White Bumps In Throat _{Page 38 of 90}

Hello guys,

what do the tonsil stones feel like?
mine which i thought had gone has come again and this time on both sides...it does nto hurt....and today i found a piece of cheesy stuff a small cheeseball no taste coz i coudl bite into it and white in colour. quite small....not sure whether it came from the tonsil. my stones( not sure whether i could call them so since i was referring to them as ulcers till now) are white in colour, raised and like bumps and not spots.....no pain associated. it had vanished for sometime when i was away from here for about a month to a more humid place....
what could this be? u guys seem much more experienced hence what do u think would be best. I am in the midst of writing my thesis and cannot afford a distraction of going to a doc to check it out.
would salt water gargling help?
i have not bene monitoring my dietary changes so as to tell whether calcium could be causing the 'stones'.
have a nice day folks,
Kavitha

Ha, you are not going to believe this. Those little white spots on my throat? ...Thrush. I had oral sex two days before the sore throat and my legions fit the description of thrush to a T. Weird huh? A little off topic, but I thought it was amazing.

whatastoner,

I was hoping to get a tonsillectomy but I went to my doctor today and she told me my tonsils are no where big enough to convince any sugreon to remove them.

Currently I'm on an antibiotic for my wisdom teeth, because they're coming in and I'm getting an infection where one is breaking through, and she said that should help with the stones. She also prescribed Zyrtec for me, so maybe that will help with the post-nasal drip.

I'll continue to gargle all the time, and check my throat as often as possible... but it's just a pain.

So far, I've still yet to check the right side. I'm too scared to. I've also probably coughed up 2 or 3 stones a day since I made that post, which seems to be a lot more frequantly than most everyone else.

Oh well.

know the feeling i have had mine removed and now i am having problems with one of them growing back and giving me the same trouble as in under the skin so i am wanting this removed to end all of my pain because of the infection that closed up inside of there.

Hey guys, it is quite interesting to see how many of us there are! Over 38 pages full of posts, just goes to show one thing, what we're having is all normal! I personally believe tonsils are there for a reason, to fight off infections, if we remove them, we are moving the infection elsewhere, which in the long run might do a whole lotta bad on your body. However, being a tonsil stone and bad breath sufferer myself, let me share my experiences with you to try and help you all. First of all, I think most of us are in here because we're afraid of the smell tonsil stones might be causing us. I think that if they are small and unbroken, there is no smell. If you have bad tastes in your mouth, make sure your brushing and flossing properly, smell the floss after you use it, does it stink? If it is, it is a tooth problem not a tonsil problem. And don't go overboard with tongue brushing, I feel sometimes taste returns back to normal without even brushing it. Regarding tonsils, I think mucuos, post nasal drip, and the food you eat have a big part in it. My advice is to thoroughly swish water past the tonsils when you swallow, after every meal. And right before you sleep, gargle with a alcohol free mouthwash for 30 seconds, flexing your tonsils as you do, the same kind of flexing that you do to see your tonsils in the mirror. Also, when you eat, try to not push food past the places where you usually get stones. This post is for those that have normal tonsils, occassionaly feel something at the back of your throat, occassionaly have a bad taste, but do not get sick often. There are a large number of different cases here I think its bad to compare ourselves to each other as we are all different. Oh another thing, take dairy in slowly if you really need it. Hope this helps anybody!

guys, one more thing, there are a few posts where people didn't get rid of the things even after surgery, so unless they are causing a lot more trouble than just stones, i wouldn't get them out! However, don't read this site too much, I feel it makes you more paranoid that you really are, and it kinds of brainwashes you. Stay strong and try to find a lifestyle system that works for you.

laura x

That is great news about scheduling your tonsillectomy! I bet you'd do it sooner if you could but it takes a while to get the surgery booked and what not. I know because i will soon be going through the same thing kindof.

Kimmy,

Do you have an HMO or PPO? I was just wondering because my primary doctor doesn't take insurance anymore, so we pay a discounted rate for office visits. The reason she gave for that was because with the HMOs and PPOs the primary doctor has to act as a "gatekeeper" so-to-speak. With that system the doctor's job is partly to discourage further procedures. (I'm not kidding) She said it got so difficult to advocate for her patients she just got fed up with the whole system and stopped messing with it altogether. She said even basic procedures would routinely be denied, and then she'd have to go back and fight with the HMO again, etc. She said the HMO's know the doctor can only make three appeals, so they supposedly stall it as long as they can, knowing that if anything happens to the patient in the meanwhile, it will be the doctor's fault. I'm sure not ALL HMOs or PPOs are like this, but the basic idea is that it's set up to obstruct the patient to some degree, or discourage them so they won't want this or that procedure. That's why they make you go through that whole referral garbage, instead of you just picking an ENT and going because you want to. I know that sounds a little paranoid but to some degree I'm sure there's some truth to it. You are certainly not the first person I've heard of who didn't get the referral they wanted. It's hard, but if it's something you really want, sometimes you have to insist.

Since the size of your tonsils isn't the problem - it's the food and bacteria getting caught in them - if you could get past your initial doctor an ENT doc might be more understanding of what you're going through. Even if you don't want your tonsils out an ENT may have some better ideas for you to deal with the stone problems, because 2 or 3 a day really is a LOT!

As far as the antibiotic goes, it will help temporarily, but the stones come back after you finish the antibiotic. (According to many posts here.)

At least you are getting them out fairly quickly right, before they get too bad smelling?

Here's what my ENT said today:

When I had my tonsils out years ago as a kid, they didn't heal up properly, and a small pocket was left there. Normally the space is filled in with scar tissue, but mine only barely filled in. What's left is something of a pouch, where food and mucous get caught and start rotting.

Also, because the place where I really feel pain (due to something caught) is about 2 inches below the jawline - down my neck, he said it's probably a pouch called a diverticulum. If you've heard of that before it's because many people get that condition in their intestines. They are little out-pouchings or pockets where "debris" gets caught. I don't have that condition in my intestines, but he says it's not that uncommon for people to get it in their throat.

Interestingly enough, most people he sees get it on the LEFT side of their throat, but mine is on the right. I mention that because i seem to remember reading through the posts here with there often being a problem on the LEFT side, so this info may be helpful to someone.

Anyway, the only way to properly diagnose the diverticulum, is to do the barium swallow x-ray. I have to schedule that.

The first condition is solved with surgery. They just go in and rescrape off the skin so it will re-heal correctly. If it turns out i also have a diverticulum pouch in my throat, (which he is almost 100% sure of because it is in the exact location where they tend to form,) that can be corrected during the same surgery. But he said they are hard to diagnose even with the x-ray, because what's needed is to stretch open the skin.



He looked with the scope camera they put down through your nose, but couldn't see anything. He said that's not uncommon, as the skin needs to be pulled open. It's interesting, but it would explain why sometimes i can smell something, and other times i can't, although i can constantly feel something stuck in my throat.

My tonsil hadn't actually regrown, but there was a regrowth of lymph tissue, which is ok. I can see that and it's nothing where anything could get caught. It's less than half an inch and doesn't have any crypts or anything.

So that's my scoop. Anyone else have any doctor news?

Hey guys, I'm not sure if this webpage was all ready mention on this forum, but i found this site (stankbreath dot com/1/what-are-tonsil-stones/) that talks about eliminating tonsil stones. The site mentioned products from Therabreath, not sure if products really work. Do Anyone know?

OH by the way replace the word dot with a period, for some reason i can post url links.

can't

whatastoner,

it was interesting when you mentioned that the stones may CAUSE the post nasal drip because i've only had stones for a year, and i've also only had post nasal drip for a year...SIGH I know that i need to see an ENT, but i'm getting a rhnoplasty in june and the last thing that I want to do is put that on hold...

the nasalcrom was working, but i coughed up another stone today...i'm confused because i have small tonsils, and i touch them a lot and i never feel stones back there...do the stones ever sit inside the tonsil? i don't have much of a gag reflex so i can feel the back of my throat and i don't feel stones...where would they be coming from if not my tonsils!?

Oh my gosh! I can't believe other people have this too! I first discovered this last night, and being the picker I am, I started extracting these white, smelly puss/stone things from my right tonsil. How in the heck do you get rid of these? And what is a water pick- is that the best way to get them out? I even took a picture of the ones I extracted because I thought is was so gross/cool.

whatastoner,
Where to start......sheeeez.
The gargling with epsom salts... pretty much anything that is either acidic or alkaline will kill bacteria. That was why the vinegar worked so well for us(it's an acid) and the listerine(another acid) and the hydrogen peroxide(base) ... the problem though is that they not only kill the bad bacteria, but the good bacteria too. And, in the long run, that caused problems for me. That's why i think items that are rather neutral are better to gargle with... honey water or salt water. But, by all means use what you choose! I'd just be sure to think about probiotics.

Ok, I'm STILL looking into this pH thing. And I've said that a few times I think, but I haven't had much time lately to spend on this. But this explains to me why some people catch this and others don't. It also explains to me why cutting back on some foods (dairy items-nuts-etc.) and increasing other foods (juices, honey and fruits) worked so well for some people and not for all for other people. I think that for some people the change in diet changed their pH just enough to reduce the stone production. Bacteria are pH sensitive.

Here's just a wee bit of reading for you on that topic
http://forum.lef.org/default.aspx?f=39&m=22400
http://curezone.com/forums/m.asp?f=425&i=842

"Most of us" refered to the 'gang' that had been contributing way back when the issue was first addressed. I'm positive if you scrolllll back through all the information posted you will find who 'most of us' were way back when. I tend to keep repeating the same phrases over and over as the same questions are asked over and over. But the reason that the 'most of us' agreed at the time was that tonsil stones can form without any apparent opening to the throat...meaning there was no food getting in. What tonsil stones are made up of ... calcium phosphate is what I think the final verdict was in the latest information.

I'm reposting information I've posted before and I hate that ... my appologies! But here it goes...
******
The key to knowing if you have tonsil stones is the smell. Just touch your tonsil with your finger and smell it. You'll know for sure if you have them.
And I they are some sort of bacteria (personally I still think its the Actinomyces israeli) growing in our tonsils. Kind of a constant low grade infection. If you get sick or stressed, or even exposed to things you are allergic to, they flare up for most of us.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&d...
*****
Here's another one...
"Characterized by multiple abscesses and interconnecting sinus tracts that contain granules of microcolonies imbedded in tissue elements
Microcolonies are macroscopic masses of filamentous bacterial cells that are "cemented" together by calcium phosphate
Known as sulfur granules due to their yellow or orange appearance"
from ...

http://www.life.umd.edu/classroom/bsci424/PathogenDescriptio...

That puts the smell of sulfur and calcium phosphate both in the picture.

*****


Now as to your statement ..... "Food, mucous, and dead skin cells are always in the mouth, with the first two being full of odor-causing bacteria. Consequently, tonsil stones smell like stinky little poop balls. But you don't see a connection to this, you only think it's a ph imbalance in the body that causes stinky little poop balls to form??"
'Food, mucous and dead skin cells are always in the mouth.' That much i agree with. Not only do I agree with the fact ... let me point out that all those items are in everyones mouth...even the mouths WITHOUT tonsil stones. I have repeatedly said that I think tonsil stones are cause by bacteria... I've even said what bacteria I think it is... see above... But KNOWING what bacteria it is doesnt do me any good unless I can figure out why such a normal bacteria that most everyone has grows out of control in only some people...namely ME! and anyone else with tonsil stones. .... So, that's where I'm at.. what is different about us and other people who dont get tonsil stones... I think it could be taking antibiotics which causes or is combined with our having a more acidic pH system. If you read back a bit (and some posts do disappear over time) you will find what bacteria needs to survive.

And your statement.... "Food, mucous and dead skin cells all easily get stuck in the crypts of the tonsils. If you'll notice, people have mentioned the connection between bigger holes being formed and the increase in incidence of tonsil stones. It's repeated many times as you read." I dont' think the number of times something is repeated makes it any closer to true for anything. But, my personal experience of careful observation is that my crypts are small until they are filled with what i believe is the bacteria causing the tonsil stones and then when the stones finally pop out that leaves a hole, but that hole will close in no time at all. I don't think we have large crypts until after we get tonsil stones to enlarge them. But hey... I could be wrong on that too.
And your statements..... "If you think the PH balance is what is causing the stones, there MUST BE a 1+1=2 type of logic for this theory, or else it doesn't hold water. So, what exactly is that logic? Maybe I am thick, but i just can't see how you're connecting one to the other.
I just am not even getting how you are jumping from body ph to the formation of stones in the tonsils. Can you please explain this?"

I'll simply say ... read above and I think we are beyond simple math. We're into algrebra... it's 1+1+x=2+x. I'll repeat myself....I'm looking for a permanant cure other than the current recommended sugery.

And just as an observation... you post almost as prolifically as nomorstinkbombs and a very similar tone to your writing.

whatastoner,

I am curious why you would recommend the surgery?

From reading what you have posted ... you had the surgery as a kid and still have had stones for 30 years?

cece27,

It's possible you may have an area where food/mucous/bacteria is getting caught, that is independent of the tonsils. My situation is like that too, and it is maddening, because if they WERE in the tonsils i think they'd be much easier to get out!

The longer they stay in there, the worse they smell too. That would explain why some people's don't smell so bad, (they can flush them out with a waterpik, etc.) and other's do. Mine stay in a long time because they are further down the throat, extremely difficult to get out and are just horrific smelling when they do come out.

Do you think you are coughing these up from your imediate throat or deeper down in the throat?

I think the food can get trapped in the crypts of the tonsils if that's what you mean by the food sitting inside the tonsil. But if the problem is more in the throat all the waterpiking and gargling in the world doesn't help.

You mentioned also (back on March 31st) that the stones seem to come from inside the throat, but that they sounded exactly like the description of tonsil stones. That is my situation too. Is it possible for you to ask your doctor to recommed an Esophagram for you, so you can check out if the problem is originating in your throat?? I don't think that would threaten the progress of your rhinoplasty since they are two seperate issues.

It may not be necessary for you to remove your tonsils because you may not have tonsil crypts. The tonstils may just be acting to obstruct the food when you are swallowing and so food is getting stuck somewhere in the back of the throat. In that case it may be a matter of gargling after every meal.......that is, if you feel it's worth the hassle.

Let me know if you have a problem getting an Esophagram if you want to get one. (But you probably won't have a problem.)If you don't have insurance, or if your doctor is not being helpful enough, there is such a thing as Medical Discount Savings Plans, in- which you can deal directly with an ENT without having to get prior approval from your primary doctor. It's just a matter of finding an ENT who accepts one of those plans (there are two that i know of,) and then scheduling an appointment. The plans are relatively cheap, (one starts at $30. a month regardless of family size,) and ideal i think for young people just starting out who can't afford traditional insurance, or for people who are relatively healthy who don't want to throw away $400. - $600. a month when they rarely need medical intervention, or even for college students. These plans are not for everybody, but they are very affordable and convenient for people who can use them.

Let me know if this would be something helpful to you and i can post the websites.

in response to the question about my diet:

i stopped eating meat when i was about 12 years old, and have always had tonsil stones. when i went vegan (no eggs, dairy, or other animal products) the stones completely disappeared. they came back when i started eating dairy again. i haven't reintroduced meat into my diet at all.

tea tree oil is a natural antiseptic. i've used for everything from healing cuts, scrapes, and piercings to washing my face and gargling with it.

for a gargling solution, use maybe 5 drops of tea tree oil in a small glass of water. also, if you're using tea tree oil for purposes like gargling, make sure you buy the pure oil that doesn't have other chemical ingredients.

when i got my wisdom teeth taken out, i had an injection of anesthetic. right upon returning home, i remember going to sleep and waking up with my pillow soaked in blood. i believe i developed dry sockets (pus would leak out every couple minutes in little squirts and gushes), but my dentist didn't believe me. i practically had to beg for an antibiotic script. also, this brings to mind another episode that i had as a kid. i had a dead tooth taken out, and can recall waking up from the procedure and being intensely nauseous. every time i even lifted my head, i started vomiting blood. i had to be taken to the car in a wheelchair. as such, i am highly reluctant to undergo any similar procedure.

i should mention that i haven't had any stones for the past couple weeks. i have been inspecting my tonsils, and the crypts are always empty. the only thing that has changed in my diet is that i have been eating hardly any fresh fruit or veggies. maybe this has had an effect on my body's ph level?

Just me,

I'll answer your second post first as you asked me a good question. I have stones that are unrelated to the tonsils. That doesn't mean that other people do. When people write that their tonsils are huge and swollen, full of crypts, full of smelly stones, and possibly causing post-nasal drip, not to mention the possible constant infection they may be full of, silly me, but i think, hey i think i'd wanna get that MESS out of my throat.

Just recently we've seen Kimmy write about her boyfriend not wanting to kiss her because of the smell of these things, and other people mention how bad their breath is and how self-conscious it makes them. I'm not sure you're understanding how devastating this problem can be....especially to young people. And i seriously question WHY, when Byron wrote what i will copy/paste below, your answer to him was to please WAIT UNTIL YOU WORK OUT YOUR PH THEORY???

LISTEN to what this person was/is saying....."I don't even want to wake up in the morning"....."My self esteem is really low" ...and tell me what you hear this person saying. I can tell you what i hear is this: It's getting harder and harder for me to face each new day with these because they are RUINING my quality of life. It's embarrassing, depressing, and humiliating. I spend the day feeling paranoid about my breath because i know it's so bad.

I could say more but you get the picture. THAT is why i recommend people take the straightest course, and quickest way to fixing this disgusting problem. But i'll put what he posted here, and see if you can hear it the way i heard it so you can understand. In a nutshell Justme, when people are hurting this bad, you DO NOT ask them to wait so you can work out a theory of your own. Isn't that more about YOU and not the person in pain?

Here's Byron's post:

blpsara, thank you and your advice will be well taken. I am not going to wait one more second to go see an ENT. To answer your question, my tonsils are extraordinarily large. As for HappyMommyx4, I can completely understand your perspective. After all, these stones are very common in pediatrics and tend to subside as we get older. Understand that this is a medical condition that differs from individual to individual. It is a condition with a minor degree of explanation. I believe what I am going through is somewhat of an advanced form of this bacterial infection. Try to amplify what your kids have times 10. Imagine not being able to speak to someone that is as close as 3 feet to you because of the horrific smell. Or every 3 or 4 hours of the day accidentally biting down on the surfaced stones(like 2 at a time). Imagine several bacterial balls rolling around in your mouth because of cryptic tonsils 3 times the normal size. I dont even want to wake up in the morning because even though I am a successful person, I am sentenced to a day of ridicule and haste. Try to put that into perspective. I believe that all our cases are different. I can also say that I would never want anyone to go through what I have been going through because of these aweful stones. Next step for me, a tonsillectomy. The pain from the procedure will be a welcoming sensation for me. It cant be any worse than what I have been going through. I will keep you guys posted on my outcome. Thank you guys for all your replys. - Byron

Justme,

I failed to include this post of Byron's which i had meant to.

"I just wanted to clarify my last post. I am 24 years old and have gone to war with these stones for about 15 years now. They are absolutley horrible. I get them on a daily basis ranging from .5 mm to 2 mm in circumferance. I get them in both tonsils and they are very visible. I am talking like 3 visible crypts on each side. I can easily dig out 6-10 of these awefull smelling things daily. I have tried peroxide, listerine, q-tips, water jets, etc. Nothing works. I work in health science and am in close contact with several employees ands patients. The signs that my breath is bad are sadly very apparent. My tonsils are extremely large!! My self esteem is extremely low despite having a wife and a 2 year old son. I definitely want my tonsils out at any cost!! I have not gone to see an ENT yet. I was wondering if anyone has had their tonsils extracted soley on this problem. It seems to me that there have been a couple of you. How should I approach the ENT? Will he give me any trouble about an operation? Should I take him some of the stones I have extracted? I feel disgusted just talking about this. I reside in Fresno CA. Somebody please help!!"

I hope Byron doesn't mind me using his posts as an example, but since his case is so extreme i think it proves a good point, and raises another question.

Sometimes people can try EVERYTHING and they still have a problem. WHY should they wait a minute longer if there is a way to fix this problem? But i think the more important question you should ask yourself Justme, is: "Why would i DISCOURAGE someone from getting a tonsillectomy when it's so obvious they seriously need and want one?" What do you have AGAINST tonsillectomies?

As i said i had mine out years ago. I have a problem with the pocket, (which i didn't know was there,) but guess what? I never get sick. And i mean NEVER. When everyone around me is falling down sick i get a sore chest, OR a runny nose, OR some congestion with a headache, (i don't get more than one symptom at a time,) and any of it lasts about one day. That's how good my immune system is. It's like a minor annoyance and nothing more when i fight something off. I contribute that to drinking tons of water.

If the tonsils were THAT IMPORTANT to fighting off infections i should be sick all the time because i don't have mine. THat is why i recommend getting them out too. For the people here at least, they are more of a problem than they are a help.

This shouldn't be about YOU justme, OR a place where you ask others to try this or that experiment and "report back to us." Why aren't you trying out this pH theory on yourself, and if it works, then you tell others what you did to improve stone formation? I know everyone here is open to suggestions.

My case of developing a pocket is probably not very common. Once we had our tonsils out as kids (my siblings at the same time) since none of us developed infections, just a quick check was done afterwards. No long term care or attention was thought necessary. I never knew the pocket was even there until this site got me thinking about the tonsil connection and i went and had it checked out. Which brings me to my next question...

Why would you try to imply (albeit in an underhanded way) that i am another poster? (I am NOT by the way any other poster. I started reading here roughly 2 weeks ago. )Did that poster do something wrong and get kicked out of here or something? I don't know because i did not read each and every post from the beginning of this thread. What i mean is this: WHY would "nomostinkbombs" have to come back with another name to post? WHAT would be the point?

Did you have a problem with him/her or something? Is that why you're a bit paranoid about my "tone"? I think many people sound similar on here. As far as being "prolific" with my postings, why should that bother you?

Please remember Justme, it is not all about any one particular person here. People are hurting and looking for ways to solve this problem. Your older postings offered very helpful and practical solutions.

And, sorry, but i don't buy your explanation of the pH theory being more like algebra than simple arithmatic. IF the theory can be connected, then it all starts with a simple connect-the-dots or, 1+1=2 explanation, which is what i was asking for. If you're not ready for that fine, but please do not ask anyone else to put their life on hold while you work out the details.

Hey guys, I want to ask you something. I don't get tonsils stones really at all these days, I never encounter them, I did for a period of time when i was 17. They hit me out of nowhere, and at the same time so did bitter tastes and bad breath. Now I am so orally hygeinic and so conscious about my breath, even up to today. On many occassions though, like now, I have a very bitter taste in my mouth, and I know its not from gum problems. I can't see any tonsil stones when i probe for them, only a small whitish spot back there, which i've had for years, and i dont think is the problem becuase its never given me bad breath. There doesn't seem to be any problem when i talk to people, I'm just so self conscious though. What do you guys taste in your mouths? Do you taste the tonsil stone taste? Or do you taste just bitter taste? I know what both taste like and i dont taste the stones. How big do the stones feel when you have them? Do you feel them constantly? I dont feel anything right now, only a very slight tingling when i swallow hard, and im not even sure if thats a stone. Whatever it is, its been there for a long time, and its on my right side, perhaps its somewhere lower down and not in the tonsils? OR do you guys think I just have a tongue problem? I have read elsewhere that people with geographic tongue, (i thinki have that), are more prone to lousy tastes and white coatings (i have that by the end of the day after brushing my tongue). Please someone just tell me what you guys feel and taste, so i can distinguish my problems from yours, I have small tonsils but i have crypts too, they don't stink when i touch them and smell my finger, so whats causing my bitter taste? ITs driving me nuts man

I am 13 and I've had these white bumps in the back of my throat for about 6 months. That may not seem long but I have been getting them either everyday or every other day. They are extremely annoying and I can feel when they are back there. Yesterday, I pulled out 4 bloody ones. This worried me because I've never gotten bloody ones. I mostly get them on the left side and have only gotten them on the right side once. My mom gets them as well and I really want her to take me to get my tonsils removed.
My left tonsil has changed shape, gotten bigger and almost looks like it's in 3 parts. I really hate getting these things and want to put it to an end. 6 months of these things is enough to drive me crazy! I dont know how a lot of you have lived with them for many years.

cece27,
Kinda think that was me saying I think the tonsil stones cause the PND instead of the other way around. It just makes sense to me that if tonsil stones are caused by bacteria you have a constant low grade infection and that is one of the symptoms of having an infection.

This goes along with this information from ... (Something for anyone thinking of the surgery to read.)
http://www-surgery.ucsd.edu/ent/DAVIDSON/consult_sorethroat....

"Patient: Are there other reasons to have a tonsillectomy?
Doctor: Yes there are. Some people have a low grade infection and produce small white and yellow pustules continuously in the tonsillar crypts. This is uncomfortable and often causes horrible halitosis."

My personal experience of taking years of both perscription and over the counter medications for my sinus/allergy problems(post nasal drip) were a waste of medication because they simply treated the symptom and ignored the problem.

For me, and at least a few others, the holes in our tonsil are at the top of the tonsil. I'm talking WAY up top. And cece...if you have tonsils you have tonsil crypts. EVERYONE who has tonsils has tonsil crypts.


puss stones,
A water pic is like a mini powerwasher... it's designed for cleaning between your teeth. It's great if you have braces or other dental work, but if you use it to rinse out your tonsils you have to be careful as it is really too high pressure for that. But that hasnt stopped most of us from doing it anyway. ;) The best and cheaper solution is irrigating your tonsils with a 412 monoject syringe. You may have trouble finding one, but they are about $2usd and can be ordered over the web. Hobby or craft stores sometimes carry them. The best way to figure out where to squirt your tonsils though is using a method that pedro posted ages ago. I'll repost it for you....

originally posted by pedro h ...
"**** HOW I REMOVED ALL MY TONSIL STONES ****

I have large tonsils and large crypts in them. I used a small needleless syringe to flush out all my crypts with warm saline solution. I did this for a period of 3 months twice a day. Using my finger and my sense of smell I discovered that the tonsil stone stench was eventually only coming out of one crypt at the top of my tonsils. I stuck the syringe very far in to it, and flushed out about 30 tiny tonsil stones. I guess I found the crypt in my tonsils where the stones were produced and flushed all the stones out. That was 7 months ago. I’d had stones for over 5 years prior to that. I have always had very good oral hygiene, however that alone will not get rid of them. Nor will poking around with a Q-tip or “equalizing” which will probably just make a few loose ones come out.

I’m not suggesting that this method will work for everyone, however it worked for me. I now have fresh, normal smelling breath and no longer have the rancid taste of the stones in my mouth. Like I said before, I eat yoghurts, and I drink milk, and I eat cheese – dairy was not the cause of my tonsil stones. I think that by thoroughly cleaning my tonsils I removed the bacteria that caused the stones, hence the fact that I do not have them anymore. I have good oral hygiene, I brush floss and use mouthwash twice a day.

I hated having tonsil stones. I was not confident talking to people because of my bad breath, and I longed to get rid of them. Now I have.

If they come back, they won’t last long."
***
I will say that I had gotten rid of my stones in the same basic way before his posting, but mine returned after about a year. The problem I have now is that they hurt even worse than they used to because they cant seem to escape my tonsil.


kavithasmenon,
Sorry to hear that... but I must say... I can't taste them, but I can sure smell them when they are crushed. I can even smell them in my saliva at times. Kinda gross....but what about this whole topic isnt... smell your saliva by washing your hand then licking the back of it and smelling it. Sometimes it smells, but sometimes it doesnt.....for me it just depends on how close to the surface a tonsil stone is i guess.



whatastoner,
Dude...I'm no expert...and I no longer take the time to read every post, but just hitting the highlights I saw you told cece she might not have crypts... I am positive that what you told cece is incorrect. EVERYONE who has tonsils has crypts. You've been posting for 10 days now. I appreciate how exciting it is to finally know the name of what it is you have had for years. One thing to keep in mind is that not everyone on this forum lives in america. And, Byron has had stones how long? What would one month of testing the pH balancing be in relation to that. I mean really...in the whole big picture how long would a month be really compaired to the 2 weeks recovering from a surgery that might not be needed. Especially when there are so many people who wander in here AFTER having the surgery who still have tonsil stones. Over the past 6-8 months I've had lots of ideas about tonsil stones. There is no posible way I could have tested them all myself. I change one thing at a time so I will know what change it is that works for me. The amount of information out there on tonsil stones now compaired to what was out there when I first started researching the topic is astronomical. And ... know what .... you've been here 10 days .... I don't think that gives you the right to tell me what I can or can not say or do on this board.

Please consult with the moderator if you feel my postings are inappropriate and we will leave it at that. This is a homeopathic website.... view other portions of the site if you are not familiar with how things work in here.


More than enough from me for a while.

GL all!

kmoeller,

Wow it almost sounds like you have a blood problem when you have any type of surgery. The list of substances to avoid up to 1 week before surgery i just got has 23 different things on it, including multi-vitamins that include vitamin E, and vitamin E taken seperately as well. THAT one surprized me. Maybe it was something simple like that that could've made you bleed more post-op?

THANK YOU for the tea-tree oil concentration. I'll give that a try. Maybe gargling deep in my throat will at least cut back on the smell!

Don't worry about what you eat changing your pH. We are not that fragile. God, in His infinite wisdom, gave us 5 different systems for handling an increase in Hydrogen ion concentration so that we wouldn't become too acidic. You aren't going to change your pH by what you eat to the point where you could become acidic - so please don't worry about this being something "wrong" that you're doing or eating. Here's just some basic info that might help you:

Our stomachs are full of hydrochloric acid, it's what breaks up our food - along with enzymes. Gastric juices are at 2.0 acidity. How could our system be changed by what we eat if our stomachs are already full of acids? I mean, if we were going to be acidic based on what we took into our stomachs we would already be acidic before we ate a thing!

I remember one time i went on the Beverly Hills Diet. With that you have to eat pineapple 3 - 4 times a day. It's very acidic. It was also a very popular diet at one time. But you never heard of people becoming acidic from it. It just didn't happen. Besides, we all know people who drink coffee or iced tea all day, or drink water with lemon in it and they don't become acidic either. It's a phantom problem.

Your pH is between 7.35 and 7.45 which is actually a very narrow range. You'll KNOW if you become acidic because there are really only two types of acidosis: respiratory or metabolic. With respiratory acidosis you'll have symptoms such as drowsiness, disorientation and stupor. When the symptoms get that bad you'll start labored and heavy breathing and you'd be cyanotic. (blue lips and under nails). So......you'd know for sure if you were having these problems. Besides, there are specific reasons you go into respiratory acidosis, like brain stem injury, air way obstruction or diseases like pneumonia or emphysema.

Metabolic acidosis is due either to:

1.) Kidney disease (the kidneys don't excrete acids produced from normal metabolic processes like they're supposed to,)

2.) Prolonged vomiting (too much alkaline contents of the upper intestine is lost)

3.)Prolonged diarrhea (same reason as above)

4.) Diabetes mellitus (fatty acids are converted into ketone bodies and they can't be oxidized quickly enough so the acids build up quicker than the buffer systems can handle them.) There's more to it than that, but that's the condensed version!

If there is a form of acidosis resulting from diet i'm sure it would have to involve someone with EXTREME dietary habits, which wouldn't include you, so don't think you are doing something wrong and causing this problem. It seems to be more of an opportunistic thing, such as this:

eating dairy ---> mucous formation ---> food gets caught in thick, sticky mucous ---> bacteria works on food and mucous ---> bacteria gives off sulphuric gases that stink ----> stink balls look for nice cozy hangout, such as back of throat or tonsil crypts.

I think it's as simple as that. Most people probably get these and just swallow them without ever knowing they even have them. The difference in who "gets" them and who doesn't seems to be in those little stink balls finding a place to hang around for a while, such as nice big tonsil crypts. A "crime" of opportunity so to speak.

At least that's my pet theory. :)

Does removing the tonsils completely get rid of the tonsil stones?

dear justmebyanyname,

thanks for ur reply.
just went to the doc and she said it is some necrotic tissue and probably not stones but having quite a bad throat ache now. glands swollen and am on amoxycillin for the next 5 days:)
hope it gets better...
thanks and regards,
Kavitha

whatastoner,

thanks for that info. i might look into potential causes for my problems with surgery. right now, the tonsil stones aren't so severe that i'm willing to go to extreme lengths (ie getting tonsils removed) in order to eliminate them. however, if it does reach that point, i would like to be able to undergo a minor surgery without fear of intense suffering during recuperation.