What are the tonsils for?
The function of the tonsils is to fight infection. They are basically lymph nodes, and like all other lymph nodes they will swell and become tender when there is an infection in the nearby area. When the tonsils or throat get infected for any reason, they enlarge and swell. At the same time the nodes (known as "glands") in the neck swell and become tender too. The nearest lymph nodes to the tonsils are the prominent nodes that you can feel just behind the angle of the jaw. After repeated infections the tonsils may stay enlarged between acute infections, and become chronically infected with scarring of the enlarged tonsils and near constant sore throat and often persistent malaise. When this happens the tonsils are frequently removed to prevent further infections.
Acute Tonsillitis.
Tonsils can become infected. This can be due to bacterial or viral infection, and may be the only problem or it may happen in association with a throat infection or a cold or suchlike. The more severe tonsillitis is likely to be due to a bacterial infection, particularly if pus can be seen at the back of the throat and oozing out of the tonsils. In this situation an antibiotic will help and help the body to overcome the infection.
You feel dreadful with tonsillitis. As well as the very bad throat being painful, and making swallowing wery difficult. There is usually a high fever and considerable painful swelling of the lymph nodes in the neck. The fever causes th usual fever symptoms. The patient feels freezing and will be shivering, even though they are actually very hot. There is usually a headache and general weakness with aches and pains. Basically if you can get out of bed and come to the surgery, then you probably do not actually have tonsillitis.. So with tonsillitis you feel (and look) "grim".
How is tonsillitis treated ?
Treatment with Penicillin or (Erythromycin for those allergic to Penicillin) will treat the infection, however it will take several days to make much difference to how you feel. Whilst it is obviously important to treat the cause with the penicillin, you need to treat the symptoms to get relief here and now. The treatment here is the same as for any other sore throat, soluble aspirin gargles and all of that.
What about next time.
If you have had a good dose of proper infected tonsillitis once, then there is a good chance that you will get it again. Unfortunately there is no simple preventative treatment to stop that from happening. Whilst future infections will need treating with penicillin, not every sore throat is tonsillitis, and it is important not to be swallowing Penicillin every time you get a hint of a dry throat. If it is used indiscriminately, all that will happen is that Penicillin will cease to be effective when you do need it as the bugs in your body become Penicillin resistant. As no other antibiotic works quite as well on "Streps" as Penicillin, and probably no other combines the almost negligable side effects with the unique anti-strep effectiveness that Penicillin gives, it is a great pity to lose the benefits of such a good drug.
Removing Tonsils
Whether or not to remove tonsils is always a difficult decision. As an operation it is undoubtedly effective. You can not get tonsillitis if you have no tonsils. You can however, and will still get the same sore throats, coughs and colds that the rest of the world gets. It is important that patients and especially, parents, understand what removing tonsils will and will not do. It will stop tonsillitis, and nothing else. It will not stop colds, improve a childs concentration or school performance etc. etc. We too often hear long tales of woe that include everything being so much better after little Jonny finally gets his tonsils operation.
Removing tonsils is a surgical operation, and like any other it has its pros and cons. Where the problem is frequent, recurrent, severe tonsillitis, tonsillectomy will cure it, end of story, no problem. No tonsils= no tonsillitis. In any other circumstances removing the tonsils is the wrong thing to do. It can not possibly help and a concientious, ethical surgeon will not do it, even privately. (Paying does not permit you to have bits of your, or your childs body cut off for no good reason. )
As with any other surgical procedure, even in the very best of hands operations can, and do go wrong. Occasionally ( fortunately very occasionally) they go disastrously wrong with terrible results. However small the risk it can never be zero, and you have to feel happy that whatever that risk is is worth it in view of the benefits a sucessful operation will bring..External link for more information. Just the anaesthetic itself carries a risk that something will go badly wrong with permanent consequences,in about one case per thousand. The surgery itself whilst not technically difficult, is in a dangerous area with lots of major arteris, veins and nerves in very close proximity.
So whilst not wishing to scare you off, it is important that operations like tonsillectomy are done in the right people and for the right reasons. That way everyone is happy!
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Tonsillitis
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What are your tonsils
Your tonsils are a pair of lymph nodes, one on each side,that sit at the back of your throat. The lumps on each side that you can see at the back of the throat.
The tonsils vary in size according to age. In young children, normal healthy tonsils can look enormous. Not quite touching in the middle, but not far off this. during the teenage years they become smaller until ain adults they are about half the side that they are in children.
The tonsils are made of what is called "Lymphoid tissue". This is a discrete area of tissue containing an aggregation of white blood cells and large numbers of other cell types used to fight infection.
