Hello doctor, I have been getting tonsil stones for a few years now. But these last few months it is been getting more and more frequent. My tonsil craters have been getting deeper and harder to clean out with Q tips when I get the stones, and my throat is constantly paining on the whichever side I have them that day. For the last few days, it is been my left side and it is so painful that even the back of my tongue that connects near my tonsil hurts so moving my tongue or talking too much hurts. I have good oral hygiene, that is not the issue. It always gets worse when my allergies are bad because of excess mucus. Either way, I get them really frequently though (at least two to three times a week lately). I am sick of being in pain and having disgusting things I have to fish out of my throat and then spitting up blood. My question is do you think I should be able to get my tonsils removed if I bring my situation to an ENT? Or what do you suggest I do for now even?
Hello. It seems like you are having a condition known as keratosis tonsil where there will be afrequent collection of whitish debris in the crypts of tonsils. Usually, this condition is not associated with pain and bleeding but commonly it can cause foul smell from the mouth. The pain and bleeding in your case is probably secondary to frequent cleaning which is causing injuries to tonsils and surrounding areas which in turn produces ulcers. Usually, keratosis is a difficult condition to treat and if your symptoms are very significant and recurrent. Then it is better to undergo tonsillectomy which gives a complete cure. Keratosis as such is a benign condition and will not have any long term issues if not treated surgically.