I can tell you from first hand experience how nasty this is. My doctor told me the correct name for this condition but I have long forgotten. A few of my friends and I call it tonsil cheese. Yes, I know it's a nasty way to describe it, but very fitting, as the "stones" are actually a rubbery texture, yellow to white color and have the most horrendous smell. In talking with various people, I've found that many people have coughed up these things and didn't realize they came from the tonsils, so I think many people have the problem from time to time. I had it all the time. About 3 times a day I did what I called a tonsil harvest. I would take the pointy end from those flosser sticks and pick them off and out of the crypts of the tonsils. I was constantly embarrassed by my breath, it became a habit that I held my hand over my mouth while talking closely to anyone.
The "stones" ranged in size from a sesame seed to as large as a common ladybug. Sometimes I would see the white under the skin of the tonsil and a day later it would split open, causing a new crypt to form and the stone would fall out into the back of my throat causing me to cough it up. I'm sorry if this all sounds offensive, but I think it's good to talk about this if others have the same problem.
2 years ago I had my tonsils removed, due this problem and also repeated bouts of tonsillitis. The tonsillectomy had complications, I hemorrhaged a week after the surgery, but I would do it again in a heartbeat! I haven't had any problems since and I never worry about bad breath any longer.
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I can tell you from first hand experience how nasty this is. My doctor told me the correct name for this condition but I have long forgotten. A few of my friends and I call it tonsil cheese. Yes, I know it's a nasty way to describe it, but very fitting, as the "stones" are actually a rubbery texture, yellow to white color and have the most horrendous smell. In talking with various people, I've found that many people have coughed up these things and didn't realize they came from the tonsils, so I think many people have the problem from time to time. I had it all the time. About 3 times a day I did what I called a tonsil harvest. I would take the pointy end from those flosser sticks and pick them off and out of the crypts of the tonsils. I was constantly embarrassed by my breath, it became a habit that I held my hand over my mouth while talking closely to anyone.
The "stones" ranged in size from a sesame seed to as large as a common ladybug. Sometimes I would see the white under the skin of the tonsil and a day later it would split open, causing a new crypt to form and the stone would fall out into the back of my throat causing me to cough it up. I'm sorry if this all sounds offensive, but I think it's good to talk about this if others have the same problem.
2 years ago I had my tonsils removed, due this problem and also repeated bouts of tonsillitis. The tonsillectomy had complications, I hemorrhaged a week after the surgery, but I would do it again in a heartbeat! I haven't had any problems since and I never worry about bad breath any longer.
July 14, 2008 - 2:48pmThis Comment
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