What is this tonsil problem!

Will her dentist know what to do with her tonsils? Sounds like something her doctor needs to look at.

I’m surprised by you. You should know that the cure to everything is to eat a bag of candy corn. If that doesn’t work then I’m afraid it’s fatal.

I’m thinking she needs a referral to an ENT, they deal with throat issues.

I, too, would check with a doctor. Usually, stones and crypts aren’t a huge issue, but are a pain in the butt, er, tonsils anyway. But coupled with a sore throat, I’d get it checked out.

@deni I suggested it, but it would probably just get stuck in all the little holes!

@Beta_Orionis HAHAHA oh god gross

@augustlan @casheroo @Judi Thanks for the suggestions and the input! The dentist looks like the best option currently because she’s working around our student healthcare plan, and the “professionals” at our health services center are retarded. Surprisingly so considering we’re in the city known for and right down the street from huge research hospitals. I seriously hope U Pitt has better health care.

I’ll pass along the ENT thought and possibly acompany her to the health center to demand better attention and a referral if the case continues to be weird.

Some dentists do treat tonsil stone problems, true. Others look at you as though you’d grown a second head if you ask them whether they know anything about them. I think it must depend a lot on the type of training they receive. If your ‘mate must see a dentist, I would advise she go to one who is also an endodontist, or who has one on staff – they are somewhat more widely trained. But I agree with the others above about the ENT – when I finally went to one, he made me feel crazy for not having just gone there in the first place instead of suffering through incompetent and careless treatment by dentists who didn’t really know what they were doing.

Try to help her get the referral, I say. If the idiots at the health center are too think to help, have her call the number labeled “Member Services” on her health insurance card. Or just look up local ENT offices, explain the situation to the Patient Services Cordinator or Referrals Coordinator (or receptionist, if it’s a small office), and ask if she needs a referral. If no one else (i.e. the school or the medical staff at the insurance company) will call to find out, they will do it just because they always want a new patient.

Before I had my tonsils removed, I started having the same problem. Her tonsils are just deteriorating rapidly. She’ll probably start to get sick more frequently because her tonsils are basically shot and can’t keep up. I started getting strep throat three to four times a year, got a cold every other week, etc. It started getting so bad when I was sick that my uvula was the size of my thumb, going down my throat and literally preventing me from breathing while I slept.

Her tonsils most likely won’t get better, they’ll just get worse and worse. By the time I had my tonsils removed, half of the left one had completely disappeared because there were so many gaping holes. She might seriously want to consider having her tonsils removed, in order to keep infections from becoming even more serious.

My dentist was interested to see how well my used-to-be-attached-to-tonsils area healed when I went to him. I got mine out with an ENT and she really needs to go, but if she’s seeing the dentist he will for sure tell her. Maybe then it’ll carry more weight. If she’s having major issues, they need to come out. That was one of the worst things I’ve ever done (as a 24 year old) and one of the best. No issues at all like I was having since I had ‘em yanked in May!

@avvooooooo “That was one of the worst things I’ve ever done (as a 24 year old) and one of the best.”

I completely agree. I’m also 24, and the pain after surgery was horrible – horrible – but I haven’t even had a cold in over a year now. Not even a sniffle. Compared to strep, mono, and getting a cold every other week or so, saying it was well worth it to have them removed is a huge understatement. :D

@Beta_Orionis, student health services may seem “retarded” but untreated strep can lead to weakened heart valves and kidney damage.

ENT ASAP = tonsilectomy

Speaking from experience, this won’t improve unless a specialist diagnoses it.

@PandoraBoxx…? That doesn’t seem to connect well. I’m not saying we should avoid them, I mean that they’re “retarded” in that they ignore your problems, don’t know what they’re talking about (that’s not an assumption, but a well documented fact), and provide insufficient care. Every visit for a serious problem is an ordeal to get them to provide the treatment/medication/referral we need.

@all Thanks for all the personal experiences and further suggestions! I’ll keep you posted on how things turn out.

Sometimes you have to go in and be insistent that they do what they are supposed to do for you, which is to take the fact that you may have strep seriously, prescribe an antibiotic, and if necessary, send you to an ENT for evaluation. Sometimes the only way to get that done is to hold them accountable for what’s supposed to be covered by your student health coverage. If you have an insurance card for the coverage, call the customer service number on the back, and ask them to explain how to get adequate coverage for strep.

I’m saying this as a parent who’s put two kids through college who had to use school provided health care. Sometimes the system will jerk students around because they’re students, and students take it, because they’re not fully comfortable with the “I’m paying for this experience” side of the camp.

@PandoraBoxx I know. It’s not sometimes, it’s always. Although it’s a hassle, eventually (usually) through persistence we get the care we need. That’s why I said that she (possibly with my help) plans to return with confidence to insist (though not disrespectfully) they take the appropriate actions. I guess I’m just not understanding why you felt I needed to be reminded of the potential severity of such a condition. In any case, I thank you for your concern.

.
For all: Our other housemate called her aunt who is a medical professional (and ER nurse?) She said that the “deterioration” is the body’s normal response to infection, and it should clear up. Playing it safe, my roommate is returning to our health center and pursuing the suggested referral. Thanks for all the help!