Go to an ENT specialist.

It could be a sinus infection, or something called "cryptic tonsils" (tonsils get pockets of pus in them).

It's pus. Gargle with saltwater a few times a day and it might go away. Do you get postnasal drip? Allergies? it's pretty gross, I know! When I last saw the doctor for this he gave me an antibiotic (Biaxin) but they still came back. A saltwater gargle will probably kill whatever it is.

I can't gargle, I have a very sensitive gag reflex and have never been able to gargle. I will make an appointment with my doctor on Tuesday, hopefully she can suggest an alternative to gargling!

I used to get sinus infections all the time and had surgery to correct a deviated septum that was causing the infections. I haven't had any problems, but I do get post nasal drip frequently. I didn't relate this problem to the sinus problems, I just thought it was rotted food parts! Ick!

Thanks for the help,

Michelle

Hmmmm. I get this too but as you did I always thought it was food. I do have sinus problems though and have had them looked at but nothing that they did to correct it worked so I just quit going. Maybe I should have this looked at again.

I went to the doctor and she said it sounds like allergies since I am having a lot of drainage. She gave me some allergy meds and a prescription for an antibiotic since there is an infection present. Lets see if it goes away!

I think I have the same thing! Mine are sometimes in the soft tissue on the sides of my uvula. They pop out through the skin and fall out when I constrict my throat muscles, like to sneeze. I keep a baby spoon in my bathroom and I use it to push on the skin just below the "thing" and it pops out. They are smelly and somewhat granular if you mush them.I don't think they can be pus, unless there is a solid form of pus. They also pop up when I have a cold, but they turn a grayish-green color then. I went to the doctor 28 YEARS ago and he couldn't find any in my throat, so I never got a diagnosis. Hard to diagnose something that falls out and gets swallowed before the doctor can even see you! I try gargling with peroxide and water. I know you can't gargle, I just thought the other people who have this might want to give it a try. Anyway, if this sounds like your problem, PLEASE let us know when you find out what it is.

I have since found out that what I have is tonsiloliths, or "tonsil stones". They are very common, and there is really no cure besides a tonsilectomy. It is caused by draining sinuses. Do not pick at them or scrape them off your tonsils or uvula, this can cause infections or worse. Let them fall out naturally.

Yes, they usually are made worse by allergies, right? Antibiotics will make them go away for a while but they will eventually come back. Maybe using Listerine would help, too. Mine always act up moer in summer, especially now that I'm pregnant and my sneezing/allergies are worse. Well at least you found out exactly what they were!

This summer has been really bad for me, I have never had allergies before, but now my nose runs like crazy! I think this is why I have developed the tonsiloliths.

I took some antibiotics and it cleared it up, and I haven't had any of the particles come out lately, but I can taste the "infection" taste in the back of my throat all the time.

We are moving to Phoenix soon, hopefully this will help!

i can't believe i haven't checked this forum in so long!! Boy do i have good news for you!!!! you are right they are tonsiloliths and they smell bad and cause very bad breath- there isn't a cure- not sinus surgey nor getting your tonsils out will cure the problem- you won't have the stones anymore if you get your tonsils out but you will still have bad breath- there isn't a cure per say but there is a treatment!!! have you ever heard of california breath clinics before? well there is a dentist who has spent years researching all of this and he started these clinics and now they have products available=it is kind of funny because right now on page 1 of their website there is an article on exactly post nasal drip and tonsiloliths.i have tried these products myself and participated in a study as my friend works at a human research lab and i am not kidding you this stuff works- and it is very reasonable- especially if you buy the valu paks- anyway..( i have never tried the more expensive stuff like the irrigator because i have had such suucess without it). the products contain ingredients that neutralize the sulfur that cause the stones.- they have a product specially for people with the stones called activ oxygen and you can actually swallow it- they also have sprays and drops all kinds of other things so you maybe
could get by without gargling... anyway.. you can go this site and read about it-there is a special section on tonsil stones-(inside the article about post nasal drip) you can even email the doctor and he will email you back he could suggest what would be best for you-- i have just about every product- it even works after eating garlic cuz garlic odor is also sulfur compounds-- sign up on the mailing list cuz you get all kinds of great deals in your email- even free stuff!! i swear i am NOT affiliated with this company- i am just here to give you guys reprieve from your problem!! IT WORKS!!! I tell everyone i know who has ever had these problems and i can't believe more people have never heard of these clinics!!

Here is a link that might be useful: therabreath

Actually, I don't have bad breath from it, the stones are just really annoying. If I ever do I will check out the Therabreath cure! Thanks!

Michelle

oh you don't? you are lucky! everyone i know who has them has terrible breath- even so, the stuff gets rid of the tonsiloliths- not just cures bad breath if you were looking to get rid of them- well anyway.. hope this helps some of you!!! good luck!!

My hubby sometimes gets those, he has always called them "tacos" (his family is Cuban and that's apparently what they called them because "taco" refers to a small wad). He says they do smell bad.

Only once in my life I coughed up one of those, but it was tiny and didn't smell at all. Very strange.

Wow, I just started reading this. We call these "white patches". They are caused by a virus, and do not need antibiotics. They go away on their own in time. They can come when you are perfectly healthy. I see them if I look into the mirror and say ah to raise the uvula. My kids used to get them frequently too. Their color is white beige or yellow - none of us have tonsils. Of course just because we don't have tonsils doesn't mean that the remnant tissue cannot cause something like this. Of course I am not a doctor, and it may not be the same thing.
Sammy

I think we have the same thing. It's caused by eating food that is rough and dry that can easily get lodged in the pockets of your tonsils. I honestly can't eat peanuts, cereal, cookies w/nuts, granola, too many chips, crackers etc..... without it getting caught in my throat and causing difficulty in swallowing and throat pain. I would like to hear your response Michelle and see if you learned anything new. It took me awhile to figure out it was certain foods I was eating. It took me years to figure out it was food at all.

Mery, I think it is from eating those types of foods. They don't bother me much anymore, I don't get them as often as I did back when I wrote this, but I notice when I eat a lot of rough grains I get them.

I just let them be and fall out on their own. I have never suffered bad breath from them like many people have, but I never found a cure either.

Do this several times to flush out the craters. Then empty the dropper. Squeeze the rubber tip, insert into the craters, and then slowly release the rubber tip, causing left over debris & bacteria in the crater to be sucked into the dropper. Rinse out the dropper and repeat as necessary. FINALLY: use Tri-Oral. Great friggin 2-part mouthwash ($25/set). Ordered in from QVC. Trust me, you'll thank me. Pick/Flush/Suck/Swish regularly.

First GENTLY pick the little bastards out of the crater with a toothpick or pencil. You'll need a medicine dropper. The longer the better. You'll also need a little hand mirror. Fill the dropper with water. Insert the tip of the Dropper into the crater after you have removed the little booger, or as much of it as you can. Squeeze the tip of the dropper to release the water into the crater. Do this several times to flush out the craters. Then empty the dropper. Squeeze the rubber tip, insert into the craters, and then slowly release the rubber tip, causing left over debris & bacteria in the crater to be sucked into the dropper. Rinse out the dropper and repeat as necessary. FINALLY: gargle with Tri-Oral. Great friggin 2-part mouthwash ($25/set). Ordered in from QVC. Trust me, you'll thank me. Pick/Flush/Suck/Swish regularly.

hi people, i have the same thing for 4yrs and yes i use the toothpick aswell they smell like poo yes its true. My auntie has it too. and it makes you cringe it comes mostly early in the morning and late in the night sometimes when your eating you feel them there. we thought we was the only one with it. Sometimes you have to make that noice you make when your throat is scratching. (YEAH THAT ONE)we call it drawing your throat. Have you notice that sometime it take days to come out and one you feel you want them out straight away.

I'm not one to scoff at another's misery, but some of these posts have me ROTFLMAO!!!!

Pick/Flush/Suck/Swish OMG TOO FUNNY!!!!

i ate a cany bar with nuts now it feels like it stuck in my throat how do i get it go down? i do have a cold and getting stuff up but not the nut.

I have had "tonsil stones" for many years, but only discovered what they were a couple of years ago, thanks to the lovely people on this forum. I would often get a sore throat and then cough up one of those lovely "pearls" that stunk like YUCK! Then I discovered that I could avoid the sore throat if I got rid of them myself before they became too large. At first I used a tiny crochet hook to pull them out, but hooked my tonsil once and made it bleed. That scared me, so I stopped doing that. Then I found out that if I pushed next to those ugly white things in my tonsils (sort of like squeezing pimples) they would just pop out on their own. Finally, now that I am becoming an old lady, they have really slowed down. They smelled so horrible - I know that my breath must have been awful.

By the way, I call them "pearls" because my understanding is that they are formed much the same way as pearls are. Some tiny speck gets in the pockets in the tonsils (a doctor told me that I have more and deeper pockets than average) and layers of yuck are formed around them.

I to have been noticing the symptoms of something in my throat and I have had this for the past 3-4 days but I do feel sick when I eat a certain amount of food and I try gargeling and drinking water and eating different things. But yet it is still there. I am 21 years old I have allergies and I never had my tonsils taking out. It is really annoying and I do not have a way of getting to a doctor at the moment would anyone please help me??

If it looks like spam and smells like spam.. it probably is spam

How nice of you to register today and drop in (on Thanksgiving) just to look up info on your friend's bad breath. Why don't you go ahead and invest the money the site asks you for to reveal their "one big secret" -- why do they need a whole book for that????

You know from what I've read, I understand tonsil stones generally don't cause bad breath. It just seems like they do to some people that have them. It's generally the sites that are trying to sell stuff (the therabreath, etc.) that seem to stress the bad breath issue. Granted I guess people could have tonsil stones and bad breath (no saying you can't have both). It's just if your friend's main problem is his breath, I think I'd look elsewhere. If he doesn't smoke, stomach issues are usually the cause of bad breath; I wouldn't focus on these tonsil stones...

Let us know if you find any miracle cures for your friend...

I get that too- I found that if I eat a cough drop the sensation goes away

the doc diagnosed mine as pockets. They fill up with food and pop out with a little pressure and has a very rotten smell. Mine are on my tonsils.