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It was only the beginning...
The same problem happened again just a few weeks later, so I visited a Doctor.
He explained that they were tonsil stones, which are basically bits of food, dead cells and mucus, which can cluster when the tonsils become scarred by bouts of infection.
I was prescribed antibiotics, which worked temporarily, but over the following 6 years my tonsil stones just kept coming back, again and again.
And they started to grow larger, and larger, and LARGER.
I suffered from further bouts of tonsillitis, which severely affected my job because I was constantly having to take time off work.
Then to my horror, my mom commented that my breath wasn’t very nice - which really worried me because I’d always cleaned my teeth twice a day and gargled with mouthwash - yet it didn’t seem to be working.
I also started to notice that my throat was often sore, I had difficulty swallowing and always seemed to have a metallic taste in my mouth.
I’d look inside my mouth and there they were again - two, three, even four tonsil stones collecting at the back of my throat.
It seemed like these disgusting, stinky things were on a mission to ruin my life.
I went to my dentist for advice, but all he did was scrape them off, and then gave me a lecture about oral hygiene...
“But the tonsil stones just kept coming back - and my breath just got worse and worse”
At work, I was forever chewing gum because I was so paranoid about my breath, and I was scared to get too close to anyone because of it.
I always carried a small 'emergency bag' with me, full of things that would ease my symptoms, like a bottle of water, cough syrup, throat pills, mints, etc.
And I felt incredibly uncomfortable without it, as I knew I had to be ready in case my breath became really bad, my throat became sore or I had a coughing fit.
And then something happened that proved to be the last straw for me...
A friend of mine set me up on a date with a guy I’d liked for ages. He’d always had a girlfriend so I’d never had a chance previously.
But apparently they’d just broken up...
This was my chance to impress him!
After a great night out, we sat in his car talking.
He then leaned over for a kiss.
At that moment it felt like all my Christmases had come at once!
“But then my Ultimate Nightmare Happened!”
As he moved closer he caught a whiff of my breath and immediately turned his head away with a disgusted look on his face.
I apologized and tried to pretend that it must have been the garlic in the dinner we ate - even though it hadn’t contained any garlic at all.
He said it didn’t matter and that he’d give me a call later in the week.
He never did.
A few weeks later I heard from a friend that he’d been making fun of me, and had been telling people that my breath smelt like a sewer.
It was absolutely humiliating.
I became so embarrassed and ashamed that I barely left my home, and stayed away from men entirely.
That very same evening, I promised myself that I was going to get rid of those cursed tonsil stones for good.
I wasn’t going to stop until I’d found a solution.
I visited 3 different dentists and a throat specialist - anyone that I thought might be able to help.
Either they couldn’t help me or the methods they suggested worked only temporarily.
The throat specialist recommended surgery (tonsillectomy), but when I looked into it I discovered 3 big reasons to avoid it at all costs...
Top 3 REASONS TO AVOID SURGERY
REASON #1: IT’S VERY EXPENSIVE!
Firstly, a tonsillectomy can be hugely expensive. The throat specialist said it would cost me nearly $3,500, even though there was no guarantee it would work! There was no way I could afford that or take the risk. And even if I could, I was also told that I’d need at least 2 weeks off work to recover, which would cost me even more money.
REASON #2: IT’S VERY PAINFUL
A friend who’d previously had her tonsils removed had already warned me that the operation was incredibly painful, and she suffered serious bleeding as a result of i