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AIBU?

To wonder what this is on my tonsils?

24 replies

monkeynuts123 · 01/03/2014 17:31

I had tonsillitis a year ago and now every time I get a cold or get run down I get spots on my tonsils, is this tonsillitis each time or what? I haven't got a temperature but feel a bit crap with a cold. Just wondering what it is and if other people get it.

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unobtanium · 01/03/2014 17:34

Not a medic, but surprised you can actually see your tonsils. I think lots of people see their uvula and imagine it's their tonsils.

I'll be happy to be corrected though...

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rubyslippers · 01/03/2014 17:36

My kids tonsils used to be like golf balls and very visible

If yours are swollen and inflamed then you may well be able to see them

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sconequeen · 01/03/2014 17:40

Not sure of the correct medical name but if they are little white lumps at the top of your throat, they may be tonsil stones. I am prone to getting them when I have a bad cold and/or when I am run down. They come loose eventually which is quite gross. I find that taking some vitamin/mineral and probiotic supplements and healthy eating generally helps me to feel better and not get them so much.

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ChestyNut · 01/03/2014 17:42

I can see my tonsils too.

Sounds like tonsil stones.

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NitramAtTheKrap · 01/03/2014 17:42

Tonsil stones, or tonsiloliths.

and i can definitely see my tonsils, cant everyone?? Mine are super scarred and manky though

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DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen · 01/03/2014 17:43

Yeah, tonsil stones.

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monkeynuts123 · 01/03/2014 17:48

How do you know they're tonsil stones and not tonsillitis? When I had tonsillitis I felt like death but is there a mild sort of tonsillitis? I get a sort of cold/sore throat/spots on tonsils I think before I get my period, just working it out. Sorry if this is unspeakably dull.

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Onsera3 · 01/03/2014 18:20

I can definitely see mine. I used to suffer recurrent infections. Maybe, like me, yours are cratered with indentations from infection. Sometimes I get tonsil stones in there. So vile I don't even want to write about them. Google them.

I find I get them when I eat dairy. My sister had her tonsils out and she still gets them.

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TattyDevine · 01/03/2014 19:25

My tonsils are definitely visible. Sounds like you have tonsil stones. I get them occasionally, and they are horrible things! I always manually remove them (won't go into that!) - people with craters on their tonsils are more prone to them as it catches stuff, so its not necessarily an oral hygiene issue. There is a procedure where you can have your tonsils smoothed out by lazer to make them less likely but I don't get them that often.

If you had actual pustules on your tonsils and therefore tonsillitis, you would likely have other symptoms like pain and fever, though I am not a doctor.

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giraffesCantBoogie · 01/03/2014 19:27

I could see my tonsils easily - even when I didn't have tonsillitis they almost touched in the middle.

Either tonsillitis or tonsil stones.

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EverythingsDozy · 01/03/2014 19:31

Tonsil stones are little evil balls of hell that live inside your tonsil.
They are disgusting bits of calcified yack that sit in your tonsil. They smell absolutely foul and can cause your tonsils to hurt like nothing before!! They can be cured with antibiotics but it's not recommended because they eventually run their course. Best thing to do is to squeeze them out with a cotton bud but I've never managed to do it myself.
Horrid little blighters!! Confused

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MadIsTheNewNormal · 01/03/2014 19:36

Quinsies?

They are like very sore ulcerated white lumps on the surface of the tonsil.

Tonsil stones lurk in the little opening on the face of the tonsil, and they feel gritty when you swallow. They are like little lumps of yellowy white waxy, gritty compacted mank and they STINK. Luckily you can pick them out but it will make you gag. They are not sore.

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Straitjacket · 01/03/2014 19:44

I also can definitely see mine, and DS1s tonsils when either of us has tonsillitis. They swell like golf balls and are covered with white spots. Can't miss them!

I would say tonsil stones too. But, if you get worse, get yourself to the doctors so they can have a look.

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hellooctober01 · 01/03/2014 19:52

You'll know if they're tonsil stones when you dislodge one and it smells like death!
DP gets them, he can feel them in there when they get big and they dislodge themselves after a while. V gross indeed.
I'd go get it checked out if I were you.

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monkeynuts123 · 01/03/2014 19:58

How the hell do you get them out without bringing up your lunch? I can't even imagine how I'd tickle my tonsils with a cotton bud and get anything out!

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AHardDaysWrite · 01/03/2014 20:02

I get mine out with a toothpick. They stink but it's so satisfying

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monkeynuts123 · 01/03/2014 20:08

How?? With a toothpick? Doesn't it hurt? Don't you gag?

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AHardDaysWrite · 01/03/2014 20:12

Nah. Tonsils are numb (mine are anyway). I have a gentle poke and wiggle until it dislodges.

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monkeynuts123 · 01/03/2014 21:12

But how come you don't gag? (sorry all)

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NitramAtTheKrap · 01/03/2014 21:59

Practice! Years of practice to overcome the gag reflex. I used to love digging mine out, but sine the last bout of tonsilitis my craters have scarred over.

sad times.

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Oldraver · 01/03/2014 22:33

I dont think there is any mistaking your uvula for tonsils.

You can use a cotton bud on tonsil stones or cut the cotton bit off to poke stubborn stones out

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sykadelic15 · 01/03/2014 23:15

I had never heard of tonsil stones before... there really should be a warning about googling that :S

I get the little white spots sometimes too but they're gone after a day.

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BrokenToeOuch · 01/03/2014 23:18

I can't see my tonsils :(
But I do get the little rotten stones occasionally, it's so satisfying to squish them and release the pungent odour shameful secret

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PansOnFire · 01/03/2014 23:26

Urgh major realisation here! I used to have massive tonsils, I had them removed about 10 years ago because they were so big I used to choke on my food and constantly had tonsillitis. For about a year before my tonsillectomy I used to have to pick horrible, hard white stuff off them with my tongue and it used to stink like nothing else - I never bothered to look into what it was because I knew they were going. I have never heard of tonsil stones but that's obviously what they were, gross! Yeah, I didn't feel ill with them, it reminded me of plaque and they would be in the massive scar craters on my tonsils.

Anyone with massive tonsils should have them removed, mine were constantly infected even when I was feeling ok. It wasn't until they went that I realised how ill and run down they made me feel.

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