I've had those white spots on my right tonsil for over 10 years. They came and went. I have never noticed that they immediately respond to antibotics or antifungal medications. I have read that they are related to food getting caught in pockets in your tonsil. But I no longer believe that is true.

I have watch my spots develop very carefully and it is now clear that these spots begin under the skin of my tonsil and slowly work there way out like a blood blister does on your finger. I think these tonsil stones are actually dead cells that have calcified because your tonsil has been fighting an infection. When they break onto the surface some food particles stick to them, but I think that is just incidental. If you break them open they are soft and sometimes smelly just like the stuff you sometimes get out of a rather large zit that is healing over.

In both cases I think they are the debri of a fight your body had with an infection. I had a 10 year battle with tonsil infections that finally stopped when it was discovered I had low thyroid and my immune system was screwed up. Since that time, my tonsil has been slowly shrinking in size and as it does so I get many of these white spots coming out of the tonsil. When the spot drops off, it often leaves a hole that goes some considerable distance into my tonsil. That hole slowly closes and disappears.

So if you have those white spots I think it represents an infection that you had or currently have. If your tonsil is even the least bit swollen then you need to first have your thyroid checked to make sure you have a normal immune system and then to on some long term antibiotic like doxycyline for a month or more to kill and eliminate what ever infection is causes your problem.

In my case I had to take 3 different antibiotics (penicillin, zithromax and cephalexin) one after the other followed by 3 months of Sulfatrim and an antifungal to kill the yeast that started from all those antibiotics. But my infection is clearly gone now and as my tonsil steadily shrinks it is showing more and more of those white spots. Which I think is a good thing because it is the residue of past infections.

Hope it helps.

[quote]Originally posted by hatethenoodles:
I went to an ENT today and he gave me the go ahead on removing my tonsils. He didn't say it was absolutely needed, but was the last of my three options. He said option #1 was to live with it, #2 cleaning them out on a regular basis (which I can not do any more since I over poked my right tonsil) and #3 was to remove them.


Firstly, that ENT is an idiot. To approve surgery before all other avenues are exhausted is just irresponsible. These stones are caused by infections in and around the tonsil area including ears, nose and throat. The stones are the remants of the fight between your body and the infection. Removing the tonsils won't fix the infection unless it's only in the tonsil itself. It will just displace the infection to someplace you can't see it. You can't get a cure by poking at your tonsils or using mouth wash. The problem is simply being focused inside the tonsil because that's what tonsils are for, but the source may well be outside it.

Many people have mentioned infections or mono that started the stones showing up and that is most likely the case. Most of these are long standing infections that were never dealt with properly, and have become chronic, and aren't going to go away without a fight.

Before you go having surgery or poking your tonsils full of holes it's time to get serious about the fight. Stop irritating your tonsils by touching and poking them. Depending on how serious the infection is (and it's serious if you have had it for years), you may well need several courses of different antibiotics, including septra, zithromax, possibly cephalexin. The key is to get rid of the infection. Septra can be taken for months fairly safely as can doxycycline. You need to keep hitting these infections til they are cured. A simple 7 day, there you have it, won't work because the infections have become deeply entrenched.

Everyone is so afraid of taking antibiotics these days but sometimes you have to deal with an infection properly. Antibiotics are safe for most people and the won't cause "superbugs" if taken correctly (until all the infection is gone the first time).


[This message has been edited by orion (edited 09-21-2003).]

[quote]Originally posted by orion:
Firstly, that ENT is an idiot. To approve surgery before all other avenues are exhausted is just irresponsible. These stones are caused by infections in and around the tonsil area including ears, nose and throat. The stones are the remants of the fight between your body and the infection. Removing the tonsils won't fix the infection unless it's only in the tonsil itself. It will just displace the infection to someplace you can't see it. You can't get a cure by poking at your tonsils or using mouth wash. The problem is simply being focused inside the tonsil because that's what tonsils are for, but the source may well be outside it.

Many people have mentioned infections or mono that started the stones showing up and that is most likely the case. Most of these are long standing infections that were never dealt with properly, and have become chronic, and aren't going to go away without a fight.

Before you go having surgery or poking your tonsils full of holes it's time to get serious about the fight. Stop irritating your tonsils by touching and poking them. Depending on how serious the infection is (and it's serious if you have had it for years), you may well need several courses of different antibiotics, including septra, zithromax, possibly cephalexin. The key is to get rid of the infection. Septra can be taken for months fairly safely as can doxycycline. You need to keep hitting these infections til they are cured. A simple 7 day, there you have it, won't work because the infections have become deeply entrenched.

Everyone is so afraid of taking antibiotics these days but sometimes you have to deal with an infection properly. Antibiotics are safe for most people and the won't cause "superbugs" if taken correctly (until all the infection is gone the first time).


[This message has been edited by orion (edited 09-21-2003).]

Thanks for your input. However, I have tried different meds in the last few months to get rid of these tonsil stones................it didn't work. Antibiotics, prescribed mouth rinses, you name it.