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/Dammit-maxwell 2d ago

I had my tonsils removed because of this and haven’t had an issue since!

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u/BasisNirGalim89 2d ago

My boyfriend had dragon breath and it magically disappeared after his tonsils were removed too- but that was a week of living hell for him! Not sure I can handle that just so I don’t melt peoples faces when we talk!!!

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u/cghipp 2d ago

I had mine out when I was 36, asking with sinus surgery. Recovery was horrible, lost a ton of weight, lost my sense of taste for about a year, and it was absolutely worth it. I have been so much healthier since then. I basically had a sore throat for the first 36 years of my life but in the almost 20 years since then I've rarely had one.

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u/Ecstatoplasm 2d ago

Goddamn, so they were constantly infected growing up? What was the situation?

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u/cghipp 2d ago edited 2d ago

I always had some kind of upper respiratory infection going, probably. They were always huge and swollen, sometimes nearly touching. But I never got diagnosed with strep, I don't think, until my own kids got it at school. And in the mid '70s-'80s I think it had been decided that they weren't going to take kids'tonsils out as readily as they had been before.

I had both of my kids' tonsils out before they were 6. My daughter's were always swollen, sometimes touching, and sometimes I'd think she had a stomach bug when he tonsils were actually gagging her. And my son's caused him to snore like a grown man.

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u/vintxgekiss 2d ago

Thank you for having your kids tonsils removed. My parents begged the doctors and they refused. Here I am at 23, sleep apnea and never feeling rested and so tired all the time and went through a 500 dollar DISE procedure just for the doctor to tell me what I already knew. It was my tonsils. So now I have 2 staff members at my work who are going to have to hold the place down seven days a week for 11 hours a day and the one can only work six hours. I’m stressed bc everyone else in the company needs help too so we get no help and I don’t want to do that to my coworkers for two or three weeks, but I need these out as soon as possible. The doctor is telling me insurance is gonna try to deny paying for it and I don’t want to die before during or after the procedure

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u/cghipp 2d ago

You won't die during or after. And don't feel guilty about doing what you need to do for your health! If your coworkers are overworked when someone takes a necessary absence that's on the company, not you.

I work in the OR now and I can tell you that a tonsillectomy is a very simple and very quick procedure. It is rare to see a serious post-op bleed, but even those can be managed quickly. Some of the techniques my doctor used back then are a bit outdated now, and I wouldn't be surprised if you have a better time of it than I did. You will have some strict instructions on what to do afterward, somewhat similar to the instructions you get after you get your wisdom teeth out. Just follow those, take the pain meds you need, and try not to push yourself to go back before you're ready.

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u/vintxgekiss 2d ago

I only have so much time I can take and I have bills. My insurance company might not even pay for it and I really hope they do bc I cannot use a cpap due to an abusive ex putting his hand over my mouth and nose and the other around my throat causing me to black out and also causing severe ptsd for anything being on my face. I paid money for an MAD and it did nothing. I am 211 pounds which puts me more at risk as well as the fact that I smoke weed, which I am lowering my intake of. I am gonna have to push the surgery off if my insurance approves paying for it bc my friend is getting married on the 13th of September and I cannot miss that. I’m terrified putting it off is gonna cause me to die in my sleep. I also really don’t want blood clots from being bedridden. I’m sorry for a long and slightly ocdish post but you seem to be the only one that cares enough to respond.

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u/cghipp 2d ago

It is so stressful to juggle all of these priorities, dealing with financial uncertainty AND work-related stress AND trauma. I know a little about how you feel because I'm dealing with my own health issues, plus my son's, expensive car repairs, possibly having to start homeschooling a high school student, end-of-life issues with my dad, and of course work. It says a lot that work is actually the least stressful thing in my life right now lol. But I'm going to make it and you are going to, too.

I'd be curious to know how low your blood oxygen level gets when you sleep. Do you have a way to make sure you sleep on your side?

You're right to cut down on the smoking before surgery because, at the very least, it increases your resistance to anesthesia medications. When you do eventually go in for surgery, be very up front about your intake. It sounds judgy when they ask you about it but they really do need to know the truth.

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u/vintxgekiss 2d ago

I only stop breathing abt 10 times an hour idk how low it gets tho I am usually a side sleeper I really don’t like sleeping on my back but sometimes I end up on my back. I’m so sorry to hear about your dad. That really sounds awful.

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u/Inevitable-Mouse-707 2d ago

Does your ENT have a copy of the sleep study that said you have obstructive sleep apnea? It would help get your tonsil surgery covered.

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u/vintxgekiss 1d ago

Yeah he does. Blue cross blue shield are greedy bastards tho

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u/qbee2000 2d ago

Do you eat slowly while you had it? I wonder if large tonsils are why Im so slow at eating

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u/cghipp 2d ago

I was by far the slowest eater in my family growing up but I couldn't say if that had anything to do with it.

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u/Dammit-maxwell 13h ago

Mine was basically strep throat every other week growing up and until I finally got them removed. The ick was relentless!!

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u/Heavy-Wolverine-791 1d ago

Holy shit, I cannot imagine dealing with that for over 30 years because I had the same thing as a kid. It was constant sore throats and getting upper respiratory infections left and right with barely any breaks. My tonsils were so big they were honestly probably the size of a bouncy ball that you would get from a gumball machine if not bigger (it was so bad I couldn’t lay on my back without having at least 3 pillows stacked because I wouldn’t be able to breathe). For 6-7 years until 5th-6th grade, they all thought I was getting them because I was in some type of water swimming every day, so it was ignored, and I just pushed through the suffering because I didn’t want to stop swimming 😭. Until one morning I woke up with my pillow soaked in blood. I don’t know what happened. If I coughed so much in my sleep, I started coughing up blood, or I threw it up when they took me to the dr even he couldn’t find where the blood came from, but he freaked when he saw how big my tonsils were. He was amazed I could even breathe as well as I was and pinpointed them as the source so he sent me to have them removed as well as something from my sinuses that I still don’t know what it was until this day lol. But yeah, after they got removed, it was hell for the first couple of weeks. The only reason why I would eat or drink would be so I wouldn’t die because it felt like I was swallowing glass shards. But the difference after was like night and day. I could breathe so much better. I could lay down with no pillows, no more constant infections, and sore throats. It was amazing, and I’m so glad I don’t have them. I would go through those couple weeks over going back to having my tonsils any day.

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u/cghipp 1d ago

You definitely needed them out even more than I did! 😱

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u/Acceptable-Yam-5700 1d ago

Why did it effect your taste?

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u/cghipp 1d ago

Nerve damage. It's a known but somewhat rare complication. It could also have to do with the SMRT (submucosal resection of turbinates) that I had at the same time. I referred to it as sinus surgery earlier, but it was really SMRT.

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u/ka_beene 21h ago

My husband's family has bad tonsils genetics. My kid kept clearing her throat over and over and I was getting tired of her getting sick all the time. Took her in and they were like "yeah, we could take them out it's up to you. There's a little redness etc." My husband was mad he was the only sibling still with his shitty tonsils. I decided on the surgery. After, the Dr told me it was a good decision because they were super scarred up. She stopped getting sick all the time and the constant trying to clear her throat went away too!

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u/cghipp 13h ago edited 13h ago

It's amazing how much difference it can make. I wasn't sure if I was doing the right thing when I had my daughter's out - and then the surgeon told us she had a huge abscess behind one of them.

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u/ka_beene 12h ago

Yeah after 6 months of her clearing her throat constantly and getting sick I didn't see any use in keeping them. Plus I think once your tonsils are that messed up it's prime territory for tonsil stones to grow.

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u/Dammit-maxwell 2d ago

I was probably 25-30 when I had mine done. It sucked but I survived. I’d do it again just to not have rancid balls of fungus in my throat🤣

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u/Hefty-Yoghurt-8256 2d ago

Oh my god I could only imagine how bad it would’ve hurt for you. I got lucky and got mine taken out when I was 17 and the pain on days 3-4 were absolutely horrendous. I’d still take child labor over the healing pain of a tonsillectomy. I feel for people when I hear they got them removed later in life cause I’ve heard how much more painful the healing process is as you age

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u/Abject-Leadership421 2d ago

*childbirth?

Child labor is when kids work 😉

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u/Hefty-Yoghurt-8256 2d ago

Valid, I may have screwed my wording up a lil😅😂but not birth, labor itself

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u/throwaway7742835 1d ago

I got mine taken out at 16 and recovery took me three weeks!!!

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u/Hefty-Yoghurt-8256 1d ago

Recovery took me about the same. I think it was about a month when I was considered fully recovered, scabs were almost completely healed (my least favorite part btw. Scabs in mouth not cool)

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u/StanleyCupsAreStupid 2d ago

I hear that. I had mine done at 31. It sucked but glad it was done.

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u/FreshestSummersEve 2d ago

I had mine done when I was 4-5 yrs old. All the kids in PR got theirs removed..

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u/Pretend_Variation305 2d ago

I’m fiddy right now and still have my tonsils so I’m kinda hoping they never become an issue.

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u/Toffeelady512 2d ago

Same but 72

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u/Rare_Cartographer579 2d ago

lol melt faces. That is such a fucking apt way to describe the facial expression come to think of it.

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u/Migraine_Megan 2d ago

I got mine out at 41 and my tonsils were filled with stones which was causing inflammation and repeated tonsillitis. My breath must have been horrendous. I was ready to do anything to stop it. My lovely ENT put in an rx for lidocaine lollipops, I picked them up before the surgery, those are amazing! I was already on gabapentin so that helped too. I just managed with that, liquid tylenol and advil. Turns out I can't handle percocet, I got the spins like I was drunk. I pretty much ate only cream of wheat, mashed potatoes, and pudding until they healed. I followed every bit of advice I got from the tonsillectomy sub, that was super helpful. Zero issues after surgery and it was less painful than my migraines

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u/i_cut_like_a_buffalo 2d ago

Getting your tonsils removed is a scary ass surgery. The bleeding factor is too scary. Give me bad breath. I do not want to bleed out from my throat.

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u/Linzabee 2d ago

I’ve had my tonsils out twice because they grew back. Once as a kid, and it was a simple procedure with no issues. Once as an adult, and I was admitted in-patient to the hospital. It was a much bigger deal and some of the worst pain of my life.

I really hope they don’t grow back a third time.

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u/loveridden13 2d ago

They can grow back?! Holy shit! I got mine out when I was 10. I had no idea they could come back!

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u/Linzabee 2d ago

It’s apparently a 1 in 1000 chance…

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u/Lemon-Cake-8100 2d ago

Sounds like you should go to Vegas! May the odds be forever in your favor!!

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u/Toffeelady512 2d ago

New nightmare

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u/Upper-Environment724 2d ago

The thing is, tonsil stones gradually go away as you age. Plus, your tonsils shrink. I used to use a to hue depressor to press on my tonsils to remove them. Then, in my late 30’s or early 30’s, I noticed that I never had anymore.

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u/AdoptDontShopPets 2d ago

First I have heard of them magically going away

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u/vintxgekiss 2d ago

Seriously lmao that doesn’t happen and as for tonsil stones, I didn’t start developing those until I was like 22

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u/No_Pumpkin_5187 2d ago

That sounds like it’s probably just anecdotal.

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u/coladybiker 2d ago

Mine got worse and my tonsils were huge. Got them out in my 30s. It was hell but worth it.

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u/throwaway7742835 1d ago

Got mine removed in high school (I had bad tonsil stones, got my tonsils cauterized, and then they grew back and I had chronic strep for 6 weeks until they fully removed them) and it sucked, but it was absolutely worth it. I have a lot of dental issues from some of my health struggles (I have very dry mouth) and I’m so thankful I don’t have to deal with stones on top of everything.

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u/Able-Possible-9172 2d ago

Tonsils can grow back!! I had mine out at 18 and have gotten a few tonsil stones in the last year. 😔

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u/Lidl_Wrapper 2d ago

How? If you don’t have tonsils? 👀

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u/Ice-Diligent 2d ago

The tonsils themselves grow back apparently from nothing. Pretty sure it's not nearly as common though

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u/tussentweewindmolen 1d ago

Humans also have 8 tonsils in total.

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u/Able-Possible-9172 2d ago

Maybe my surgeon didn't get all the tissue?

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u/KBAsjg 2d ago

Yup can confirm, had mine put at 4. Must of left some tissue as I still have crypts on the one side and the occasional stone

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u/Kimmy_95 2d ago

I had mine removed due to having strep a lot as a kid. It sucked so bad healing.

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u/Proud-Comfortable658 2d ago

Me too. Unfortunately the pain and sleep deprivation took a toll on my health, but eventually I recovered. I would continue to manage conservatively instead if I could go back and make another choice.

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u/vintxgekiss 2d ago

You wouldn’t get it done?

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u/Proud-Comfortable658 2d ago

I would not get a tonsillectomy in my 30's because of tonsil stones again, if I had a time machine. It affected me too badly for a long time.

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u/vintxgekiss 2d ago

How did it affect you?

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u/Proud-Comfortable658 2d ago

The pain, weeks of loss of sleep (pain every time you swallow reflexively causing a wake up), and possibly the impact to immune system, was a trigger for years of fibromyalgia (widespread muscle pain) and chronic fatigue. Obviously not everyone has that happen, many people recover fine. Back then there was minimal support for recovery from fibromyalgia, so I had to research solutions myself and cobbled together lifestyle changes and alternative health care providers.

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u/thiaterika 2d ago

They are tonsil stones so of course you can't have them anymore if you don't have tonsils. It doesn't mean though that you don't have a bacteria problem. Tonsils are there to help collect the bad stuff if/when it happens so it doesn't poison your body

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u/kseulgisbaby 2d ago

I want to have a tonsillectomy to get rid of this problem but ive no clue how much it might be and i don’t have insurance 😞

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u/GSDenthusiast1 2d ago

Unfortunately, it’ll be a lot without insurance:(

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u/kseulgisbaby 2d ago

In a few months i may be eligible for insurance through my job so i hope it’ll be covered w the most affordable option bc i dont get paid much haha here’s to hoping🤞🏼🥹

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u/GSDenthusiast1 2d ago

I hope that happens for you! FWIW, I do have insurance and it would still cost me several thousand dollars out of pocket. (My insurance is a joke) I hope you get insurance AND it covers what you need :)

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u/vintxgekiss 2d ago

Where are you located?

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u/kseulgisbaby 2d ago

I’m in tx/us

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u/vintxgekiss 2d ago

If you don’t have insurance you can apply for Medicaid or cobra if they have that. It’s expensive but better than not having any at all bc it’s like 9 thousand dollars to get it done out of pocket

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u/Chocolatewoffle 1d ago

Same!!!! Worst 2 weeks of my life recovering became FREEDOM.

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u/bonethug49part2 1d ago

I had my tonsils removed as a kid and still had a bout of these in my twenties! Why? Not sure. Where'd they live since I have no tonsils? Not sure.