Does anyone else suffer from tonsilloloths or tonsil stones?

[Nestof3]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonsillolith

 

I've had them since I was a young teen.

 

Have you found removing dairy from your diet to help?

 

Here's a whole thread on this condition:

http://www.steadyhealth.com/White_chunks_in_throat-t54188-0-asc-110.html

[The Girls' Mom]

Yes, and I hate, hate, hate them. I'm constantly wishing I had been 'lucky' enough to get my tonsils out as a kid...because I'm too chicken to do it now.

 

I hadn't heard about the dairy thing.

[Bug's Mom]

Sounds/looks like what I get whenever I have strep. Weird.

[Mesa]

Yes, I have them... I had to get my tonsils out because of them. My tonsils kept getting infected.

My right tonsil is growing back and they have started to form again! "Lucky" me.... I dont think I'll ever have a tonsillectomy again... it was waaay too painful.

 

Jackie

[Heather in AL]

I get tonsil stones occasionally. I don't even know I have one until it starts releasing by itself. It feels like a crumb caught in my throat, I cough hard, and up it comes. I get them a few times a year. Do most people get them more often?

 

As for dairy, I'm pretty much dairy-free (only the occasional ice cream/shake and cheese), so I don't know if dairy is a culprit. Maybe the fact that I have a low dairy intake and only have the stones a few times a year is a sign that they could be worsened by increased dairy?

 

Whatever the cause, they are definitely :ack2:.

[Leanna Tomlinson]

I used to get them and two of my dc are prone to them. My dentist said that reducing the plaque levels in the mouth helps. I almost never get them since I started using a Sonicare toothbrush and flossing every day without fail. I ran out of floss once this winter and after three days of not flossing.....I had one of those annoying stones for the first time in years!

 

When my dc children get them, it's usually close to time to see the dentist, or allergy season.

 

Leanna

[Lara in Colo]

That is so weird, I've had these since I was a kid, I always called them "bad breath balls" LOL. Now I know what to call them. Sometimes I stick a Q-tip down my throat and force them out. Like Leanna said, a sonicare toothbrush makes them happen less frequently. So does reducing sugar and brushing the back of your tongue.

 

Lara

[Lolly]

I can control mine somewhat with diet. Dairy doesn't seem to make a difference. For me it is popcorn, nuts, and other gritty types of food. I dearly loved popcorn. It is really hard to stay away from it, even knowing that I will suffer with a sore throat for weeks after eating it.

 

I too wish I had been allowed to have my tonsils out as a chid. It was suggested by my pediatrician several times that I remember. (I also had problems with recurrent strep.) I really, really just don't have the time for it now.

[newlifemom]

I had them. Took the tonsils out, and now they are gone. However, I would rather have 6 more c-sections than another tonsilectomy [why is that spelled wrong? :confused:]. It was beyond painful. I lost 20lbs in 3 weeks. Hmmm . . .

[gaillardia]

I can't concentrate on much right now to read what everyone responded but in my experience and knowledge those nasty little white curds were candida, yeast. Once you get your candida balance in check they should go away. It is hard to get a handle on.

Seeing it come out of our tonsils is just showing us that we have it throughout, especially digestive. Too much dairy, too much sugar, too much antibiotics and not enough good yeast in the system. Forget about regular yogurt, it has sugar in it too.

I used acidophillus (sp) in capsules, but there are other products out there to help fight that nasty take-over. Pro-biotics. I still have my tonsils and haven't had the problem for many years.

[6packofun]

Yes, I get them and they go away when I reduce sugar! (Mainly, when I'm bad about drinking too much pop!) If I cut out as much sugar as possible, brush AND gargle with mouthwash twice a day, they usually clear up. It's how I *should* be taking care of myself anyhow! LOL

 

Oh gosh, I hate when they come out when I sneeze...GROSS. My dd just told me she gets them occasionally, too, so back on the anti-tonsil stone regimen! LOL

[Nestof3]

Thanks, all! I wondered why they are something that I forget about for a long time, and then BAM -- they're back.

 

Perhaps candida is the cause. I am in the process of finding a great probiotic. I eat plain nonfat yogurt everyday, but I'd like a wider range and more plentiful probiotics.

[gaillardia]

Yes, a wider range of beneficial yeasts is what is needed to combat the candida. Make sure your spouse is working on it too, because it is easily transferable! I don't mean the white things, ew! I mean the candida in general, and you wouldn't even see it. If anyone has chance to try pro-biotics, post and let us know how it worked out for you, I'd give it a month.:gnorsi:

[PrincessAriel]

Oh my, I didn't realize they actually had a name for them. I had them for years, especially as a child. In fact, my doctor back then would put me on antibiotics when I had them!!:confused: I always thought they were caused by post nasal drip as I suffered from that as well as seasonal and dust allergies. A few years ago I cleaned up my diet, got rid of the yeast and did not have any again until just the past couple of weeks. I guess I slacked off on the diet. This may sound gross but I always found that chewing a big piece of bubble gum would loosen them so they would come out. They are really annoying!

[kalanamak]

I can control mine somewhat with diet. Dairy doesn't seem to make a difference. For me it is popcorn, nuts, and other gritty types of food.

 

Yup, and getting my tonsils out wouldn't have helped....I have a third one waaaaaayyyyy down my throat. It is the one that gets crumbed up.

[Tap]

There was a discussion about these here one time, I think there was a poll too....you may search for it. It sounds like a lot of people have them.

[Tammy]

especially after popcorn. I can't imagine cutting out sugar helps with them....since it is just the 'grainy' stuff that gets caught. I get a mirror....and dig them out with my finger....YUCK...right?

 

.

[Rosie_0801]

Interesting ideas. I figured I got them from not chewing my food thoroughly enough, particularly things like rice, oats and popcorn. It seems like an easy thing to do, but it really does require concentration!

 

Rosie

[Nestof3]

I used to pick them out when I was younger, but I cannot really see them anymore now that I am older (not a vision problem; I just think the holes are deeper or something).

 

I usually cough them up, and it usually happens in the morning in the shower.

 

I have wondered about this issue for YEARS, and I finally googled it today.

[kathkath]

interesting about candida. I've gotten them sporadically since high school as well. DH gets them too. I used to call them "bad breath pellets" to myself and dh called them something else that would be in bad form to post lol.

[gaillardia]

This is yucky. I had no idea so many people had this. I haven't been plagued by it for many years. Just remember, anything with extra yeast-type ingredients will add to the imbalance: beer, bread products. Just cutting back on these things may help; with the addition of pro-biotics which can also be found in health supplements shops/online, etc. Of course if you have it, spouse-type person will have it as well.:eek:

[TracyR]

Oh my. So that's what that is. My daughter had one once. It was gross like a curdle that smelled really bad. I had no idea what it was. Thought maybe it was some pus or something.

I haven't seen it in a while and she hasn't complained since I last saw it. But her tonsils are a bit big but no one has wanted to mess with them.

 

I had a tonsilectomy at age 16 and didn't think it was to bad. When I came to bascially I felt like I had a small sore throat (much less worse than the horrible ones I had before getting them out). My issue was I started to hemorrage because I had a big vein in there and I had to be taken back to have it carterized (thankfully they put me back under) and then my throat REALLY hurt after that. Couldn't eat anything for a month except popsicles and soup. Lost about 30lbs. Lived on crushed Tylenol with sugar to be able to swallow it. Didn't want to scare you but compared to other surgeries I've had the tonsilectomy wasn't that bad, it was the carterization that I needed that made it much worse than what it would have been.

[Garga]

The Wikipedia article had some ideas I haven't tried before. It said to use a syringe to first put some saline water into the crypt, then use the syringe to suck out the stone. I have a plastic syringe with a pointy end that the dentist gave me when my wisdom teeth were extracted. I could use it to clean out the spot where my teeth were.

 

It also recommended using something like Chloraseptic to help with the gag reflex.

 

I currently use a metal tool I found in the makeup section of the store that's used to pop pimples or something. It's not sharp. It just has metal loops on each end, sort of like a big double-headed bobby pin. And the article was right--if you wait a couple of days and let the stone get harder, it's easier to get out.

 

I've also noticed that my stones aren't that stinky unless I crush them. So, I'm living under the happy delusion that I don't have bad breath since the stones aren't crushed in my tonsils.

[juelle]

I had no idea they had a name. I even asked my doctor about them once and she didn't give them a name, either. Amazing how our bodies process stuff, and how they usually work so well!:tongue_smilie:

[mycalling]

I get them whenever I get a sore throat. I just push on my tonsil and out there come. Cool to know they have a name, though.