Tonsil stones

[worried0817]

For the past few months I have been noticing that when I would wake up I would have tiny little balls of stuff...it would happen every so often.  I have bad allergies with constant post nasal drip and flem, so I was just thinking it was something like that. Just this past week, I had had a sore throat for about a week withmy left tonsil totally swollen and red.  After a few days I really tried to look at them with a flash light and I saw two white dots.  i automatically thought it was an infection, but the more I looked and felt them, they seemed wierd.  Finally they both came out, they were larger than I had had before, about the size of a large pea... well I have them often , but obviously cant see them till I'm in pain.  I'm 24 years old and hate having this feeling in my throat with the bad taste in the back of my throat.. is this really tonsil stones? Thanks!

[rehdogg]

My doctor said it's natural and she won't remove my tonsils. I hate how it makes my breath smells and it makes me anti sociable. My doctor said it's more dangerous to remove tonsils as an adult. I bought Dr. Katz Thera Breath Nasal sprays and the oxyD pills remedy's but it was making me throw up so I don't use it anymore. Any other suggestions?

[Bee1181]

Anyone have tonsil stones with a sore throat and referred ear pain? I've had a mild sore throat for about the past 6 months, but my doctor told me it was probably allergies and to do a nasal flush every day. I've never had allergies in my life. My nose doesn't run. My eyes don't itch. It's not very convincing to me. I want my tonsils out just to get rid of these stones and sore throat!

[bluec]

I just went to the ENT at Kaiser. I was ready to have my tonsils removed. Have had this problem for about 15 years. One has been stuck back there for 4 months. I thought I was going to have to convince my ent, but right away he said, if you want we will take them out. Getting them out in november.

[vetnurse138]

Wow, just found this page because I finally decided to try and do somethign about my problem.
I have had them for a while but have become more concious of them lately. I'm a chronic allergy/sinus sufferer with asthma who smokes. Yeah, thats bad. One thing I will say that no one else has.. mine smell HORRIBLE, like cat poop. It makes me very self concious and I always carry a tooth brush, mouth wash and mints.
I feel like I get them less often when I am smoking more frequently. I recently "quit" for 3 months and had them sumthin terrible.
I'm very put down though that there is really no perminant solution. I work in the medical field (with animals) and do alot of self treatment, I have been treating mine practically since I figured out where they were coming from.
My regiment for (what I didn't know was till now) has been the same as what others have advised. However, ask your doctors or friends in the medical field to get you some supplies, these have made my life easier:
* 12cc syringe (no needle)
* 20g or 18g over the needle catheter (just the plastic catheter tip)

Thats it, I fill my syringe with tap water (no need to use salt water, no open wounds) cuz it tastes better, and put on the catheter tip. The catheter combined with the syringe gives me enough length and I can flush away and controll the pressure of the water.

I WOULD NOT RECCOMEND USING Q-TIPS. I believee this is why you guys are getting necrotic tissue and bleeding. I have used qtips before on major ones and have experienced sore throat and bleeding because of it. If you must, be careful and avoid touching your tissues as much as possible, wet the qtip with saline, flush your throat with saline before and after thoroughly. If your throat is still soar the next day continue flushing/gargling with saline.

[sftsb]

I've been getting tonsil stones. I went to my family doctor and he said it was from allergies, not to mess with them, gargle with salt water. He said if if should ever bleed then I should go to an ENT. Another internal medicine doctor said that it just happens because food particles gets stuck back there and he said it was fine to pick them out with toothpicks. Is it okay or not to pick them out? I don't know what to think and certainly don't want to have tonsils removed unless absolutely necessary. My other tonsil is perfectly normal so no probs there.

[Jen729]

Wow...I just went to the ER for mine.  I had a 1/2" stone sticking out of my tonsil on the right side.  I took a q-tip to it which I thought would just easily pop it out.  Well it took about 5 minutes of me trying to just knock it off then trying to press all around it and pop it out like I usually do.  It finally popped out and I felt much better...although seriously grossed out!  I have NEVER had one that large before!  About an hour later I felt like something was stuck in the back of my throat again.  I went to look in the mirror and it looked like more stones (or perhaps part of the first) was coming out again.  When I went to try and pop it out I noticed a large blackish bump right behind it.  After I saw that I figured I'd just leave it alone for a while and try to get it out at home instead.  When I got home and looked in the mirror the black bulge had gotten HUGE!  I moved it around (very gently) with a q-tip to try to see what it was.  It honestly looked like a vein or artery had popped through the skin into my mouth.  Just as I thought that, poof, it started gushing blood!  It freaked me and my fiancé out so bad we immediately went to the hospital.  It turns out it was a tonsil stone to begin with and then (let's see if I remember the term) necrotic tissue because the stone had aggravated the tissue on its way out.  When I told the doctor that I was getting the tonsil stones 2-3 times a week she flipped.  She said I should REALLY think about getting my tonsils out and that I would probably be getting this necrotic tissue thing at least twice a month if I didn’t.  Has anyone else experienced any problems like this?