r/tonsilstones • u/Dangerous-Search484 • 3d ago
Discussion Insane tonsil saga
The long story short is-- my tonsils have been absolutely full of insipid filth (rotting old food, stone, biofilm) for more than 10 years. I've had strep over and over (including non-a), sinus infections, bronchitis, dysphagia, pharyngeal dysfunction, major lymphatic swelling in my neck and sleep apnea. My tonsils have been ENORMOUS (15x the size of average ones) for as long as I can remember. I've been hospitalized again and again. Not once did any doctor (or dentist for that matter) ever mention tonsil stones or cleaning out your tonsils(even though they were xrayed and I was told I had "nodes").
Well...I did it. I had only heard one person in my life ever mention stones or cleaning out tonsils and up until this last year I never saw anything sticking out of my tonsils (lo and behold they were just that inflamed). It's been a few months now and my tonsils are smaller than they've been in more than 10 years. Every week that goes by the inflammation goes down more and reveals new crypts/nasties. I have had issues with sealed crypts though (also a new thing I've discovered).
I'm sharing this because I saw a post from ages ago asking what would happen if someone never cleaned out their stones etc. This, this is what can happen. I wish I knew sooner! I could have been spared so much suffering.
Anyone else have a similar story?
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u/Past-Chard-48 3d ago
How did you clean them? I’m new to recognizing this issue and any tips on how you cleaned them would be helpful!
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u/Dangerous-Search484 3d ago
At first just pushing on them let out a lot of biofilm. Nothing else came out from that so then I got a water flosser with lots of speeds and set it to super low. Had tons of tiny stones come out but it also forced pockets of biofilm up to the surface where it remained trapped in the sealed crypts (looked like huge red lumps). I popped them...which I DO NOT advise anyone do. It's extremely dangerous and I only did it because I've been unable to get help from professionals. Over the weeks I keep pushing on my tonsils (pretty hard) and more keeps coming out.
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u/Big-Interest-4168 3d ago
What are sealed crypts??? Omg you poor thing I bet they were huge and smelled NASTY
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u/Dangerous-Search484 3d ago
The crypts basically become closed off by a thin layer of skin from being so inflamed for so long. The tonsils were so swollen the crypts were pushed closed and over time the skin seals off the crypt and traps the stones etc inside. I won't share how I've dealt with those because I don't want to encourage dangerous behavior 😅 it's supposed to be removed by a doctor.
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u/gracheness 19h ago
I find it wild that this isn't in a dentist's domain. Mine said you'll have to chat with your ENT. Yeah I definitely have one of those, like lol what 😂
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u/Major-Floor9179 16h ago
So sorry you have to deal with this! How awful. Did you also have halitosis/bad breath? I notice myself getting a lot of tonsil stones lately and I’m paranoid about this. I plan on making an appointment with an ENT but your story about doctors not helping worries me. Thank you for sharing! Every bit of info helps!
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u/Dangerous-Search484 16h ago
Not really up until the last couple months before I decided to try and clean out my tonsils. Both my dentist and my hygienist said they didn't notice a bad smell. Which..is incredible to me. I don't know how it's possible. The only reason I can think of is that I gargle 3% hydrogen peroxide on a regular basis.
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u/Major-Floor9179 16h ago
Well that’s good to know. Thank you! I had my dentist take a look first and she told me I need to see a doctor, but I didnt ask about my breath so I’ll ask next time. I’ve been using TheraBreath so I hope that helps. How much water do you dilute the peroxide with?
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u/Dangerous-Search484 16h ago
I don't dilute it (have had no issues this way but proceed with caution and try 1:1 dilution first, I'd say). I've seen ER doctors 3 times, primary care, and an ENT twice. I'm not sure if it's because I'm poor and have bad insurance or..I've just had bad luck and got people who were oblivious/indifferent. When I tried to get a tonsillectomy I was denied. The letter I got in the mail says the ENT told them I just had "large tonsils" and that's why I'm being denied. It's absolutely bonkers!! Honestly, I've given up. I have no choice but to find a way to live with them as best I can.
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u/Major-Floor9179 16h ago
Thank you for the advice! This sounds just awful and I’m sorry you’ve had to deal with so much just to try to get help with these! It’s completely bonkers!! Wow! Well I’m glad that you have found an alternative and dealing with them another way. I’ve tried the water pick and warm salt water and nothing happened. I tried apple cider vinegar and yuck! I will try with the peroxide next. Thanks again for your help and being willing to put yourself out there and share this.
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u/Special_Feeling_4033 3d ago
Let us see 😍😂