[Alicia W.]

Not necessarily right now or anything but maybe tomorrow if I can get in (maybe not because of holiday). I have a white circle on one of my tonsils right now and it is really bothering me and upon a quick search I saw mention of both tonsilitis and strep so I think I should get it checked.

It doesn't hurt like tonsilitis which I am VERY familiar with since I had it chronically as a child, but it is just irritatingly sore because the back of my tounge keeps brushing it. I also get what's called tonsiloliths on a regular basis so I first thought it was just irritated from digging at them to get those out (they are just white cysts of a sort that are inside your tonsil... harmless but gross) but I went to really look today and saw the white circle. It is a perfect circle and is about the size of the bottom end of an ink pen. My tonsil is also red and somewhat inflamed I think (it's hard to tell because I always have large tonsils from the chronic tonsilitis and like I said I had been digging at them a bit lately to clear the tonsiloliths.).

I hope it's not strep, but if it is I need to get treated ASAP. I don't want to pass it around (especially to my mom) or let it run rampant!

[eli's momma]

several times my throat has broken out with similar white bump things.....i have been given antibiotics and told to wait it out, that it's most likely from stress. once, it was a week before my wedding that it happened, and i was MAJORLY stressed. are stressed??

[Alicia W.]

No stress really here... at least no more than normal. I called in and they have me coming in tomorrow at 11:00, so I guess I'll have a better idea then. She said if I run a temp over 101 before then to come in right away though.

I looked up strep symptoms and it said that in adults the symptoms can be mild and even go undetected so that would make sense on why my actual throat doesn't really hurt... dh whined of a sore throat the last few days though. And another symptom was severe tiredness... which could explain the last few days for me as well lol.

[HJ-M22]

I get them all the time, could possibly be just viral. But better to get it checked out. Hope it is "nothing"!

[Alicia W.]

Do you get white circles on them or the white stones from inside them though? I get the stones all the time and that is nothing... but I never get white circles on them. Like I said they are pretty huge (doctors still have never suggested having them removed) so it would be easy to see if I did lol.

[sassytiff]

Hope they are able to give you something to help!!

[Nick n Nate's Mom]

I get those wierd stones too!! I've never heard of anyone else even knowing what they are!

White pox sounds like strep, but there are usually more than one.


Do the usual salt gargle, and take mega doses of garlic if you can handle it!

[AmandaHugNKiss]

Hey Alicia,

Salt gargles Michelle suggests is a good place to start if you're hesitant to visit the doctor. But, y'know, if you're not improving then you ought to pay them a visit

I had tonsilitis ALL. THE. TIME as a kid (along with ear infections and nosebleeds!) They eventually whipped them out when I was seven but they partially grew back (either that or they didn't quite remove them properly!) and I've had a few bouts of tonsilitis as an adult (I remember the first time the doctor said it to me as an adult and my astonished reply 'But it can't be, I've had them out!)

DS gets reoccuring tonsilitis too. I always know when he has it as his temp is up, he's flushed, his neck glands are up/sore and of course the tell tale pus on the actual tonsils. It responds really quicly to antibiotics once they start.

Now, strep, I have no experience of (beyond finding out I am colonised by group b about seven weeks ago - but colonisation is different from infected) or, that is to say, I am not aware I do... we do not routinely swab throats here to identify exactly what is causing an infection when there is one; the doctor will decide which antibiotic (and therefore which bacteria is causing the issue) from the symptoms.

From the symptoms you mention, it doesn't seem like tonsilitis, eh? So it's probably a safe bet to assume that it's strep. Another outside diagnosis could be a touch of thrush? ALthough I would expect that to be on your tongue/insides of cheeks too.

By the way, a tonsilectomy is a pretty nasty operation for an adult - they seem to suffer much more than kids with a horrible painful recovery so doctors are very reluctant to remove them unless you have constant tonsilitis or the size of them obstructs your airway (actually, likewise for kids, too, now... years ago they would just whip them out but now they recognise that even if they are becoming infected quite a bit, the tonsils still play an important role overall in ones immune system).

Feel better!

[Alicia W.]

Yeah, I asked them about it back when I was getting tonsilitis a lot as a teenager but now that I am older and not getting it as often I don't think I WANT to go through with the surgery since I have also heard it is terrible the older you get. I've been gargling with salt water and I go in very soon to get a rapid results test done I think so I should have an idea then.

I am just so surprised at how little my actual throat hurts beyond the tonsil that is actually inflamed and has the white spot on it. I poked at it a tiny bit again last night (yeah I know it's a bad idea lol) and I am starting to wonder if it is a huge tonsil stone just showing a tiny bit through the surface or something.... I've heard people say they have gotten them like that before but I personally hadn't. Mine are always fairly small and come out easily (I use a toothpick to carefully jab them and remove them). However... a few days ago when I started to feel this spot I figured it WAS a stone and that it was in a location I just couldn't see as well and so I poked around quite a bit at my tonsil and I am thinking it's possible I went too far.... I have no gag reflex left from touching my tonsils and so it is easy for me to sometimes poke "into" them a little and they will start to bleed... maybe I cut them somehow and it got infected since let's face it... a toothpick is not the most sterile tool to use rofl.

Anyway, I will just be happy to get it checked out so I know if I just need to suffer until whatever it is resolves itself or if it is an infection to get it treated!

[Adam&Kaydence'sMommy]

I hope its nothing. And if it is something, that it goes away quickly. My tonsils were removed when I was 3. I had recurring tonsilitis as a kid. I almost needed tubes but in my ears.