Tonsil stones yuuuuccck

[murphy dee]

I have my first ever tonsil stone and I just wanna pitch myself off a cliff. I wanna get rid of my tonsils right this very second and then dig my own grave and lay in it. Ugh this is AWFUL.

I thought I'd been getting a sore throat the last few days because it felt like my glands on the right side of my throat were swollen and my ear kinda hurt. Earlier tonight I definitely started feeling like a dull stabbing sensation every time I swallowed and sometimes when I wasn't doing anything. On a whim I got a flashlight and went to see if my throat was all raw inside or what, and that's when I saw my right tonsil inflamed and a big white tonsil stone jammed in there. Seriously it was so upsetting oh god...

I managed to break off a few tiny pieces so I'm not feeling the stab quite so much, but it still aches and it's still there and I can't get a q-tip or brush in there without my gag reflex kicking in big time. Even my fingers can't be back there for more than a second or two.

Has anyone here had a tonsil stone before? How did you get it out? Will it finally come out on its own? I just did some salt water rinses and then a rinse with mouth wash. I hope I won't need surgery. It did look really big though so I'm kinda concerned...

Ugh please someone just end me quickly so I don't have to deal with this nastiness.

[Spoo]

First and foremost, remind me NEVER to look through Google images for 'tonsil stones' again. *Shudder*

As someone who suffers from frequent cases of strep throat (with all sorts of lovely puss spots involved), all I can really advise is getting to a doctor and receiving some antibiotics (IF there's other symptoms involved, or an actual infection). Actually, getting it looked at couldn't hurt in general, if the stone is bigger than you can manage.

I hope it clears up, though. Throat issues SUCK.

[Purple]

Damn, love! Tonsil stones suck. I've dealt with them for years.

The worst thing you can do is poke around at them. If you are, however, determined, you have to MAKE SURE that you don't don't DON'T actually touch your throat with whatever it is you're poking with. ONLY TOUCH THE STONE ITSELF. NOT THE FLESH! That's super important. Using a BBQ skewer usually works for me, but you've got to be so careful. And yes, it's still not a good idea. Sorry, lol. But to be honest.

Chances are you'll swallow it. Eat some popcorn; crackers, rough textured foods, etc. Gargle with salt to try and dissolve it.

Make sure you rinse your mouth out (and gargle with) Listerine as well. That'll prevent any more from growing.

Best of luck. GOOD RIDDANCE TO THOSE LITTLE FUCKERS! I FEEL YOUR PAIN! <3

[murphy dee]

First and foremost, remind me NEVER to look through Google images for 'tonsil stones' again. *Shudder*

SOOOOO sorry, Spoo, I should've warned. It's a serious horror show. *cries*

And Purple, thanks for the tips. I'm definitely not going to poke around at it anymore (because I think I just made myself more sore and also I really don't wanna throw up everywhere, haha), but I'll be gargling with salt water multiple times a day to be sure, and I've got plenty of Listerine too. And I just cooked myself up some extra crunchy bacon...

I told my boyfriend and he was seriously so worried like "do I need to take you to the doctor? do you need your tonsils out??" Hahaha...aww. I suppose I'll be all right - I just wonder why I'm just now getting one? I've got a friend who gets them chronically and she started getting them in high school. I hope I'll be lucky and only get this one and never get another again...(oh please oh please).

[•.*°•☆. Q .☆•°*.•]

UGH god i get those all the time. Protip DO NOT PUT A BBQ SKEWER IN YOUR FACE? i'm sorry just one ill-timed gag or cough and impalement just gosh no i'm sorry no.

Protip 2: if you mash the back of your tongue around enough you can kind of squeeze them out. It's all around awful, but your throat will feel much better after.

Protip 3: if you do want to poke around some more, wash your hands, squeeze really hard on one thumb (left, i believe) and poke (gently or else you can scratch yourself and that is unpleasant) at the stone until you can dislodge it. (the squeezy thumb makes your gag reflex less. other things that make it less inlude do not touch your tongue or uvula with anything at all, and hold your breath while you do the thing.)

Protip 4: gargling with alcoholic beverages actually kind of works I'm not even sure why.

Protip 5: If you want to you CAN get your tonsils out, i've been considering getting mine out for a while but I wou;dn't be able o do my job if I couldn't talk bc i work in fastfood so... but yeah you can, but you don't have to, they won't kill you or make you sick or anything.

Protip 6: eating crumbly things seems to make them worse, ie minced meat, tunafish, popcorn (oh god popcorn), etc. so be aware.

PROTIP THE LAST: I've heard brushing your teeth and tongue a lot helps prevent them but have not actually experienced much improvement with increased brushings so your mileage may vary. don't brush after eating citrus or sodapop.

Good luck friend.

[•.*°•☆. Q .☆•°*.•]

Also yes, some may break off on its own and cough out.

Also also, antibiotics won't do anything it isn't a bacterial infection. Tonsil stopnes happen bc your tonsils are supposed to be this filtery meshy thing at the back of your throat for like mouth flora, spit, phlegm, foodbits; annnnd sometimes the filterymeshyness gets clogged and stretched out a little so the above gets kinda lodged there until it is removed either by a cough or a qtip or finger((oh yeah, qtips work better btw if you wet them first)), or dissolved by listerine apparently although again your mileage may vary in that - it would reduce the general flora and therefore possible shrink the mass of the stnes if they were bacteria-dense but if they were phlemdense or fooddense then it might not do as much good. can't hurt, though, and it smells nice.

[bloom]

jbkjisjiljaljhtihj

I'm so sorry you have them. They are disgusting bits of EVIL and they smell of Satan's armpit.

My method for dislodging them is to tense up my throat muscles over and over until they pop out. Occasionally I can dislodge them with a sort of back-of-the-throat cough, too. Ugh. So disgusting. I want my tonsils out too and have for ages. Ugh ugh ugh. I know for bad cases you can go to a dentist or doctor and they will water-pik them out for you.

Honestly, once you're rid of them, they key is to maintaining that. So, once yours is gone, if you've got the money for it invest in a water pik and do tonsil rinses morning and night, when you brush your teeth. It helps flush the nasty debris out.

[doggo]

Ughh, I feel for you. I had one a couple of years ago, and it was there for AGES. I don't even remember how I eventually ridded myself of it. Good luck poking.

[murphy dee]

I don't understand the q-tip method. *cries* How the heck does anyone get back there with a q-tip?? My tonsils are really small I guess and the inflamed one isn't so inflamed that it sticks out very far... I can just barely poke my finger back there for a second before I wanna gag, and I can't hold a flashlight to my mouth in the mirror AND press down my tongue AND poke with a q-tip. Ugh. Gargling with salt water makes me feel better, and I'm still gargling with Listerine, so maybe I'll be better soon.

Y'know I almost wonder if I got this damn thing because I haven't had sodas regularly in a long time. Maybe I was drinking so much Coke and Dr. Pepper that the acidity kept my tonsils clear of crap. Hahaha, wouldn't that just be so ironic. I broke down and bought myself a big thing of cherry Coke this afternoon just thinking maybe it would help dissolve it a bit...I dunno...

Anyway, thanks everyone for being so full of awesome advice and so very kind. I feel completely disgusting and mortified but y'all are making it way easier for me.

[Anonymouse]

EW WHAT THE HELL ARE THOSE.

I've never had them and I hope I never get them! They look incredibly painful.

I had my tonsils removed, so maybe I can't get them? I hope not.

[bloom]

Y'know I almost wonder if I got this damn thing because I haven't had sodas regularly in a long time. Maybe I was drinking so much Coke and Dr. Pepper that the acidity kept my tonsils clear of crap. Hahaha, wouldn't that just be so ironic. I broke down and bought myself a big thing of cherry Coke this afternoon just thinking maybe it would help dissolve it a bit...I dunno...

While I wish very much that this was the case, I drink an embarrassing amount of pop and I have had a similarly embarrassing amount of tonsil stones. I just happen to have really deeply crevices in my tonsils where things build up. Some peoples' tonsils are just smoother and less prone to getting things stuck on them.

@Anony, yeah, you can't get them without tonsils. My friend was wondering idly the other day why she'd never gotten the things until she remembered that she had no tonsils.

[murphy dee]

EW WHAT THE HELL ARE THOSE.

I've never had them and I hope I never get them! They look incredibly painful.

I had my tonsils removed, so maybe I can't get them? I hope not.

Haha I can't speak for everyone who gets them, but the pain for me isn't so bad. It's more like a very very light pinching feeling and kind of an ear ache. Just knowing that it's in there and I can't do much except wait for it to come out makes it soooooo much worse though.

If you don't mind my asking, when did you have your tonsils out? This whole thing is making me consider it, but I'm not sure a doctor would even perform a tonsillectomy on me since don't have any chronic problems (or really any problems at all except for this) and I'm already old enough for the surgery to be godawful and risky. (Nooooo I didn't spend two hours reading tonsillectomy horror stories last night noooooo of course not...)

[Anonymouse]

EW WHAT THE HELL ARE THOSE.

I've never had them and I hope I never get them! They look incredibly painful.

I had my tonsils removed, so maybe I can't get them? I hope not.

Haha I can't speak for everyone who gets them, but the pain for me isn't so bad. It's more like a very very light pinching feeling and kind of an ear ache. Just knowing that it's in there and I can't do much except wait for it to come out makes it soooooo much worse though.

If you don't mind my asking, when did you have your tonsils out? This whole thing is making me consider it, but I'm not sure a doctor would even perform a tonsillectomy on me since don't have any chronic problems (or really any problems at all except for this) and I'm already old enough for the surgery to be godawful and risky. (Nooooo I didn't spend two hours reading tonsillectomy horror stories last night noooooo of course not...)

Awww... and yeah I can imagine how irritating it must be knowing they're back there.

I think I was like seven or eight. I kept getting strep and it got so bad that I developed OCD and other weird disorders from the virus. They took it out and I stopped having most of the issues, but the OCD stuck around. I'm glad I was able to get them out when I was young.

[murphy dee]

OH MY GOD I GOT IT OUT YES YES YESSSSSS

My method for dislodging them is to tense up my throat muscles over and over until they pop out.

Bless you for this advice Junia. I tried pressing on my tonsils while tensing up my throat muscles and in like 2 or 3 minutes I felt it come out on my tongue. I'm just so happy...you guys...SO happy.

I can't tell if I got the whole thing or just a huge chunk of it, but I can't see anything with the flashlight anymore. I think my tonsil is just feeling a little bruised right now and that's what I'm feeling.

[•.*°•☆. Q .☆•°*.•]

YAHOO!! *celebrates for you*

[Hawkeye]

I just recently had one of these too! It didn't hurt, but it was creating a bad taste in my mouth (kind of like how your mouth tastes in the morning before you brush your teeth) and it felt like there was something hard stuck in the back of my throat, so I went to the doctor and he said it was a tonsil stone but that getting it out was kind of up to me. Which was not terrifically helpful. But FINALLY after a solid couple of weeks of trying gargling and doing the throat-tensing thing while poking it gently with a q-tip I got it to come out and it was hands down the most satisfying thing I've ever experienced. Although it looked much smaller than it felt once it was out!

*celebrates along with you*

[renko]

My grandma was a nurse and I had the same issues, and she made me gargle with water with a tiny bit of peroxide in it. Cleared me up right away.