I had mine out when I was 34. It was horribly painful and I had a bleeding complication, but my quality of life has really improved since then so I am glad I had it done. I had to take off about a week from work and lost some weight b/c the throat pain was so bad I didn't want to eat.
Post surgery- no more painful tonsil stones, no more stinky breath, less sore throats.
As I was being wheeled in for the operation, the physician did tell me that it is risky as an adult. He actually told me my risk of dying from the surgery was greater than the odds of winning the lottery. I couldn't believe he used that analogy. My grandmother won the lottery so I was a bit freaked out but I was already prepped for surgery so I didn't back out.
I'm sorry you're dealing with this OP. I can certainly empathisize.

Anonymous wrote:OP - my daughter had them. I had had mine removed as a child so had never even heard of tonsil stones. She had the most foul breath imagineable. Her pediatrician didn't even look and prescribed GERD medication and even the G.I. doctor we took her too didn't look in her both before prescribing GI meds. What I did was search the internet and then bought her a waterpik and we went into intense oral hygiene. After every meal she waterpiks, flosses, gargles. + no more tonsil stones. Hope that's helpful.

As a tonsil stone sufferer, get her tonsils removed!!!!! I wish my mom had pushed harder. It really is life changing to live with these stones. waterpik, floss and gargle is too much! They can't do it past about 20, but there's hope for your daughter.

Anonymous wrote:I keep my tonsil stones under control by keeping my sinuses clear. I use this rinse kit by NeilMed. http://www.amazon.com/Neilmed-Sinus-Rinse-Kit-Pack/dp/B001H54VP2/ref=pd_sim_hpc_4?ie=UTF8&refRID=18VJC20SHPCBKMVTAWC2

Same here. Haven't had them since I started using a sinus rinse.

OP - my daughter had them. I had had mine removed as a child so had never even heard of tonsil stones. She had the most foul breath imagineable. Her pediatrician didn't even look and prescribed GERD medication and even the G.I. doctor we took her too didn't look in her both before prescribing GI meds. What I did was search the internet and then bought her a waterpik and we went into intense oral hygiene. After every meal she waterpiks, flosses, gargles. + no more tonsil stones. Hope that's helpful.

Ear curettes. Flexible looped ones. Easy to get them in the holes and scoops them right out.

I had mine out at 40. I, too had large tonsils and got frequent tonsil stones. My ENT took out my tonsils for this reason only and didn't have an issue with it. She was sure to tell me that it was very painful with a long recovery time. I took two full weeks off of work and was still sore for the third week, but by that point it was just like a bad case of strep. It is VERY painful for the first 10-12 days. You need to stay on top of your pain medicine! But, like other posters, I am very happy that I got it done. It was worth it for a few weeks of pain.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have them as well. No good tricks other than what you are doing.
I would get a second opinion on getting your tonsil's removed. My dr is talking about removing mine and I'll be 40 this year.

Oh wow that's awesome! Was this a GP or a specialized doctor? I looked into tonsil removal several times. I don't have much sick leave to take off a few weeks either for it.

A few weeks!? No way. A couple of days at most to remove tonsils.

I had them taken out at 17. I was definitely in bed a few days, maybe a week. I had to spend the night in the hospital too.

I feel them in my throat and I can see that my tonsils are large but I can't poke around without upsetting my gag reflex

I am having the same issue OP. the rinse is helping, as is taking peroxide on a q tip and applying directly. same with mouthwash right where the pocket is.
normally - gross alert - if I put my finger near the tonsil pocket I can smell the grossness but this improves it greatly.

also, at CVS in a tool kit for your mouth, there is a more blunt, not sharp instrument, along with the dental mirror and sharp pick for tarter than I use to put pressure and pop them out.

Anonymous wrote:OP, have you tried Monoject curved-tip syringes? Might accomplish the same goal as the Waterpik, less aggressively. I flush my crypts out this way twice a week.

OP here. I've never heard of that but will be buying ASAP. Waterpik just hurt too much.

As a kid, my mom tried very, very hard to get my tonsils taken out. I had strep throat constantly, but was told you needed it 7x a year to get them taken out. Even today when I get the slightest cold, it goes straight to my tonsils. I really think I'm not even sick, it's just my overactive tonsils. Ugh.

I keep my tonsil stones under control by keeping my sinuses clear. I use this rinse kit by NeilMed. http://www.amazon.com/Neilmed-Sinus-Rinse-Kit-Pack/dp/B001H54VP2/ref=pd_sim_hpc_4?ie=UTF8&refRID=18VJC20SHPCBKMVTAWC2

OP, I had my tonsils taken out when I was 22 for this reason. It was very painful with a tough recovery, but not impossible. I had them out between Christmas and New Year's and was back at college the next week. I did have to take it easy for a while.

I can't imagine still having to live with them at 35!

Try another doctor, if you think you might want to go through with the surgery.

OP, have you tried Monoject curved-tip syringes? Might accomplish the same goal as the Waterpik, less aggressively. I flush my crypts out this way twice a week.

Tonsils are part of your immune system. They aren't like your appendix. The surgery is very high risk in adults. There's a chance you can bleed out because your anatomy changes as you get older and they can easily hit an artery (uh, or something, can't remember what my doc friend said).

I have tonsil stones too and can't stand it, but I would never risk a tonsillectomy.

I got mine removed when I was 40. I wish I had done it way sooner because I was always getting some sort of cold, cough, stinky breath.

It was two weeks of recovery. It was the worst recovery ever. I was drugged out most of the time. I slept with my mouth open and my tongue felt as if it was shriveled sand paper.

However, it was the best thing ever I could do to myself. I became healthier and now I kiss my sweet husband all the time - I used to be so self concious about it and was acutely uncomfortable before.