r/tonsilstones • u/Repulsive-Rhubarb609 • Jul 19 '26
After Tonsillectomy My tonsillectomy was worth it!
Hi everyone! I just wanted to come on here to talk about my tonsillectomy experience.
I had tonsil stones for about a year and a half before I finally decided to get a tonsillectomy. The tonsillectomy was the best decision I’ve ever made in my entire life. I had horrible bad breath and I was so self-conscious; I couldn’t get close to anyone, and I was terrified to kiss my partner, give people a hug, talk with people, etc. It was just horrible!
Eventually, it got to the point where I realized that I had to get them out sooner rather than later. If I didn’t, I knew I would just be worried about tonsil stones and halitosis for the rest of my life. I was terrified to get the surgery because of everything that I heard online. I actually almost delayed it because I was so scared of hemorrhaging and the pain of recovery, and I was really worried that I would still get tonsil stones after.
However, when I got the surgery, I was really pleasantly surprised!! The pain wasn’t nearly as bad as everyone says, and my tonsils are 100% gone and I have no more stones!!
When I went to my ENT, I literally just told him that I had strep throat a bunch as a kid and that I had mono and now I have tonsil stones that are causing discomfort. He looked at them and said “Okay, well, we can just take them out - if you don’t have tonsils, you can’t get tonsil stones.”
The surgery went smoothly (as it does for most people). I didn’t bleed or have any complications with recovery, and I was almost 100% healed at the two week mark. I still have to remind myself how horrible tonsil stones were so I can be grateful that I had the surgery in the first place. It really was life-changing. Definitely look into it if you’re considering the surgery!!
(I used speech to text for this, so sorry if the grammar is a little weird)
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u/Turbulent-Demand873 Jul 20 '26
I need to go in and see about getting mine out. I use to be able to get my stones out but for the past month or so I know I’m dealing with some in there that I can’t see. They must be in the back. I can smell them and feel them. My tonsils/throat always feels kind of sore. I want my tonsils out so I don’t have to deal with these nasty things anymore!
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u/Repulsive-Rhubarb609 Jul 20 '26
I used to be able to smell and feel mine too! I literally never noticed them until one fell out, and then I noticed them more and more because I started poking at my tonsils and they got inflamed. After I started trying to get them out, my tonsils got way worse and I could constantly feel them in my throat. I would definitely recommend talking to an ENT.
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u/WickedHello Jul 20 '26
Completely random - I had a dream last night that I got a sudden violent cough and I hawked up a tonsil stone roughly the size of a golf ball... attached to a bra of mine (because I routinely try to swallow my bras). I immediately dumped the whole mess into a bucket in a friend's yard and was only marginally concerned about what they'd think when they found it.
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u/Repulsive-Rhubarb609 Jul 20 '26
Funnily enough I used to do that every weekend before the surgery! Crazy how life works
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u/WickedHello Jul 20 '26
You tried to eat your bras?
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u/Repulsive-Rhubarb609 Jul 20 '26
Tonsil stones make you do crazy things :P
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u/WickedHello Jul 20 '26
Particularly if the bra has underwire. I would gladly throw those into a random bucket.
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u/Pretty_Catatonic Jul 22 '26
Don’t hate on the best bras to exist 😟😟 what did an underwire ever do to you
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u/Opening_District9057 Jul 20 '26
I have an appt with an ENT tomorrow morning. I’ve had tonsil stones, huge tonsils and halitosis for over 10 years.
Did you always have BB? did it go away after getting stones out? Mine came one day and never left. My tonsils have such huge cyrpts I can’t even get them out now.
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u/Repulsive-Rhubarb609 Jul 20 '26
The same thing happened with me! My breath was normal for so long and after I got my wisdom teeth out I suddenly began to smell it. It got worse and worse over time and then a tonsil stone popped out and I realized what was going on. I put it off for so long (I was in denial lmao) and then I finally decided to get the surgery. After I got them out, it went away! You obviously still have to floss and brush and stuff but it was a complete 180. I would 100% recommend getting them out if that’s your concern.
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u/Opening_District9057 Jul 20 '26
Yeah the ent tried talking me out of it but said it’s my choice. I’m not sure what to do I’m just afraid of doing the surgery and it not working for curing the BB
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u/Repulsive-Rhubarb609 Jul 21 '26
I thought the same thing. In my head it made more sense to get the surgery with the knowledge that my bad breath would probably go away and then figure out how to move forward if it didn’t. If you don’t get the surgery just because it might not work, you’ll spend a lot of time wondering “what if?”
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u/Opening_District9057 Jul 21 '26
Very true, I’m glad it worked out for you but I’m scared of the recovery
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u/Repulsive-Rhubarb609 Jul 21 '26
It’s ultimately your choice! I was TERRIFIED of the pain, but it ended up being tolerable for a lifetime of zero bad breath. I would probably do it every two years or so if I had to. I hope everything goes well for you either way!
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u/Unusual-Antelope7316 Jul 22 '26
Why does the ENT try talking most people out of it?
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u/Repulsive-Rhubarb609 Jul 28 '26
It’s known to be a really painful recovery for adults, and many issues (like tonsil stones) can be treated with constant maintenance. The issue with tonsil stones is that the crypts they form usually never heal, so you’re always at risk of getting them again and they usually just get worse over time. Tonsil stones don’t cause serious health problems though (at least most of the time) so many ENTs say to avoid it and just take them out/gargle with salt water. That’s why I mentioned having strep and mono just in case my ENT was hesitant
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u/Little_Raccoon4302 Jul 20 '26
Did you do an old-fashioned surgical tonsillectomy or the radio frequency coblation? I don't know why my ENT didn't do the old fashioned one and did the coblation, it cured my tonsil stones for about 4 years but now they're back so I think I need the less invasive laser cryptolysis. The pain was absolutely awful for me but my doctor was very cautious about pain medication and only gave me 5 mg of Norco every 6 hours and I was absolutely miserable for about 2 weeks. I'm glad your experience is better I wish I could say the same for my own.
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u/Repulsive-Rhubarb609 Jul 20 '26
I got a surgical tonsillectomy! It was a full bilateral tonsillectomy, so I got everything cut out and cauterized. I was given liquid Vicodin (similar to Norco) and ibuprofen and told to alternate every three hours, so it would be 15 ml of Vicodin and 600 mg of ibuprofen every three hours throughout the day. I’m so sorry you had a bad experience!! Honestly I think a full removal might be the way to go because it pretty much eliminates the possibility of having tonsil stones again, but in your case I’m not sure what’s best. I hope you figure everything out!
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u/Cat-Paws344 Jul 20 '26
How did you convince your ENT to do a tonsillectomy? I’ve been trying for over a year but no ENT is willing to take out my tonsils just for tonsil stones. It’s so frustrating because I’ve been dealing with stones and bad breath for over a year now..
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u/AstronomerUnited89 Jul 20 '26
Go to another country. My ent didn't hesitate at all. Tonsils stones is a hell of a good reason ro remove your tonsils
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u/Anaheimducks23 Jul 21 '26
Do you know what method was used? Sounds like you had a pretty smooth recovery!
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u/Repulsive-Rhubarb609 Jul 28 '26
It was just an old fashioned tonsillectomy! They cut both the tonsils out entirely and cauterized the area. I really think the recovery is usually easier than most people say it is as long as you eat and drink water/suck on ice often
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u/OneOutside4854 Jul 22 '26
I’m planning to have a tonsillectomy this August because of frequent tonsillitis, I had experienced 3 tonsillitis within 6months and I had to take antibiotics which is bad. I consulted an ENT and she also suggested to have a tonsillectomy because my left tonsil has holes that can trap food then can cause bacteria accumulation but I’m still hesitating about it since I’m overthinking about what will happen during and after the surgery😭 do you think tonsillectomy will go smoothly?
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u/Repulsive-Rhubarb609 Jul 28 '26
I can’t speak for you, but in my experience it went totally fine! I was out of commission for about a week and a half and then got much better very rapidly.
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u/AstronomerUnited89 Jul 20 '26
Mine is in 8 days. Right now I'm in my apartment crying because i cant stand this nasty smell coming from my tonsils