I have hard time describing this, but I cant imagine I am the only one with this…
Occasionally I feel that there are bits of leftover food stuck back near my tonsils in the folds back there and when I go to fish them out (with difficulty and often inducing a gag) I find that it always has the same texture and look (white and cartilaginous).
What in the blazes is this stuff? Old food? Does this phenomenon have a name?
I told you it was gross…
:o
I’ve had that happen too. One doc told me it was old food, another thought it might be some sort of strep throat. I believe the unofficial research I did into this disgusting phenomenon revealed that it is at least partially made of dead bacteria “filtered” by your tonsils.
Do a search on “tonsil*” It’s been in GQ a number of times.
Common in individuals with enlarged tonsils. Nasty stuff. It can be worked out by holding your head back and rapidly raising the back of your tounge. Digging it out can cause tears in the tonsil tissues and lead to infection.
I have been told it is decayed food and bacteria. It’s harmless stuff whatever it is but it does smell foul and can cause problems with your breath.
It seems to get better with age (as tonsils tend to shrink with age). Rinsing and gargling with Listerine has helped me. I had lots of problems with it (because it can be annoying) when I was a teenager.
Cheers, Miss Amelia
I believe they are called “Tonsiliths”.
yeah-this (lovely) topic has been brought up several times- this is one of the more informative threads: http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=96718&highlight=smell+throat+food