Persistent swollen tonsils ?

Ok, before anyone answers this question I just want to inform you that I am pretty knowledgeable in this whole tonsils deal, so please refrain from responses concerning ice pops, gargling salt water, etc. I've been looking for over 2 years for some good help with little success. I apologize ahead of time as this is quite a long post. I have a bad habit of including way too many details. I pasted this in word and did the best editing I can to shorten it up. I just wanted to give the best description possible of my condition.

Two years ago I came down with a severe case of tonsillitis. I was 20 at the time, and remember always having a history of food and bacteria getting caught up in the tonsils whenever I was sick. This time although, was directly focused on the tonsils with extreme pain. In fact the worst pain I've ever had related to soar thought, strep, or any other ear nose and through sickness in my lifetime other than when I had mono at 17. I went to a walk in clinic after about 3 days of severe pain, high fever, and a slow loss of my ability to swallow. The doctors and assistants were astonished at the size of my tonsils and repeatedly asked me if I was able to swallow. Not really understanding their severity in the question, I responded with yes. At the time I was in fact still able to swallow, it was just very painful. The doctor gave me that blister pack of a week antibiotic treatment and a script for vicopropen to ease the pain and hopefully let me eat and drink something. Before I left the doctor told me if things got worse to go to the ER.

After taking one of the vicopropen and the first two tablets of the antibiotic my fever went down, I was able to drink without so much pain, and swallow slightly solid food. I attempted at eating a piece of pizza but that didn’t get farther than the first bite.



Fast forward 5 hours and 3 more pain killers I am in a world of bliss and 95% unable to swallow, talk, breath, etc. I was in such a care free mood that when my sister and my mother’s cousin saw how much pain I was really in they pretty much had to force me to go to the ER. I sat in the waiting room in serious pain for over an hour before I was finally brought in. Once again the nurses were amazed at the size of my tonsils, acknowledged the severity of my condition and let me wait for another hour on the hospital bed. At this point I hadn’t had any liquids for hours and was so dehydrated I could hardly speak. I was told I sounded like the godfather lol. Finally a doctor came in of course he too acted in astonishment and from there on they finally responded as they should have at first. Never will understand why they took forever with both the lady at the desk and the nurses that put me in the room 2 hours apart from each other telling me “WOW we need to get you into a room and hydrated ASAP. It was as if they had forgotten, twice, lol.



They gave me a hydromorphone (brand name diludid) for pain, hydrated me up, and a steroid to reduce swelling all via IV around 1 AM. I went home around 9 in the morning and the swelling had reduced, the pain was almost gone, I was able to eat and drink and felt like a million bucks. I took the new 30 count script of a stronger antibiotic until it was empty even though after 3 days I felt 100% back to normal.

Two years later, although the shape, tears, and lumps I had developed at that time have disappeared the swelling never really went down. I now have enlarged tonsils that catch food particles from time to time and cause major discomfort in my throat and neck area. My voice sounds as if I have marbles in my mouth, and sometimes I find it difficult to talk at a loud enough voice for people to hear. I’ve always been told I mumble, but it seems now that speaking loud takes extra effort and does not vibrate and project like it should or used to. Tilting my head looking skyward I can feel and hear a lack of airflow.



I smoke around 2-5 cigarettes a day, wasn’t a smoker when I first had this happen. I quit in late December of 07 because I determined the cause of constantly catching food particles to be the main cause. It was and I saw a drop in occurrence. Unfortunately I started a new job where every single person smokes inside and outside of the building and I picked the habit up again. I told myself if the food particles returned as they were before I would stop.

As far as the enlarged tonsils go, they seem to fluctuate in size regardless of being sick, healthy, smoking or not smoking. That has stayed consistent. Quitting smoking did stop the food particles almost completely. There was a time where I was pulling them out daily, sometimes struggling for weeks to finally get one out. VERY annoying I tell you!



The past few days my neck has been pretty swollen, and although my tonsils have never swelled back to the size while being sick, they still are noticeably large. I did talk to an ear nose and through doctor sometime in late 2006, and he gave me thePersistent swollen tonsils ?
The answer is, get your tonsils removed. I'm not quite sure why you've let it get to this point. Persistent swollen tonsils ?
Go get your tonsils removed. Persistent swollen tonsils ?
get you tonsils taken out. my sister used to get tonsilitis so much and she was at university so it was affecting her studies. she got her tonsils taken out this summer and thinks the pain was all worth it. my advice is to go and get a tonsillectomy i think it will help! :-)
As you know, your tonsils are thought to be organs which strain dangerous bacteria and other chemicals from your system. Once compromised in the manner which you describe, they may never return to their original size and texture.

The only cure for your problem is to have the tonsils removed. At this point they've been stressed to the point that they've become useless for their original purpose. It is likely the food particles, mucous and bacteria associated with all that have caused permanent damage.

Smoking may also be a culprit since tonsils do become cancerous, although this is relatively rare.

There is no easy cure. You simply must see a doctor, have the tonsils biopsied and eventually removed. There is no other option. If you don't, you could wind up with many more serious problems than swollen tonsils. Even if they are not cancerous, the infection can spread throughout your body. You can die of septic shock.

Get going. And don't take "no" for an answer. Insist upon having the bacteria cultured, the tonsils biopsied and get a referral to the best surgeon in your area. It can save your life.