A friend has been advised to undergo tonsillectomy because of her unusually large tonsils. She never has problem with them and they do not hurt at all. She seldom has tonsillitis too. But when she showed them to a specialist, the specialist was surprised before she was told to have them removed. She was asked basic questions and she answered negative to all of them except one. The specialist asked if there were times that she snores or stops breathing when she sleeps. She answered yes and that prompted the specialist to tell her that she needs to have her tonsils removed. She was surprised at the doctor’s advice at first but after it was explained, she understood how it can pose as a danger to her.

You might be wondering what tonsillectomy has got to do with snoring and breathing. First, we need to understand what tonsillectomy is all about. Tonsillectomy is the procedure of surgically removing the tonsils.

Tonsillectomy is common in children but sometimes, adults may need it too. The tonsils are located at the back of the mouth and are composed of lymph tissue. There are a lot of ways to remove the tonsils and it is possible for the patient to choose which method he wants. It can be a bloody procedure and it will be painful during its post-operative recovery.
But why do people need to undergo tonsillectomy? Here are some of the reasons why it is advisable to have tonsillectomy.

Pharyngitis – It can either be a mild sore throat or a severe full-blown, inflammatory viral infection. A viral infection happens when the person has a cold or flu. If it is a bacterial infection, it usually results in strep throat. If the pharyngitis is recurrent, then it can be a reason for one to undergo tonsillectomy.

Recurrent Bacterial Infections – Bacterial infections, especially repeated ones, can cause damage to the tonsils. Throat infections caused by bacteria would often result to an inflamed sore throat. It can also result to a cold with headaches, fatigue and a slight fever. If the bacterial infection is serious, it is accompanied by white spots in the throat, difficulty in breathing and swallowing or having pus in the mouth.

Tonsilitis – This refers to inflamed tonsils and is caused by infection. It is contagious and is characterized be fever, yellow discharge on the tonsils, sore throat and inflamed, red tonsils. The doctor will recommend tonsillectomy if you have chronic tonsillitis.

Tonsillith – It is known as a tonsil stone and this can gather in the folds of the tonsils. These are composed of infected material and food particles. This can be removed by brushing but if a person suffers from long lasting problems with tonsilliths, this can be resolved by undergoing tonsillectomy.

Other possible reasons are obstruction in the airway causing sleep apnea, snoring and nasal airway obstruction. These are usually caused by abnormally large tonsils that get in the way of breathing and may pose danger when asleep.

Author Bio: Sharon Campbell enjoys writing for Uniformhaven.com which sells cherokee scrubs and cherokee 4101 as well as a host of additional products.

Category: Medicines and Remedies
Keywords: sore throat,inflamed tonsils,inflamed sore throat,throat infections cause