Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with tonsils

Just When I Thought They Were Out, They Grow Right Back In

katyjack — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 06:58:09 -0800

Would removing tonsils get rid of recurring sinus infections and can or cannot tonsils grow back? (Semi-long question with confusing & contradictory info inside) So when my daughter was around 8 months old (approx 10 years ago - she's 11 now), she got a sinus/ear infection, took an antibiotic and got better. Then she got another, took an antibiotic, got better, and then another and so on for another 18 months. Tried the tubes in the ears, tried the little machine that sprays mist, tried it all and finally the ENT we were referred to (at this point she's two) says she needs to have sinus surgery to scrape out her sinuses because they are impacted and to have her tonsils and adenoids out. We take her in and it's a two part deal. I distinctly remember the ENT telling me that the 2nd part would be better than the 1st, but it was the tonsillectomy that actually hurt more than the sinus surgery. She goes back for the 2nd round of sinus surgery. The ENT later calls me to say that they cultured the mucus in her sinuses and that she had an antibiotic resistant form of strep(!) and that he sprayed in there with an antibiotics and she should be fine.

Despite my natural pessimism toward all things, she actually is. Until last January when the cycle begins again. I'm sent to another ENT who says that too much time has passed for her earlier problems to be related to the current situation. And then he says something else: "her tonsils look a little swollen - that could be part of the problem". I say "they better not" and tell him they were removed. He says no way were they removed, these are full blown tonsils.

I sent away for her records from the hospital to see just what she did have done and in the meantime I called my ex-husband who confirmed that yes, we were told that her tonsils and adenoids were removed. So can they can they grow back? To full size? And how would tonsils cause sinus problems anyway? The more I think about it, the more none of this makes any sense.

I understand that none of this is life or death, but daughter does have hearing problems and dyslexia and I think both were caused by not being able to hear very well during her early years and it seems like both are getting worse. Would love non-MD 2nd opinions.

How painful will my tonsil removal be?

arniec — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 06:29:21 -0800

I'm 34 and getting my tonsils out and my palette shaved.. I hear it's really painful. What should I expect? The short summary says it all, but the long one is this: I have tonsiliths really bad. They get stuck in there so deep that Q-Tips, etc. don't get them out and I've torn up the back of my throat with fingers, picks, water, kleenex, etc. trying to get them out. I saw an ENT who also diagnosed me with sleep apnea and now I'm getting my tonsils removed and my palette shaved.

This is what I wanted. The doctor made me see him for a year griping about my tonsils before giving me the surgery, and he kept telling me how painful it would be. Then when the nurse called she said "This is our single most painful surgery" (Nice, eh?).

A friend of mine got this done and he said he was pretty fine, but as it healed he had to cough up bloody scabs, but he couldn't describe the pain.

To to describe me: I feel I have a high tolerance for pain. I had foot surgery a few years back. The surgery was on Thursday and I took one pain pill. Then I switched to Advil and on Friday I taught class for two hours (standing for the first hour of it). I then had a poker game at my house on Saturday, again only on Advil, with my foot elevated.

Yeah, it hurt but it wasn't "Oh my god I can't function in life, the pain please end the pain!" So...is that what I'm in for when my tonsils come out? Can someone please help quantify how painful this will be, and what TYPE of pain it is? Throbbing? Sharp? Dull? Aching? Torturous?

Tonsillectomy or sinus surgery or both?

ictow — Thu, 29 May 2008 13:05:30 -0800

I am a classic example of poorly-designed nose and throat, and I want to fix it. But my ENT doesn't have any advice and I don't know what's going to do the trick. Post-nasal drip, rampant sinus infections, tonsillar crypts (and accompanying gross white debris), snoring, permanent stuffy nose, coughing up phlegm. It's a hoot. I've tried allergy medicine and neti pots, and while both help a little, I'm never in the clear. I was at the ENT today and he said that despite all of my symptoms none are so bad that it's clear what needs to be done. It's been a dream of mine to get my tonsils taken out, and they're what I've blamed, but now I'm nervous that it might be some crabby sinuses causing the ruckus and the tonsillectomy will result in bupkis. I can get a CT scan that might provide answers, but I'm on a cafeteria insurance plan and am reluctant to spend $400 unnecessarily. I know I don't have any polyps. So any IANAD-advice from people who have been there? What worked, what didn't?

Me vs. Tonsil

granted — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 22:55:36 -0800

Please help me combat the gross taste from my strep-infected tonsil before I hack it out with a paring knife. TMI inside, if it wasn't obvious. I was diagnosed with strep throat on Thursday (it's pretty much confined to the left side) and have been taking penicillin twice a day since then. I've spent most of the ensuing days either sleeping or gorging on ibuprofen, but feel much better and will emerge from my quarantine tomorrow.

Except...this morning when I woke up and was taking my painkiller/antibiotic cocktail I suddenly started gagging. It felt like a pill had gotten caught in my throat. I started exploring the area with my finger and my tonsil felt bizarre, so I rushed to the mirror and saw that my left tonsil had turned into a miniature head of cauliflower. I assume it hasn't been exactly pleasant-looking for the past few days (when the doctor examined me, she exclaimed, "Oh no! Your tonsil!") but this is the first time it's actually made me gag.

So then, of course, I took a Q-tip and started trying to scrape off the white lumpy stuff. I know that was dumb. It didn't budge - all I got was a bloody Q-tip. And all day, as if to taunt me, my goddamn tonsil has been oozing death-juice into the back of my throat. I have spent the past twelve hours just on the verge of vomiting. I have gargled with salt water and mouthwash and brushed my teeth. Nothing helps. I don't know what to do. Furthermore, if the taste is this bad I can only imagine the smell, and I have to go to work tomorrow and my crush will be there and I want to die. Someone please help alleviate my suffering. Thank you.

Ack! Not another case of Strep!

SpecialK — Sun, 13 May 2007 20:11:52 -0800

I keep getting strep throat over and over. Is there any way to help keep from RE-acquiring it? I've had strep twice within the past six months. But each time I get it, I'm antibiotics, I'm fine for a week or two, and then I've got Strep again. (Just looked down my throat, and -- there's little white patches forming again!) I change my toothbrushes out each time I get it, I change my bedclothes and bleach my pillows, I wash my work surfaces and sanitize the bathroom ... I can't seem to figure out how I keep re-aquiring it, and my ENT is starting to mumble about having my tonsils out and my regular doctor doesn't want to hear about it anymore until I do get my tonsils out.

At 27 years of age, I'd be dreading the recovery. Plus, I'm allergic to like EVERYTHING and don't want to lose the little bit of additional protection that the tonsils give you.

The other problem seems to be that my tonsils are normally huge -- have been ever since I moved to Texas. As in, they're so huge that they clog my throat and ride on my tongue.

I realize that you're not a doctor, and I'm definitely under the care of several. Is there anything that I can do to help it along that they don't know or aren't telling me, short of poppin' those tonsils?

Why can't I exhale after a tonsillectomy?

Pater Aletheias — Sat, 27 Jan 2007 16:18:16 -0800

I had my tonsils removed yesterday morning. Since then, when I'm lying down, I can breathe fine with my head to the side. But when I'm facing straight up, I can't exhale through my nose, although inhaling is fine. I'm not worried, just curious about what is causing this to happen. I'm 34, if that's relevant. If it's not, I'm 34 anyway.

pediatricians & parents, tell me of toddler tonsils

oigocosas — Sun, 14 Jan 2007 22:25:37 -0800

our 2.5 yo son has giant tonsils and sleep apnea. listening to his labored breathing hurts us. contemplating a tonsilectomy on such a little guy hurts us, too. anybody wanna weigh in?

Tonsillectomy survival tips and grocery list?

wubbie — Wed, 12 Apr 2006 22:20:54 -0800

Tonsillectomy survival tips and grocery list? I'm 32 and having my tonsils and adenoids out next week and getting my uvula "shortened" to hopefully cure my sleep apnea. Apparently the procedure is a little rougher on adults than I was led to believe, because I distinctly remember Cindy Brady just eating some ice cream and she was back playing with Tiger by the end of the episode.

But she was a child with better ability to recover, and it was on the teevee.

My ENT said to expect a 2 week recovery period, and I'd like to hear from anyone their (positive! uplifting!) experiences after having their tonsils out in adulthood. Horror stories will not help me, unless you learned something that you could have done to prevent them. I'd also appreciate any suggestions on grocery food and items I should have in the house while I'm recovering.

So far:

* I've heard varying degrees on pain reports, with the most extreme being "This will be the most painful thing you will experience in your adult life." So I'm trying to mentally prepare for the worst, so I can be relieved if it turns out slightly better. Sort of like when I went to go see the new Star Wars movies.

* Drink as much water as you can, avoid acidic drinks. You'll probably subsist on crushed ice the first couple of days. Also chew gum (presumably to keep saliva flowing?)

* You can graduate to soft foods that don't need to be chewed when you're done with ice. I'm thinking SlimFast shakes?

* Apparently you're NOT supposed to eat ice cream (thanks Cindy) or anything else with sugar as it can lead to infection.

* You'll lose weight, up to 10-15 pounds (yay)

I've heard some other hindsight-is-20/20 tips as well, like asking for lidocaine spray or gargle to help with pain.

Anything else?

Look ma, no tonsils!

mr.dan — Fri, 30 Dec 2005 00:26:36 -0800

How can a tonsillectomy affect one's singing voice? My doctor recommended that I get my tonsils out. I have tonsillitis and my tonsils are about 4x the size of regular tonsils. I googled and got a million different answers, so I was wondering if anyone has any real experiences or knowledge they can share. I have a vocal pathologist I can talk with, but she is unavailable at the moment.

Also, I am by no means a professional singer. I sing backup in my band and have never had any sort of vocal lessons.

Must I have surgery for my tonsillitis?

Catch — Tue, 25 Oct 2005 00:17:12 -0800

Tonsillitis - I'd like some advice from anyone who has had tonsillitis as an adult - how was it treated, antibiotics or the knife? One of my tonsils is in really bad shape right now and I am shamefully afraid that my sawbones will want to carve me up. How likely is this in the age of Antibiotics? My mental state isn't helped at the moment by all this infection in my system. I haven't heard any good stories about adult tonsillectomies, just 'the horror'. I am tossing up self-medicating on Augmentin, gargling with a lot of salt water and hoping it goes away. Yes, I am the world's biggest coward. Please hold my hand and help me make the right decision.

SurgeryFilter: how would one remove ones own tonsils in a safe fashion?

Grod — Thu, 07 Jul 2005 18:12:10 -0800

SurgeryFilter: Hypothetically, if someone wanted to perform relatively minor surgery on themselves, say a tonsillectomy, how would this someone go about it? Seriously. I want to know equipment, drugs, and procedure. How do you keep things sterile, stop bleeding, etc. Assume the individual in question can override the majority of his reflexes, including gagging, at will. I'm sorry if this question seems a bit macabre, for the fourth time in as many months I've been afflicted with swollen, pus enamaled tonsils that hurt like you would not belive and are not the result of strep. Nonetheless, this is a hypothetical question, so surgeons and other people with first hand knowledge feel free to contribute.

adult tonsillectomy pain healing

craniac — Sun, 26 Jun 2005 19:17:00 -0800

An adult neighbor/friend had his tonsils out, and he's in hella pain, despite ingesting many Lortab. It's been a week. If you've had your tonsils out as an adult, did anything help with the post-surgery recovery? I've read about *why* it hurts--cauterization of sensitive tissue, bacterial infection, etc. It's been over a week and this guy is miserable. I'm wondering what he can do beyond the standard ice cream drill. Is there anything ho-listic he could be doing?