I hate my tonsils

April 15, 2012 3:00 PM

My allergies have left my tonsils permanently swollen and I find myself choking when I eat far too often. What should I do?

I'm not sick, but have pretty bad seasonal allergies that lead to tonsilitis and sinus infections on a pretty regular basis. I have my allergies pretty well under control with Claritin, nose spray, and neti pot, but in the last month or two my tonsils have become enlarged. They aren't infected. It doesn't hurt, but I find myself choking far too often on food. It seems to get progressively worse as I eat a meal. It's starting to scare me that one of these days I could choke for real. What should I do about it? Getting my tonsils removed as an adult is major surgery. Is there anything I cando to reduce the swelling? They aren't red or inflamed. I only notice when I'm eating.

posted by whoaali to Health & Fitness (13 answers total)

You need to see an ear, nose and throat doctor. There are many things that could be causing difficulty swallowing, and you should get it checked out. While it might be related to your tonsils, it could very likely be something else. It could be as something as simple as acid reflux.
posted by kimdog at 3:04 PM on April 15, 2012 [5 favorites]

You are going to have to go to a doctor. There is no way around this.
posted by Lobster Garden at 3:05 PM on April 15, 2012 [1 favorite]

I had my tonsils removed as an adult and it is not as bad as people make it out to be. If you feel your tonsils are actually getting in the way of you swallowing and eating, you absolutely must go see an ENT. Having my tonsils removed was seriously one of the best decisions I've ever made. Please feel free to memail me if you end up going that route and I'll share every coping strategy I accrued to deal with the post-surgery period. :)
posted by These Birds of a Feather at 3:10 PM on April 15, 2012 [1 favorite]

See an ENT, but also, get a flashlight. Shine it on the back of your throat in a mirror. Have a good look. Are they just *swollen*, or are there white spots? If you can see white spots, you can try getting a q-tip or an irrigation syringe full of water and *gently* attempting to dislodge them. Tonsil stones can lead to uncomfortable swelling and difficulty with swallowing, and at least in some cases can be dealt with just by gently irrigating once a day or so with a syringe full of water.

This is something that nobody seems to talk about but that isn't all that uncommon. I went to at least one ENT who didn't even mention the possibility even though I was actually getting infections regularly, and after I started irrigating, ten years later I haven't had a single one since. Saved me an operation. It's not a replacement for surgery if it doesn't actually help, but it's a harmless thing to try, usually.
posted by gracedissolved at 3:13 PM on April 15, 2012 [1 favorite]

Get to your primary care physician, and in the meantime see if you can keep a log of the types of foods you are more likely to choke on. If you develop a fever or pneumonia, tell your doctor RIGHT AWAY that you've been choking a lot lately. Your PCP will then decide if you should see an ENT, an allergist, or an SLP for a full swallow evaluation.

Good luck!

(FYI, the medical term for swallowing trouble is dysphagia [dis-fah-zah or dis-fay-zah]), in case you hear it from your physician.)
posted by absquatulate at 3:23 PM on April 15, 2012

Of course you need to see an ENT or an Allergist/Immunologist post haste; I am just a patient and not either of those. The only solution may not be tonsillectomy, though. I have recently been put on steroids for my allergies and the soft tissue swelling that comes along with it (I have tonsil swelling and dysphagia, too). The new immune suppressive my allergist is using, Cyclosporine, is used in three month bursts to reset the body's allergic response (his explanation) and often results in years of relief / decreased antihistamine use. It sounds like a big scary drug, but according to him, people have a worse time on Prednisone.

Weather weirdening has made allergies hell this year. You have my super-empathy.
posted by sweltering at 3:37 PM on April 15, 2012 [1 favorite]

Tonsil stones are no joke. I once sucked one out that was so big I Honest-To-God thought i'd sucked my uvula off and burst into tears before checking what the Hell it was and realizing I wasn't bleeding. And I will add counterpoint that YES my adult tonsilectomy was as awful a recovery as people tell you. That said, it made a lot of things better. Permanently. Nthing get thee to a doctor: Let a professional determine what part of the body is dysfunctional, and what treatment options are. Tonsilectomies shouldn't be ruled out on pain scale alone if that's where the trouble actually is.
posted by Ys at 3:47 PM on April 15, 2012

Wheil you are waiting to go to the doc have you tried nsaids like ibuprofen to see if that might drop the swelling a touch. I have big tonsils that should come out and get sore from allergies (post nasal drip). When it turns out that it doesn't look like a bacterial infection they usually say to try nsaids for the swelling.
posted by oneear at 5:57 PM on April 15, 2012

I had this same problem (completely blown out tonsils from the billion times I'd had strep throat and seasonal allergies) and honestly I think the only way to solve it is to get a tonsillectomy. It was a pretty miserable month of my life following the surgery but it was so, so worth it that I'd go through it again if I had to--I don't blame you for being afraid of the surgery but it's better to get it done with than continue living with majorly screwed-up tonsils, especially if you're having trouble eating or breathing (pretty vital things, those!). So definitely go see an ENT!
posted by Papagayo at 2:34 AM on April 16, 2012

Having them out is not that bad. I had them out as an adult. I will tell you, talking for long stretches and solid food will be OUT for a while. You might want to plan around that.
posted by FatRabbit at 10:08 AM on April 16, 2012

Response by poster: I've made an appointment with an ent, but it will be several weeks. I think I'm going to stick with soft foods until then. I do get some tonsil stones, but this is definitely a different feeling. I've never had my tonsils half choke me before without also being really sick and in a lot of pain. I'm in no pain I'm just scared I'm going to choke and finding it harder and harder to eat normal food.
posted by whoaali at 7:26 PM on April 16, 2012

Response by poster: So I went to the ENT and it turns out I really should read the instructions for the OTC nose spray I've been using. Apparently you shouldn't use it for more than 3 days because it causes a rebound effect and I had been using it for at least 2 months multiple times a day. He gave me some more allergy medicine and a prescription nosespray and it's improved a lot. I'm still having some minor issues, but I think that is mostly just allergies causing everything to swell a bit.
posted by whoaali at 12:08 PM on May 28, 2012

Wow. Who knew, right? Glad you're feeling better.
posted by Ys at 8:26 PM on June 11, 2012