What Do Tonsils Actually Do and Why are We Constantly Removing Them

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What most people refer to as “tonsils” are known as Palatine tonsils. These are the two large protruding tissues that reside on the sides of the back of your throat. These are actually part of a grouping of lymphoid tissues (tissue that perform different functions for your immune system) known as Waldeyer’s tonsillar ring.

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[Sketch]

I had my tonsils removed when I was 4 because I was snoring like an 80 yo chainsmoker and had a voice like Don Corleone in The Godfather...My first words after the surgery were "why do I speak like a girl?"

[heyyyitskat]

I got my tonsils and adenoids removed about three years ago now. Best thing I ever did. They were removed when I was about 20. The recovery was awful, but well worth it. I had always been a pretty sick kid. Always getting strep, up to five times a year, colds, flues, pneumonia....you name it. Finally we went and saw an ENT, an ear, nose, and throat doctor. He took one look in my throat and said, “Oh those have to go.” Turns out my tonsils were four times the size they were supposed to be and infections were getting stuck in there and then just spreading right back into my body. Getting those suckers out was the best thing I’ve ever done. I haven’t had strep since, I’m not constantly ill anymore, and to top it off, I don’t snore like a sailor anymore! I wouldn’t suggest getting them out just because, due to the fact that the recovery period gets worse the older you are getting them removed. But if it makes sense, find a reputable doctor and go for it

[JLNotHere]

5:10 I am glad you addressed Tonsil Stones. I was getting strep numerous times a year and my Dr was set against getting them removed. Until I was in my mid 20’s and developed a severe tonsil stone issue. Now having them removed I have not gotten strep once since.

[SakraIgorqNomoko]

Along with the appendix, the tonsils were once viewed as a purely vestigial organ that had no purpose. Kinda makes you think about other features in biology that we currently think don't have a function which we may later find out serve an important role.

[brodywolf]

My tonsils were huge and constantly infected. I was so glad I had them removed

[RoadkillbunnyUK]

My daughter had her tonsils and adenoids out in 2009 when she was 4.5. She did have many recurrent infections but the big reasons for it being done was she had extremely enlarged tonsils and adenoids which along with a complete tongue tie left her unable to swallow many things including excess saliva, she was constantly wet all down her front from dribbling. Also turned out she was having regular sleep apneas.
She had the operation to remove the tonsils, adenoids and to free her tongue as much as possible (it really was completely routed to her bottom palette, she couldn’t move it at all let alone push it out of her mouth past her teeth. The surgery was successful, her tonsils where huge, her adenoids among the largest the ENT surgeon had seen. They managed to free her tongue enough to allow her to stick it out a little and move it side to side, to this day she still can’t move it upwards or as freely as others. Before the surgery she was tiny for her age, her speech was delayed and largely unclear, she didn’t speak to people she didn’t know as she got sick of not being understood. After surgery she started growing like a weed now that her sleep was actually restful rather than a fight to keep breathing. Her speech came on in leaps and bounds and six months latter she would chat to anybody, still some sounds were very hard for her but she flourished. She will be 14 next month and is a wonderful young lady who has not had a throat infection since her surgery.
The surgery that changed my daughters life only happened thanks to the UK”s Channel 4 and the Embarrassing Bodies: Kids series. I think it may drill be possible to find the footage of her surgery and some interviews with me on the shows website. I’m not 100% sure though, was 9.5 years ago now!

[icaruspunk]

Sometimes tonsillectomies are justified. Such as when you have chronic tonsillitis and your tonsils swell making it difficult to breathe.

[apenutz]

Mine were blocking 2/3 of my air way. They used to block my airway when i slept and i would get the biggest headache and wake up screaming. Once they were removed it stopped. Was the best thing ever.

[williamblaker]

I had my tonsils removed at age 50 due to recurrent strep throat infections and reduced airway flow. The post surgical pain was pretty awful for 3 or 4 weeks, but I haven't had a single infection since.

[overworkedcna]

From my late teens to my mid twenties, I’d get tonsillitis every month when I was on my period. My parents never had surgeons take my tonsils out because, while the infections were annoying, they always resolved themselves. Then one time I got the “normal” infection (I was on my period, the tonsils swelled, the lymph nodes swelled, etc.) but my tonsils swelled so much that I couldn’t breathe. They totally blocked my trachea. The surgery was the most painful thing I’ve ever experienced in my life, and I’ve been shot. Having your tonsils out as an adult, yes, is much more painful than a close-range pistol shot.

[utasenpai]

I cant recall ever having any probs with my tonsils . I still have mine to this day . Guess im the lucky one .

[Metalbass]

I have asked physicians about the whitish stones on the tonsils and every time been answered with a variation of, "I don't know, " in more words than ever needed.

[glenngriffon]

So THAT'S what those disgusting smelling white things were.
A while back i coughed up about three of those over the course of two weeks and always wondered what it was.

[moffix]

Outstanding video as always. I have had chronic tonsillitis since I was a teenager and my doctor steered me away from surgery. I get an infection about once a year but can manage it with antibiotics. Also had one of those calcified stones that I managed to squeeze out from the area under the tongue - painful as heck. On the other hand my son had to have surgery to remove tonsils and adenoids at age 3 because of difficulty breathing and never had an infection since - he is 21 now. This video covers both and is very informative.

[katjagolden]

Very interesting Simon! Great video! I remember when I was 4 & brother was 2yrs old back in ‘74 we had our tonsils out. I remember waking up and eating Jello & ice cream.
My boys were born in 2000 & 2002 and so happy they (or their Father & I ) didn’t have to go thru surgery w/ them.

[aviationist]

After hearing about some hellacious problems some of my friends with tonsils and or adenoids have been going through (chronic tonsil stones etc.); I'm extremely glad that mine were removed early in life.

[NnH_Kairyu]

I had my tonsils removed because I was constantly getting tonsil stones. They started getting big enough to make me choke, and the week before the surgery I was barely able to breathe. I had dealt with this issue in a much more minor occurrence for over a decade, occasionally swallowing a hard substance that I thought was plaque on my teeth falling into my throat. After learning what was actually going on, I was all in for having this issue resolved... especially since I didn't want to die of suffocation.

I have since not had any issues, and my breath maintains consistently near-odorless regardless of what I eat.

Great thing at the time too, was they told me recovery could take 2 months and I shouldn't eat solid food or try to talk for the first 3 weeks. I was fully recovered, eating and laughing with friends in 13 days.

[koolandblue]

I got strep throat no less than 2 times a year growing up. This was right around the time when doctors started to just use antibiotics rather than perform tonsillectomies. My mother took me to just about every doctor in the area, but all of them refused to do it because of the whole “take a pill” mentality. Those things terrorized me with constant infections, food getting caught on them because they were so large and the occasional cankersore that would develop on them. It wasn’t until well into my 20s that I got an infection so bad that they inflamed so large that I had trouble breathing that an ENT doctor finally convinced my insurance company to authorize the surgery. Getting your tonsils removed as an adult is a lot worse than when you’re 9 years old!

I have no doubt that had I had them removed as a child, it would have saved me a lot of pain and sick days growing up. To hell with using antibiotics to treat chronic strep throat!

[james]

I used to suffer a lot as a child but started gargling with salt and *warm* water when i got tonsilitis (still do from time to time) and it more or less cured me.
3-4 times a day gargling for about 3 days, maybe 4 and the infection gets washed out. No more antibiotics if i can help it, i was getting immune to them.

[stevegreedo]

It was so nice to watch one of these videos WITHOUT a word from our sponsor for a change. Thanks!