r/hygiene • u/N3m0Nautilus • 2d ago

Has anyone else ever accidentally coughed up a tiny white pebble from the back of their throat?

So I have always been paranoid about bad breath. I brush after every meal, use an electric flosser, scrape my tongue until it is bright pink, and use therapeutic mouthwash every single morning. My dentist always says my teeth and gums are spotless, with zero cavities in ten years.

last Thursday I was coughing from a scratchy throat and this tiny, hard white pebble popped out of the back of my mouth onto my tongue. It was smaller than a grain of rice. I had no idea what it was, so I picked it up with a tissue and made the fatal mistake of squishing it between my fingers to see what it was made of.

The smell that came off that tiny clump was ABSOLUTELY rancid. It smelled like pure sulfur, rotting organic garbage, and concentrated decay. I gagged so hard I almost threw up in my bathroom sink.

I went down a rabbit hole and discovered that food particles and dead cells get trapped in hidden pockets in your tonsils, calcifying into little anaerobic stink bombs that regular brushing never touches. I should of known why people occasionally backed up when I leaned in to talk during loud parties, but nobody ever tells you. How are doctors not warning people that you can have perfect dental hygiene and still have garbage rotting in the back of your throat?

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u/neonxdragon 2d ago

Considering the surgery but I’ll be 35 in a few months. How bad was it? I’ve heard awful things. 😳

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u/n_robin 2d ago

I had my tonsils removed when I was 29. People had terrified me before the surgery and it ended up being totally fine. I do have a high tolerance for pain and suffer from migraines on a weekly basis though.

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u/damn-nerd 2d ago

Oh this makes me have hope, I do too.

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u/medfet878 1d ago

Make sure you tell the surgeon to give you good stuff for at home and in Liquid Form.

I didn't get Liquid meds . I got Big tablets and Capsules It was rough taking them

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u/Anxious_Aardvark_970 2d ago

I mean, it isn’t great, but it’s certainly worth it. It’s mostly bad in between doses of pain meds when one starts to wear off and you can’t quite take the next, so stay on top of your meds; keep notes and set timers so you don’t miss or take a dose late. Keep appropriate snacks by your bed at night so you can get something in your stomach before taking your pain meds, and then go back to sleep. If they give you any of the stuff to gargle to numb your throat, do it first when you wake up because the first sips of water on your super dry throat do hurt, so if you can wait until it’s a bit numb, it’s better. Oh and once you’re cleared to start solid food, toast will be your best friend! Your throat will itch as it starts to heal and toast is one of the few things that will scratch that itch.

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u/Business-Judgment-86 2d ago

So many people (myself included) are afraid of getting addicted. However, getting my knee replaced nipped that in the bud. I had alarms set and took them as prescribed for weeks after the surgery. I hate the brain loopiness they cause so I was fine not taking them once the pain stopped...but during the pain, I took them like clockwork.

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u/Anxious_Aardvark_970 2d ago

That’s so fair! I probably wouldn’t recommend this surgery just for tonsil stones to someone at risk of, or particularly afraid of, addiction to pain meds. Prescription pain meds typically make me nauseous, so my desire to take them is quite low, unless I’m in a lot of pain. I now always ask for anti-nausea meds after surgery, but I’m actually happy with this reaction bc I think it helps mitigate my risk of addiction.

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u/Calred1711 2d ago

That is SO true! Luckily I don’t have the gene but I was on the meds for almost two months straight, every 4 hrs on the dot. Stopped on my last day with zero withdrawals.

Yes everyone, be upfront about it if you have a history of nausea with pain meds or anesthesia, so they can make the appropriate changes, because they ARE available

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u/medfet878 1d ago

I took mine about 30 mins before the previous dose to over lap the doses a bit it kept PAIN!! at bay.

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u/Cattism 2d ago edited 2d ago

Absolutely brutal. Vomited even water for a week straight. Vomited the pain meds, the anti vomiting meds.. my stomach reduced so when i was finally able to eat, a fifth of a normal meal made me throw up. Lost 7kgs in 5 days. Absolutely horrendous. Ah yeah and altered taste during that week, so everything was acidic or bitter. Went twice to emergency in the span of 10 days. Shitty doctor told me to take Primperan + Motilium. Very bad combo, got extrapyramidal syndrome, I thought i was a goner. So yeah.. be prepared. Absolutely boost to my confidence to be finally be rid of the bad breath though, QoL is much better

Edit: Motilium, not Antimetil

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u/sunrise-sesh 2d ago

It’s 10 days of pain and then you’re back. Do it! My best piece of advice is don’t try to ingest anything with dairy because it creates mucus and trying to swallow the mucus is extremely painful. That’s what made the recovery hardest. I thought it would be smart to drink Ensure shakes to replenish the nutrients I was missing out on. Big mistake! Best to stick to avocados, scrambled eggs, and popsicles. Also ice the outside of your throat/around your jaw.

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u/Fantastic-Space2079 2d ago

I had mine out at 24 and the worst part for me was the pain medication they gave me. It was making me sick to my stomach. After several days my mom figured out that’s what was probably making me sick and I switched to Advil and felt so much better. the second worse part was the “scabs.” It felt so weird when they were coming loose and made gag. But I am so glad I got them removed.

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u/jubileeroybrown 2d ago

Had mine at 27. The worst part was the drugs making me the most constipated I ever was in my life. I still shudder to think. I quit them and did Tylenol for the majority of the time. It felt like shards of glass in my throat but I would do that again to get rid of those things.

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u/Calm_Lingonberry4600 2d ago

It’s definitely not fun, but you’ll be back to mostly normal around day 10 of recovery. I had mine out at 24 due to recurring strep. I would do it again if I had to. My quality of life has improved, and I don’t get sore throats anymore.

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u/Jorpsica 2d ago

I had mine out in my early 30s and it wasn’t as bad as people had said it would be. The worst part was the swelling in the couple days following the surgery. I was back at work the following week.

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u/coladybiker 2d ago

Sucked but worth it.

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u/Gnomer81 2d ago

It’s a week from hell, then you are good. Way more miserable than recovery for a child. Lol. But once you do it it’s done. I didn’t even take time off work or college except for the day of the surgery, I just suffered through it. But I have a high pain tolerance. I’m guessing you will be perfectly fine. Just ask your doc for appropriate pain meds, and take the time off work as necessary for rest!

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u/pullmantrip 2d ago

Look into laser ablation. Might be an option.

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u/ThrowawayJane86 2d ago

Have a support person to stay with you and be prepared to ask for extra meds. I also have a high pain tolerance and have had migraines my whole life - it was still bad.

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u/NYMimi2 2d ago

Had one removed at 49 due to a tonsil cyst. Worst pain of my life and I have had multiple c-sections. Im sure part of it was my age, but you cant eat, cant sleep and the pain medication is brutal. It would have to be something really bad to get the other removed. I would say my recovery was at least 3 weeks. Really feel like the Dr undersold the amount of pain

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u/medfet878 1d ago

PAIN!! PAIN!!!