Terrified about tonsil cancer - large tonsil

[tan235]

Hi all,
I suffer from tonsil stones and I have one tonsil larger than the other, from what i can remember it's always been larger than the other, however I started googling it and it stays tonsil Cancer.
I'm freaking out, I can't stop crying.
Do you know if tonsils are suppose to be the same size?
One is definitely larger and it's the one that has the tonsil stone, I would get them taken out but I'm 40 so I'm a bit too old really.

Freaking out here - please help.

[Ljaay]

I went through this exact thing a couple of months ago.

I contracted a viral infection which was hugely exacerbated by constant panic/stress. I had one greatly enlarged tonsil (I couldn't remember whether it was always like that) - and it's still the same size. Other symptoms were neck pain, pain swallowing, earache on one side, feeling like something was stuck in my throat, itching/tingling all over, shooting pains, vision problems (which I am still experiencing, probably caused by my anxiety), insomnia, heartburn, ringing in one ear. I'd been a smoker for almost 2 years (I'm 21). I saw about 10 drs in 3 weeks, had to take time out of school and was constantly crying, panicking, couldn't get out of bed, etc etc. Ended up in the hospital one night because I was panicking so much. In the end I went to see an ENT specialist who told me there was a very small (2-3% chance) that it was malignant, so told me to get it removed and booked me in for an MRI scan. Had the MRI, it showed that the tonsil was actually only enlarged by 1mm (!) and the other one was hidden by the folds in my throat). So the ENT said that more or less ruled out the possibility of tonsillar cancer and told me it wasn't worth getting it removed.

Given that you have a tonsil stone it seems like that's by far the most likely cause of the enlargement. Tonsil cancer is very very rare, but I know how terrifying and panic-inducing the idea can be. I'm training to be an actor, and I was 100% convinced that I had it and that I was going to end up disfigured/voiceless due to the surgery and radiotherapy. It might be worth going to see an ENT specialist to put your mind at ease - that was the only thing that worked for me, because he was the only person who didn't laugh at me, dismiss me and who took my concerns seriously. I don't worry about it any more (although my anxiety has transferred to other things) so I think it's definitely worth getting the reassurance. Contrary to most of the information about unilateral tonsillar enlargement (I have all the forums and websites bookmarked) having one tonsil larger than the other is normal, just like having one foot/boob/hand bigger than the other. My mum also has one much larger right tonsil. But as I said, get the reassurance from a specialist to put your mind at ease :)

[Xeonocide]

Alright I think I might be able to help you!!! So one day, I'm having a terrible bout of health anxiety, and so I stupidly look into my mouth and what do I find! A really large left tonsil which seems to be filled with puss; ewww!!! I immediately suspected what you are afraid of. Of course I later discovered that I merely had a bad case of tonsil stones. This is totally rectifiable! How? This may sound disgusting but if you wiggle your tongue in the right way a lot of that nastiness will simply come out. Alternatively you can take a tooth pick to it and dislodge it. Give it a try!

[tan235]

How can I get the tonsil stones out!!!

I've tried but I can't see them, but (sorry this is gross) if I get a cotton bud and wipe the side of my tonsil it stinks like them!
So they are there but how do I get them out!!

I'm so over this HA - my tonsil really doesn't look that much bigger than the other one - maybe a fraction?