yes, unfortunately I am still smoking (altho not a whole lot IMO). I was also a little shocked when my PCP said I had a little asthma, because I thought that is when you can't catch your breath, etc...I never had anything like that.

I don't think smoking really has anything to do with it. Herb, I can't say that I think climate 'causes' them, but it may affect how big they get and how easily they come out.

I just still kinda think that a combination of the crypts, food getting stuck, mucous, etc...collecting is the culprit. Not any one particular thing makes them.

I'm still a little interested in the medicine theory tho, too. (Albuterol).

Herb, just reread your post and I said the same thing you did about the climate. Sorry...ditto.

Joker,

Welcome to the forum, and thanks for posting the picture. I'm sure it will help many who are not quite sure what we are talking about here. Mine tend to be a little smaller and more jagged (TMI, I know!).

FWIW, I have never smoked, but was exposed to second-hand smoke for my first 25 yeras of life. I did not start getting the stones until I was almost 40, though. (Therefore I don't think mine are related to even the second-hand smoke.) I do not have asthma. My ENT kept repeating how congested I was, so I think that I have some type of allergies and that is what is contributing most to my stones.

Can the following questions be added to the survey:

1. Do you snore?
2. Are you overweight?
3. Do your stones occur mostly on one side, and is that the side you sleep on?

(My answer is yes to all.)

ASIgirl, I am in the Greater Cleveland area. By any chance did you have your surgery in this area?

Betty, I am in Dayton and had surgery here.

Interesting note also on the sleeping thing. I always sleep on my left side and that is where the stones were the worst.

Hmm- same for me. I always sleep on my RIGHT side and that is where they accumulate the most.

Betty - Yes I occasionally snore. My wife says that it is the worst when I sleep on my back.

I wouldnt qualify myself as being overwieght although according to medical charts I am. I'm 6'2 230lbs.

I don't favor one side or the other when I sleep. I usually switch left to right and vise versa as well as on my back. The stone haven't been appearing on one side or the other atleast not as far as I can tell at this point. This is definately something I will observe going forward.

I sleep most of the night on my left side, since I have trouble keeping my right nostril clear.

My stones appear more on the right side....although I do get them on both sides.

My left tonsil seems to have more smaller crypts, as opposed to my right side which has one large one.

After researching this a bit further I found the following to be related to my experience with these stones.
One cause of the stones is due to overactive salivary glands. I have noticed that over the last 2 years I have been caughing up alot of saliva/mucus. This caughing irritates my airways causing me to use the albuterol.

I also noticed the following prevention for the stones:
'You may notice that reducing the amount of white sugar in your diet will reduce the frequency of buildup.'

I use way too much sugar in my coffee in the morning. I usually drink 2-3 cups and in each cup I use alot of sugar. I'll be cutting back on that now to see if this has an effect.

One other note I'd like to mention is that around the time the stones first started appearing I felt like there were bumps, lumps etc.. in my ear canals. I haven't felt these for atleats a year and a half but perhaps they are related to the symptoms I am experiecing now with the stones.

As far as the albuterol theory, after researching the side effects it appears that dry mouth (which albuterol causes) could donate to the stones as well as the overactive salivary glands.

really interesting to hear about the sleeping thing . . . come to think of it, i sleep on my right side 3/4 of the time, and my stones are pretty much exclusively from my right tonsil. lately i haven't been getting any stones, and i have started sleeping on my back a lot. hmmmm.

i'll definitely add that question to the survey. thanks for the suggestion- that's something i probably would never have thought of.

Here is a study I found a while back on laser procedures. The condition that the patients were treated for was 'Chronic Fetid Tonsillitis' which, I pretty much think is Tonsil Stones. Any opinions?

Sorry, I didn't actually put it up. The image is just a scanned document, and I am not sure how to post it without it being too small to read. Does anyone know how to make a link?

I've read elsewhere on the internet that the stones occur in most people on the LEFT side, which is where mine happen, but now that I think about it I do turn my head to the right (and so sleep on my left side) at night.

As for other factors, I have never smoked, do not have asthma, am not overweight (I'm actually a little underweight), and I don't eat a lot of sugar.

Well, the big day is tomorrow. I am getting my laser tonsil procedure at 9 in the morning. For some reason, I feel like my whole fate is resting on this one day, this one procedure to see if I will possibly be able to live a NORMAL life. I know, I know, it's dramatic.
Anyways, wish me luck:) I'll be on later to let everyone know the details.

good luck katherine! i hope you have a speedy recovery.

you're in ontario, right? i'm just curious- did you have to pay for the procedure yourself, or was it covered (even partially) by a health plan?

at this point, i myself wouldn't consider surgery, but i'm curious to know if my plan would cover it if i actually did it. i might check on that.

oh btw, i don't believe you can post actual links on here. posts only contain text, and html won't work. just post the link for that study you mentioned as normal text, and people can copy/paste.