Tonsillectomy at 35. Mad??

[dontlaugh]

I've had recurrent tonsillitis since I was 6. My old family gp gave antibiotics constantly. Once I was on them for 6 months, at age 14, as he felt that was better than surgery. I developed IBS which was a result of 30 years of ABs.
Anyway, I still get it now, 3 times a year and miss work. I'm sick of it. I have tonsil stones, feel run down, tired and my neutrophils are increased in any bloods I have done, but no infection (but I know it's my tonsils).
Is it worth getting them out at this late stage? I know it's painful but surely better than the next 40 years of infections.

[dontlaugh]

Bump

[Mollydoggerson]

Get em out. I got mine out at 19/20 and have never looked back. Much, much healthier since then. Getting them out is only the same as one bad bout of tonsillitus.

[drjohnsonscat]

Absolutely worth it. I had mine out at thirty - had recurrent tonsillitis as a child and then it went away and came back in my late twenties. I missed loads of work, as you say you do, and had constant fevers and tonsil stones. I was just so fed up of being ill all the time. Finally I saw a consultant who confirmed that my tonsils were just chronically infected and therefore also useless. They were the size of small plums. So they were taken out. For me the op was fine. A week or so of pain but nothing comparable to tonsilitis.

I do now get more chest infections but these are far more manageable than tonsilitis. I suppose the infection has to go somewhere iyswim and for me it now lands on my chest instead of in my tonsils but because they were such a mess it was always a hideous illness compared to what I get now.

DSis also had tonsils out ten years ago. Similar story plus quinseys (dangerous and unpleasant complication of tonsilitis). Her recovery was much worse than mine but she's still glad she had it done.

[dontlaugh]

Thank you! Just needed to hear that.

[Lamazeroo]

By the time you're an adult they've largely done their job anyway. It's of far greater consequence to your immune development if removed in childhood/adolescence.

[PickledMoomin]

Do it! I had mine removed at 18 after suffering chronic tonsillitis every month. The recovery was nothing like as bad as tonsillitis and I haven't looked back since.

[Cailleach]

Like Moomin, I had mine out at 19 after years of problems.

My only regret is not insisting it was done sooner. Best of luck.

[parabelle]

Cannot recommend it enough. Had mine out aged 34. Horrible op, be prepared, but honestly, it's been so much better ever since. I was having antibiotics every month at one point, until my doctor refused to give me any more unless I had them out.