Update warning TMI Can you have white spots on your throat and not have strep throat?

[chozen]

oh my goodness! After a few people mentioned tonsil stones I decided to look them up online. I then went into the bathroom with a Q-Tip to see if this is what it was, IT IS! I removed the one i could see and took my four finger and started pushing all around my tonsil and you wouldn't believe all the gunk that came out! I mean alot! It was hidden behind the flap area that kind of covers part of your tonsil. Now i am wondering how much more is in there. Know wonder I have had bad breath. Thanks pp's for mentioning this this!!



I have one maybe two white spots on my tonsils, with a sore throat. No fever or any other syptoms.

[Mermanaid]

Are you sure they aren't tonsiliths peeking out?

[gatorsmom]

I've had mouth ulcers ( also known as canker sores) on my throat before which I'm sure weren't strep (no sore throat or fever or other symptoms). Could this be mouth ulcers?

[scrooks]

In college I had a very yucky infected throat that tested negative for strep. I would still go in and have it tested.

[KLD313]

Yes, it doesn't always mean strep.

[indigo99]

Yes, it doesn't always mean strep.

:yeahthat: I had swollen tonsils with white spots and no strep a few months ago.

[magnoliaparadise]

My daughter had a sore throat and white spots all over on Friday - we tested and it was not strep.

[jenstring95]

I have often gotten those things (I call them cauliflower :)) with a sore throat and have only had strep once or twice.

[dogmom]

The white spots are usually pus, so just a collection of white blood cells. Strep can cause them. Other infections can cause them. Mono is one of them, but unlikely at your age. Tonsil stones can cause them. That's when stuff (food, mucous, dead cells) get stuck in the crevices and pits of the tonsils and bacteria find a good breeding ground there, then these little stones can form.. Often tonsil stones are painless. If it's just one or two white patches and/or unilateral I would lean towards that.

You can also get oral thrush, yeast infection, but you probably wouldn't have just white spots on your tonsils then.

Just to clarify, the reason you need to go on antibiotics for strep is to prevent the rare but severe damage to heart or kidneys that can occur from the strep, not to actually get your better.

[chozen]

The white spots are usually pus, so just a collection of white blood cells. Strep can cause them. Other infections can cause them. Mono is one of them, but unlikely at your age. Tonsil stones can cause them. That's when stuff (food, mucous, dead cells) get stuck in the crevices and pits of the tonsils and bacteria find a good breeding ground there, then these little stones can form.. Often tonsil stones are painless. If it's just one or two white patches and/or unilateral I would lean towards that.

You can also get oral thrush, yeast infection, but you probably wouldn't have just white spots on your tonsils then.

Just to clarify, the reason you need to go on antibiotics for strep is to prevent the rare but severe damage to heart or kidneys that can occur from the strep, not to actually get your better.

So how do you know if you should go in and have it tested for strep? I really don't think it is. Does a person have a fever with strep?

[chays]

Tonsil stones? Little white bits of bacteria/etc that gets trapped in your tonsils. Can you scrape them out/off? Triggers the gag reflex, so be careful! If you had a lot of tonsilitis as a child, it is a real possibility. Apparently chronic tonsilitis causes your tonsils to have craters which can trap that stuff. I find its always worst after I eat rice.

[chozen]

Tonsil stones? Little white bits of bacteria/etc that gets trapped in your tonsils. Can you scrape them out/off? Triggers the gag reflex, so be careful! If you had a lot of tonsilitis as a child, it is a real possibility. Apparently chronic tonsilitis causes your tonsils to have craters which can trap that stuff. I find its always worst after I eat rice.

Yes, I do have craters and I have had bits of food thre before but this is different. My one tonsil hurts not bad enough to interfere with eating but it is sore.

[Green_Tea]

IME, strep is miserable, very painful, and usually accompanied by a fever. I'd take some Advil and get a good night's sleep. If your throat is killing you in the morning, call the doctor.

[elizamom]

Sinus infection?? Lots of pollen is out right now. I just had one a few weeks ago...

[chays]

When I have a "big" one, my throat is sore. When I get it out (not easy) I feels better. Otherwise, I have strep - which does get so bad that I really have trouble swallowing. You have to figure out if its an infection (pussy) or the "stones" - hard, white & hard to get out - but move if you can reach them. Mine are not that small - pea sized & hidden, the "tip of the iceberg" is what you see.

The white spots - are they in the craters of your tonsils or really in the back of your throat? Do they move?

I had never noticed these before a few years ago...had a really bad sore throat and was treated for strep. It wasn't until I went to the ENT after the antibiotics didn't work that they noticed what they were.

Its gross. TMI - sorry!!!!

[amatahrain]

Tonsil stones? Little white bits of bacteria/etc that gets trapped in your tonsils. Can you scrape them out/off? Triggers the gag reflex, so be careful! If you had a lot of tonsilitis as a child, it is a real possibility. Apparently chronic tonsilitis causes your tonsils to have craters which can trap that stuff. I find its always worst after I eat rice.

I get these all the time and push them out with a q-tip. Found this method on youtube of all places. Sometimes they come out on their own (especially when I am swimming laps and no I don't spit them in the pool - gross). I've had some almost the size of corn kernels. They are disgusting and stink something awful. My tonsils are abnormally large and I get strep 2-3 times a year. I actually just asked my new DR about this and was surprised she didn't recommend having them removed.

To answer op yes it is possible to have white spots but not test positive for strep.

[ArizonaGirl]

Are you sure they aren't tonsiliths peeking out?

:yeahthat:

I have an embarrassing number of these nasty things and am due to schedule a tonsil removal when I am done nursing DD.

So disgusting

[chozen]

Now that I know what it is how can you prevent these? Or can you?

[MamaMolly]

I call them People Pearls.

[queenmama]

I call them People Pearls.

haha! DH gets them and acts like it's a treasure hunt to go "popping them off." eww!

Lara

[Twoboos]

DD1 gets these and they are NASTY! When she gets one out she brings it to show me. Yuck.

[KLD313]

They really are the most vile things. I haven't had one in awhile but I used to get them all the time, so gross.

[♥ms.pacman♥]

wow i had never heard of this. so these are in the back of your throat or something?? i am trying to imagine but i can't. i've never had my tonsils out. and i can't imagine scraping something off the back of your throat..doesn't it make you gag? sorry, totally clueless here.

i know dh had his tonsils taken out as a child, and i asked him about it and he said it was largely bc of the bad breath issue. interesting, i never knew about this.

[lovin2shop]

I've never heard of this either, and I'm having a hard time getting this post out of my mind! I feel like I need to go check my tonsils, but I'm too scared!

[gatorsmom]

I got the craters and pus-filled bags when I was in college. A really bad bought of mono brought on a horrible sore throat. i continued to get sore throats and would go in to have the campus doctor "lance" the pus sacks to let them drain. That's when he told me i really needed to have them removed. I did over summer break and haven't had a severe sore throat since.

I had completely forgotten about that.

I hope you find some relief.

[amatahrain]

oh my goodness! After a few people mentioned tonsil stones I decided to look them up online. I then went into the bathroom with a Q-Tip to see if this is what it was, IT IS! I removed the one i could see and took my four finger and started pushing all around my tonsil and you wouldn't believe all the gunk that came out! I mean alot! It was hidden behind the flap area that kind of covers part of your tonsil. Now i am wondering how much more is in there. Know wonder I have had bad breath. Thanks pp's for mentioning this this!!



I have one maybe two white spots on my tonsils, with a sore throat. No fever or any other syptoms.

I just want to say that I love this community. I was one of the ones that admitted to plucking them out with a q-tip and was embarrassed to share and even wrote, deleted and rewrote my admission. It's always nice to know I'm not alone! :yay: PS... best way to see them is to get a hand mirror and stand with your back facing the light.

[scrooks]

Omg! I need to check my tonsils out but they seem really far back there ....

[ArizonaGirl]

oh my goodness! After a few people mentioned tonsil stones I decided to look them up online. I then went into the bathroom with a Q-Tip to see if this is what it was, IT IS! I removed the one i could see and took my four finger and started pushing all around my tonsil and you wouldn't believe all the gunk that came out! I mean alot! It was hidden behind the flap area that kind of covers part of your tonsil. Now i am wondering how much more is in there. Know wonder I have had bad breath. Thanks pp's for mentioning this this!!



I have one maybe two white spots on my tonsils, with a sore throat. No fever or any other syptoms.

Yeah, on a particularly nasty day I can get out maybe 5 or 6 stones every couple of weeks. That is why I am due to have mine removed after I wean
DD. :barf:

[Mermanaid]

I have tried and tried to get them out with the q-tip but I gag so easily. Poor DH!

Unfortunately I just have to usually wait until I can hack them up.

[magnoliaparadise]

Hi,
I posted in #7 that my daughter had white spots and it was not strep. I take it back! The test came back positive a couple of days later in the lab. So... what do I know? Anecdotally, for us at least, white spots points to strep!

[YouAreTheFocus]

Omg! I need to check my tonsils out but they seem really far back there ....

Tread carefully... I had the same thought after reading this thread...I was convinced I would find something so I kept mucking/scraping around back there. It made me gag a ton and today my throat is sore and one of my ears hurts. I don't know how ppl do it!

[mypa]

I had my tonsils removed at 30yo (very painful recovery) for this very reason. My stones were the size of big blueberries and I could not remove them myself. The ENT used a numbing spray then used a tool to remove them. I did have one more episode of stones after the tonsilectomy (and a visit to the doctor to remove them) but it has not returned since.

It feels so great not to get them anymore!

[MaiseyDog]

PS... best way to see them is to get a hand mirror and stand with your back facing the light.

:bag I don't think I thought I'd ever be discussing this, but... I have found that for me the easiest way is to stand infront of my bathroom mirror and shine a flashnight into the mirror so that the light bounces off the mirror and into my mouth. I also sometimes use an oral syringe to flush the crevices with water. You have to get the tip into the opening of the crevice and it takes a few tries to get the force right, but it works really well and much quicker (but messier).

[randomkid]

Reading your update, it sounds like you could have an abscess. I've never heard of tonsil stones until now and looked them up. They seem to be like actual little stones. When I was in college, I had a peritonsillar abscess. I went to my regular doctor who sent me to an ENT that day. It had already started draining on its own, then he lanced it and drained it completely. Maybe you had a stone with an abscess behind it? Since you had a bunch of gunk come out, that sounds more like an abscess. I'd get to the doctor and have him check it out. You could get a pretty nasty infection if that isn't drained completely. Also, he said there is a high incidence of recurrence and advised I have them removed, which I did. Surgery wasn't super easy, but I don't regret it for a minute.

[StantonHyde]

ewww,ewww,ewww. I did not need to read this post!! OMG--abcesses in your tonsils-ow,ow,ow,ow. Shudder... I really feel extremely sorry for any body who goes through any of this. And, yes, I am going to check my tonsils!!!

[MamaMolly]

ewww,ewww,ewww. I did not need to read this post!! OMG--abcesses in your tonsils-ow,ow,ow,ow. Shudder... I really feel extremely sorry for any body who goes through any of this. And, yes, I am going to check my tonsils!!!

In that case do NOT look them up on YouTube. From tonsil stone removal it is a fast and slippery slope to videos of ingrown hair removal, blackhead removal, and boil lancing. BARF-FEST. :eek: And also how I recently wasted at LEAST an hour recently. But then I have a high gross out threshold.

[Ceepa]

So glad my tonsils were removed when I was 13! Blech.

[amatahrain]

In that case do NOT look them up on YouTube. From tonsil stone removal it is a fast and slippery slope to videos of ingrown hair removal, blackhead removal, and boil lancing. BARF-FEST. :eek: And also how I recently wasted at LEAST an hour recently. But then I have a high gross out threshold.

Haha. This was me yesterday. I have a very high gross out threshold. I spent over an hour looking at cysts and stuff. Some of the ones that people get on their backs are just unbelievable!! It's addictive b/c you keep seeing stuff over on the right that looks interesting. :)