White Bumps In Throat _{Page 70 of 90}

On to day 2 of post op. Pretty much the same as yesterday. Managed to get some Mac and Cheese down last night. I haven't had much of an appetite though. The day of the surgery my stomach was really screaming for some food, but yesterday and today not so much. Had a pancake this morning and am really just working on keeping hydrated. I don't imagine my throat will feel any better until Monday at the earliest. I may not update until I see/feel some changes. So far I'm still thinking I made the right decision though.

dr pepper - that's great that you can already eat! I'm surprised because I've heard such stories of pain. It sounds like your surgery has not been too difficult for you so far. that is encouraging. By the way, how old are you? I'm just curious becasue I keep hearing that it is tougher on older people. Thanks for sharing your experience.

I saw a holistic doctor today. He recommended gargling with warm water, 1 tsp of salt (to draw them out) and one tsp of baking soda (to loosen them up) 2x per day. He said a lot of people don't add the baking soda and it's not as effective.
And yes, he believes that since tonsils are part of the lymphatic system that filters out the toxins in our bodies, and because so many of the toxins that we are exposed to come from the food we eat that these stones are very related to diet. And, because it is very hard to determine how our bodies react in subtle, internal ways to certain food items or groups that it is entirely possible that something like gluten or sugar or dairy or other foods that are known to wreak havoc on some systems can be large ocntributors to our tonsil stones.
I am going to try the detox/cleansing program that I did a few years ago and pay attention this time to my tonsils and the stones.
If it's as simple as changing my diet, that would be a good thing. Especially becasue I need to get healthy all the way around. This might just force me to!
If anyone out there has had positive experiences with diet change, please post.

I'm coming up on 36 in a couple months. I am not a 'sickly person' but being as I'm an IT manager with a desk job and a little more stress than the average Joe - that probably translates to 40 (yes - getting healthier in general is on my to do list for 2007). I think I really knew what to expect as the procedure to have my wisdom teeth out (they had to take one out of the roof of my mouth as well), pretty much mirrored this as far as going into the hospital, getting put under, etc. And for the pain i figured associating it to the pain of strep would be accurate. So I think I had those two things going for me.

Don't get me wrong, it's not a cake walk, but i'm not regretting it. Getting home to where you're comfortable is the trick. I'm really glad they don't keep you in the hospital for days on procedures like this any more.

Eating has been a chore - kind of have to psych yourself up for each bite. But they all say the more you eat and chew the faster the pain will subside.


Right now it looks pretty nasty back there. It's two huge whitish spots. Reminds me of two big patches of white mold or soemthing

Day 3 update
Well no better that's for sure. Slightly worse today as my ear canals are aching. This too is in the documentation I received from the hospital. Feels like an ear ache. The suggestion is to chew gum which seems to be helping. My mouth was unbelievable dry this morning (never had dry mouth ever like this b4) Got my cool mist humidifier going today. Hopefully that will help tonight.

Hi ya'll. I haven't posted in a good long while now, just been sitting back and reading all the replies.. the surgeries and possibilities to end this madness.

I wanted to share something with all of you that's happened to me.

Like the rest of you, I also suffer from tonsillitis and these tonsil stones. I'm still very leary of jumping into surgery right away as I think there is something more to this.. and I am proving myself correct as we speak.

I went to the doctor in November 2006 and was diagnosied with PCOS (thats polycystic ovarian syndrome). I'm 24 and as far as I know and what I've read, its not uncommon for women at this age to have this sort of symptom. Matter of fact, there are two other women that I work with around my same age that are going through the same thing. My OBGYN put me on birth control and had also put me on an antibiotic that I took for a week in December.

I took a vacation in December and came back feeling fantastic.. ultimately it changed how I felt about myself completely. I realized how miserable I was in my current location. And there were a few reasons why: the air (there is something here that is bothering both my sinus and my tonsils- I can't put my finger on it, but I am trying to move.), my diet was awful and I really wasn't taken as great of care as I should be.

I started taking the BC on the 1st of January, and I have noticed a HUMUNGOUS change in the tonsil stones. Not to mention, I'm eating much healthier (I am slightly overweight), excercising more, making it a point to brush 3 times a day (instead of 2) and getting a full 8 hours of sleep a night (instead of the 3-6 hours I was getting during the week).

I have been poking around in my mouth since the 1st and have not had ANY stones, aside from a teensy pin tip of one, and I don't get the nasty taste in my mouth anymore- at least, I can't taste it or smell it anymore. ??

I also went to my dentist just the other week and he asked me if I got a little dry mouth (he knows I have tonsillitis). I told him I did- and I've been having this awful headache on the side where my worst tonsil is (the right) from time to time. Not to mention my ENT told me I had a slightly deviated septum on the right side. So I think between the nasal congestion (yes, like another poster I blow my nose several times in the morning) and my tonsillitis is the reason for my problem. My dentist suggested to get a humidifier. I have an air purifier, but he says that the dry air can cause issues like this.

So apparently, I must have allergies to something or be around some type of germ that my body can't really handle (as I have stated before in my earlier posts). But working on keeping myself healthy and building my IMMUNE system back up has been a HUGE help.

I have yet to get the humidifier, but it is definitely on my list of things to get come my next paycheck.

In conclusion, I think a combination of taking on a healthier lifestyle and the BC has really helped. I honestly believe that whatever type of bacteria that we are around we are either allergic to or we just don't have all that great of an immune system. I used to be healthy as a horse, but my lifestyle was much different several years ago and I was much more active than I am now. I think this is playing a huge role.

So, I am challenging those of you that do still have your tonsils to try working on your health: better sleeping, eating, more activity, better oral hygeine. And see what happens. It's been maybe a month since I've noticed a huge change.

Also, I've been eating a lot of oranges lately. Not sure if that has anything to do with it or not..

Skeedorfa, if only I were as disciplined as you...you go girl!

Dr. Pepper, I think the humidifier definitely has something to do with recouping quicker. I had one, plus drank a ton of water. That is the secret to getting thru it faster and easier. Staying hydrated anyway you can.

Unless it's getting annoying I'm just going to turn this into a daily journal so those thinking about the tonsillectomy can get an idea what it's like. I'll keep it up until at least Monday when I'm scheduled to go back into work. This was the recoup. time recommended by my ENT (10 days). So on to......

Day 4
Today was the toughest day since surgery. My ears have really started to ache. Allowed to take Tylenol 3 every 4 hours. The last 1/2 hour is pretty tough. Especially in the night as it's worse when you're lying still and horizontal.

The ear aching thing is not abnormal so I knew it was coming. The documentation I received notes an ear ache of varying degree may be present 2 to 3 weeks past day of surgery. Throat has always been sore but it's a pain that comes and goes depending on if eating or drinking or swallowing, while once the ear pain starts it's a consistent pain.

Went in to get my Tylenol prescription extended today. At my current rate I was going to run out on Thursday and I know I won't be done with them by then.

For me hot showers have always helped me deal with pain or when I'm under the weather so I been running the hot water tank dry at least once a day.

Today I have to psych myself up just to talk. As a mental side effect this gets quite frustrating as those around you (even the ones you love the most) are a little inconsiderate as to just how much pain it takes to choke out an answer to a simple question. There's my rant for the day. :-)

So we shall see what tomorrow brings. I've been told the 'hump' is somewhere between day 4 and day 6. I'd love if mine was day 4.

As for the humidifier. I did use it last night and the dryness was definitely better.

i'm so glad i found this! i have had these little lumps here and there.. but then a couple months ago i got a big pea sized white lump on one tonsil and the dr said it could be a 'mucoucele'.. after antibiotics it was still there.. not sore or uncomfortable.. 2 months later it disappeared before my scheduled appt. with an ent to have it biopsied.. now i wonder if it's related to the little lumps i've gotten before..?
drs have always commented on how scarred and pitted my tonsils are from so much tonsilitis as a kid and i just wish they'd have taken them out back then!
i've had problems for years with sensations that something is back in my throat/post nasal area and was given tranquilizers and told it was anxiety for years.. so i never pursued getting help..
also more than ten years of atypical tmj/tmd..

with me the little bumps just dislodge in my sleep somehow and i wake up with one in my mouth.. ug! not very often.. thankfully..
i always thought they were calcified little food bits.. and i'm a mouth breather at night so my throat gets very dry.. thought that was the cause?
i have been able to remove them with a toothbrush very carefully before.. but i also wonder as 'friedchick' said.. could there be anything hiding behind my tonsils causing some of the feelings i get?

i hope dr's get on the ball about this..
i once pointed out to my md that i had white dots on my tonsils for long periods of time with no associated sore throat.. but she just said she couldn't see them!!
like i was nuts or something..
glad to find others with this.. i'll try the saltwater gargling first..
friendlyghost

SkeerdofaTnA

The first time i remember getting a tonsil stone i was probably 13 after a wicked cold. In between then and now I've lived in a very moist climate to a very dry climate. Have been at my optimum weight and health to where I can stand to lose a couple pounds and get back into general shape. I've never been able to avoid one type of food for more than a couple months but I also have no discernible allergies of any type. Anyway basically allot of things in my environment and even myself have changed, but my tonsil stones have always been there in one degree or another. I think all of us here are suffering from the same symptom, but in my opinion it's cause is different for many people on here. And for some I think it's as simple as some deep crypts that collect food that ends up with a foul smell (this is probably me). So perhaps I'm not getting rid of the root cause of my stones, but at the end of the day I am getting rid of them. After 20+ years of putting up with them - that's good enough for me. But everyone needs to find their own solution for sure.

Hang in there Dr. Pepper. I did not have the ear pain you are speaking of, but I'm hoping it doesn't get much worse for you.

For me, I'd have to say it was between days 5 & 8 that were the worst as far as pain. I was hitting the tylenol closer to every 2 hours. It helped greatly, tho. (More so than the Oxycotin they gave me). And my doc had no problem refilling the scrip for me. I had a big bottle when I left and got another one refilled probably about 5 days post-op. I needed it more then, than the first few days.

Maybe the ear pain is a trade off for the throat pain...who knows..?

I didn't get addicted to anything I took, so don't worry about that or maybe bumping up your dosage a little.

You'll be fine. Just hang in there. It will get better.

Dr Pepper, seems as tho the Tylenol w/codeine maybe coated the throat and that is why it seemed to work better than the 'pill' drug. I had liquid and I am assuming that is what you have.

I still have part of a bottle left. Makes me wonder, I may have gone thru 2.5 bottles of that stuff.

I recieved liquid tylenol with codeine in the hospital only. They just gave me Tylenol 3 pills to take home. But they've been working ok for me. Ear pain is greatly reduced today. Basically it has something to do with the fluids from swelling etc trying to make their way out through your ear canals. The chewing of gum and swallowing re-directs the fluid down your throat. I think what happened yesterday is I had alot of my swelling go down. My tongue and throat don't feel so 'big' today. So far today is better so (fingers crossed) maybe yesterday was hump day for me on the pain scale. I will post later how the rest of the day goes.

I work for a medical management firm and recently, I noticed white areas in the back of my throat, as I was brushing my teeth.

I kind of poked at it and to my supprise, it fell out. I have had 'Lumps' before, but never had seen where they came from.

I eat healthy, don't use mouth wash that often, and eat a ton of dairy. I was raised in the country so it's very much a part of my diet (have had cottage cheese for the past few weeks on and off--dieting!!)

The doctor I saw advised me that what I had will make my breath smell. He did not tell me much else, just poped me some meds and I was on my way.

I was given OMNICEF, instructed to take two a day for 8 days. I have no idea what this will do...but I'll keep you posted on it.

I experience frequent sore throat eppisodes, some days are better than others...but I notice when I sleep with a fan on my throat is more tender-
It's not directly on me, but still.

I was scheduled to get a tonsillectomy this Friday but I was weary about the method my ENT was going to use. I watched a few tonsillectomies using different methods at entusa-dot-com and decided the old knife and cauterizer looked a little to painful. I am attempting to reschedule my tonsillectomy with an ENT that will use the coblation method--it looked like a lot less blood and a lot less burning. So, hopefully I can get rescheduled soon.

For those of you who have had their tonsillectomy already I have two questions:

1) Do you know which method you ENT used? I have heard some horror stories about recovery and I wonder how many horror stories are associated with the old school method and how many with newer methods for tonsillectomies.

2) For those who have got adendiodectomies along w/ their tonsillectomies, can you tell me some of the benefits to getting your adenoids out also. I want too, but my first ENT wasn't going to do it--I don't think his reasoning was very good though so I am going to see if my new ENT will take them out.

Well hump day was definitely not day 4. Both day 4 and 5 were the worst as it was the throat pain combined with the ear ache pain. Today is much better. Throat is still tender but things are quite bearable once the T3's have worn off. I can open my jaw enough to get a look down there. I'm surprised how much tissue was actually removed. Big cavernous hole now. Hopefully it's all down hill now

plantinga

My ENT used the old fashioned method. We talked about it and he had said he'd tried the laser, and the vibro knife or something like that. Basically he said nothing was as effective as the old fashioned way of removing them. He told me up front that it would be more painful, but that it would be over at once. He's had other patients who opted for the other methods and ended up coming back in to do it the old way. He allows for 10 days for recovery. That's recovery to the point where you're able to get back to work and be off pain. I've read that full healing can be a month. So far his predictions on where I would be at on what day for pain and healing have been spot on.

DoubleH

OMNICEF is an antibacterial drug. Your doctor obviously thinks you have a bacterial infection in your throat. No offense but I'd be less than impressed with any doctor that just handed me some pills and sent me on my way. Anyway, if you read through the multiple posts here you'll see this might clear up your stones or it may not. If it does, it's unlikely that it will clear them up permanently. Alot of people tie their stones to dairy products and food allergies. Try the OMNICEF and see if it helps. If not you're probably looking at cutting out dairy for your next starting point. Do you have alot of tonsil crypts? (caves in your tonsils)

skeer,

i totally agree with you. i found that boosting my immune system by making some small (but significant) changes seems to have been the key for me.

i understand that it may seem a little daunting to some of you to try improving your health, but look at it this way- it's not just to eliminate the stones, it's to improve EVERYTHING. personally, i would say there is something seriously wrong if you can't 'be bothered' to improve your health, and instead resort to cutting something out of your body. that's not to say that making a few changes would be the cure for everyone out there with this problem, but i think it would make more sense to try improving your health a little before going full steam ahead and resorting to surgery.

also, to those who have a strong gag reflex and can't stick a q-tip or something into their throat to get rid of stones, try sneezing. i found that sneezing usually resulted in bringing up a stone or two. take a tissue, and roll up a corner of it so that it forms a point. use it to tickle the inside of a nostril, and it will make you sneeze.

kmoeller

Everyone should find their own solution. What works for some may not work for others. You can't take your own very narrow personal experience and paste it on top of everyone else's. I 'bothered' to improve my health by removing my tonsils. You have your own reasons for not going that route so fine. Not all of us want to dedicate an hour of our daily time with q-tips or sneezing or god knows what else.

By the way - i used to spend about 30 minutes in front of the mirror per night trying to get these out. It was GREAT for my wife to listen to me gag while I did this. I found the best way was to suck and create a vacuum to remove them. Worked for a while until I discovered this was somehow giving me serious heart burn. When I stopped doing that my heartburn problems went away a month later. Can't imagine what damage I would have done if I had kept that process up for years.

You can improve your health all you want. The key component to the stones are the crypts. In my opinion as long as you have the crypts you're going to run the chance of getting the stones.

kmoeller,

Thanks for acknowledging the issue with lifestyle habits vs. health. I appreciate the fact that there are people here who are truly interested in getting to the root of the problem and are willing to become healthier without going the 'convenient' route.

I've stated it several times throughout my posts, but I really do not take surgery lightly- at all. The only surgery I have ever had is having my wisdom teeth out- which I was okay with because it was not like I could change my health habits to keep them from growing into the rest of my teeth (they were coming sideways).

I have a good deal of respect for myself and my body (although I hadn't shown it as much as I should have) enough to know that everything has been placed appropriately in my body for a reason. Each piece of our bodies serves a purpose- I don't care what any doctor will tell you otherwise.

And if I KNOW for a fact that there are things that I could do to change my health for the better and possibly find a non-surgical solution to my problem while keeping all my body parts... well... I'll be darned if I am going to get on the ball about it.

I realize that is not the case with everyone. I realize that there are circumstances that simply 'eating better' or exercising is not going to be the only form of treatment necessary.

However, in our cases- in knowing that the majority of us have a similiar situation- I again ask all of you: Can you pinpoint when this started? And can you honestly say to yourself 'I could definitely use a healthier lifestyle'?

9 times out of 10 that is the issue. We turn to pills and surgeries and whatever else first causing us more problems (I don't think there is one single pill out there that DOESN'T have a side effect or cause kidney malfunction at some point), rather than really analyzing what we are doing. We are so lazy anymore, we can't even be bothered to stop a bad habit anymore if it means no more of a pressing medical problem.

Everyone is going to make their own decisions- and if you choose surgery, that is fine- that is your choice. You've chosen to deal with those consequences in your own regard. And everyone has their own opinion on the matter.

But I will not stand down from my point of view to thinking that surgery is the only or 'best' solution to this problem, either. On the contrary.

And I know that we've been told this time and time again, but maintaining a healthy lifestyle means maintaining a healthy body. If you are not doing that, I highly suggest you think about what you could do to better your life before jumping under the knife. At least give it a try.

Something of a rebuttal to Skeerd--
While I agree that we tend to rush to quick druggy solutions in this day and age, and people certainly seem to be taking major surgeries for cosmetic ends much too lightly, what with shows like 'The Swan', I also don't entirely buy the idea that all afflictions can be traced to simple diet and activity.

I'm not positive that these stones are really a sign of anything gone wrong in the body. Maybe they really are just food collecting in a hole. That some people have these holes and others don't doesn't mean that there's something wrong with those who do. It smells bad, I know, but food does that when it rots.

Everyone's physiology is unique; it makes sense that some of us would have 'pittier' tonsils than others.

I don't doubt that having rotting food in these crypts might then contribute to other health problems. I just don't think that having the crypts is necessarily the result of a dietary imbalance or illness that can then be cured by changing your diet or exercising more. Honestly, sometimes I feel like I'd have to stop eating entirely to get rid of them once and for all.

Eating well and exercising just make one feel better in general, period full stop. It's funny how people are so unfamiliar with this concept today, that they then ascribe all sorts of wonder results to these two simple things. We're made to be active; modern life just restricts that impulse unnaturally and encourages us to be unhealthy.

But I would bet that primitive, active man got tonsiloliths, and never noticed, because he and everyone else around him already smelled like dead mammoth anyway.

What I'm saying is that I don't think that eating better and exercising will always fix what might just be a mechanical problem.

So, for some people, surgery is a perfectly reasonable option. Personally, the life I live and have lived for a long time is very healthy and active, with little/no dairy, little sugar, etc. I still get tonsil stones. The question now is whether to treat them by getting my tonsils out, or simply trying to keep 'em clean with other methods.

Hence this endless, self-involved discussion board. Guess we'll always be going back and forth on the surgery/no surgery issue.

I do think it's funny, though, that surgery has been the primary topic for so long now on what is ostensibly a 'homeopathic' (non-surgery) discussion site.

Plantinga,

My Dr. used the old 'way'. Cauterization at the end. He actually said there would be less blood this way than the other (coberlation?).

He also said allow 10 days, but I was back to work in a week (albeit with some residual pain), but I could function as I had pre-surgery.

Everyone has a different opinion and I have much respect for the people that want to go the 'improve your health' route.

But I didn't feel unhealthy to begin with, so I just did what I thought was best. When I was suffering everyday with what seemed like a boulder in my throat, my patience and discipline went right out the window. Quick fix? Yes..but I don't see anything wrong with that if that's what you choose.

And you can apply the same logic with 'well, things are in your body for a reason', to your appendix, gall bladder, etc...you wouldn't think of leaving your appendix in if it went awry.
I think for some people, the tonsils can become perfectly useless after about 8 to 10 years of age, once your immune system is developed and turn into more of a problem them a 'helper'.

skeer,

just wanted you to know that in my previous post, i had addressed the issue of surgery versus lifestyle changes to everyone in general, not you in specific.

i was just pointing out to you that i agreed with your statement about improving one's immue system. what followed was just a thought that i meant for everyone on here. i should have clarified that, sorry!

kmoeller, I understood your point of view the first time around- I knew that your post was a general post. I never took it to be a personally directed post. There was no misunderstanding there, as far as I was concerned. No clarification was necessary.. but thanks anyway.

I'm getting mine out this Thursday. I'll probably post updates just like dr_pepper did, I'll also come back a couple months out and let you know if I thought it was worth it.

Tomorrow time to stock up on some slim fasts and other essentials.. right now I'm digging through the messageboards trying to find the best pain meds recommended by people.

I think I'll do better then a lot of people who are extroverted and don't like being couped up on the house all day, as I can't wait to have a week off of work.. pain or no pain. I love sitting around dinking on the internet or watching Star Trek TNG episodes on DVD. :)

dissident, good luck on your surgery. Do let us know how it goes.

dr_pepper, how are things? I think it's been a few days since you last posted... was hoping you'd share with us the remainder of your experience.