Would it be possible for a tonsillolith to
dislodge from the back of the throat and
get stuck inside a lung?
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drober11
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 05 May 2005 Posts: 1 Location: Knoxville, TN
Tonsillolith Question Posted: 05-05-05 15:53pm
An interesting question; I cannot say for
sure that this is possible, but it sounds
quite reasonable to me.
Just the same, a very similar phenomenon
called a broncholith, which is more rare,
can be a sign of a fungal lung infection,
such as histoplasmosis. I really just
found out what tonsilloliths are; I had
always wondered what I was coughing up
since I was about 17 years old (ten years
ago). When I found out about
tonsilloliths, I was shocked to learn that
they form in the crypts of the tonsils,
and you cannot get them if you have no
tonsils, which I do not.
If you are coughing up tonsilloliths or
feel that one may be stuck in your lung,
you should consider having a chest x-ray
to be sure that you don't have
histoplasmosis or aspergillus fungi in the
lung.
If you spend any time in caves, chicken
houses, or playing with birds or bats, or
digging in any soil that may be
contaminated with feces from these
animals, you have likely been exposed to
such fungi. Perhaps a blood test would
be a good idea.
Of course, it has been over a month since
you posted your question, and you may have
already received some diagnosis from a
health care provider, which I am not.
