Itchy Ears And White Bumps On Back Of Itchy Throat

[Guest LittleMissAllergy]

For about two weeks now my digestive system has been feeling great, and I haven't had many reactions to food (which is rare for me!), but about a week and a half ago I got these weird white bumps in the back of my throat..and then one of them turned into kind of a white chunk ( I know, gross). My throat started to feel a little itchy, and now my ears itch terribly. This goes on and off all day. I can't figure out what it is! I eat just about the same thing everyday, and never react to things like this. I tried to look up these symptoms on Web MD and all I got was "oral cancer" so obviously that didn't make me feel much better. Anyone got any ideas?

[MrMark]

...but about a week and a half ago I got these weird white bumps in the back of my throat..and then one of them turned into kind of a white chunk ( I know, gross)...

Gross Indeed , but I used to get the white pustules and the chunks regularly. I have no idea what it is, but in my case it goes away in about a week+. I just posted a question about popcorn and gluten because popcorn, among other things, was causing me to have that. BTW: unseasoned popcorn.

That gross 'chunk', did it seem to come from a mysterious pore near or on your tonsils? If I could guess as to what it is, I might guess it was candida related. I say this because most of the time I had this I would get a followup of mild thrush in my mouth/throat.

Sometimes instead of a white chunk, I would get a black charcoal like chunk in my throat. I have no idea what that is either - kind of scarry.

Thanks Mark

[TrillumHunter]

Is it stuck in your tonsils? You can rinse them out with a water pik or even gently nudge them out with a Q-Tip. It's called cryptic tonsillitis and the only cure is a tonsillectomy. I started getting it in my early twenties and they treated it with antibiotics. But it is almost impossible to clear because of the nature of the the gland. I wound up getting infected ears repeatedly to the point I have low level hearing loss in one. It was a case of young person and stupid HMO dr that kept me from getting treated. It hurt like I can't even tell you but I would do it again in a heartbeat.

If you get one of those out, give it a sniff. It will smell like-----the most horrible stench you've ever smelled. Push under the spot and it should pop out. Gross, huh? Oral cancer is usually a patch not a chunk.

Not the most pleasant thing I've ever typed in the am. Ask anything you want if you think I might be right.

[Guest LittleMissAllergy]

Thank you so much you guys...and I'm SO sorry that you had to reply to such a disgusting thread, but it's really helping me!

MrMark, I suspected that it *might* be Candida, because I recently went to my homeopathic doctor and she has a way of checking my "IBS score" and it went way up for the first time in a year or so, and I know that can be linked to Candida sometimes. Usually when my IBS score goes up though, I have constipation and bloating, not white chunks in my throat and itchy ears (gosh, so gross...I'm so sorry!) but I guess bodies change sometimes. For the past 2 years I've been trying to gain weight so to increase my calories (and the fiber in my diet) I've been eating about 4 pieces of fruit a day. I actually just introduced oranges, so I'll try cutting those out.

TrillumHunter, thank you for your response too! I'm so sorry that I forced you to write something that's kind of repulsive, haha, but it's very helpful. I'm going to google cryptic tonsilitis, because it goes make sense. There's a white bump actually on my tonsil, but the white chunk is actually lodged in a spot behind my tonsil. Eww. They also have a bad taste. I'll stop describing this and get to googling it so no one loses their breakfast!

[VioletBlue]

Ahhhh, thank you for solving yet another mystery. And thank you for going into details that I know had to be unpleasant for you.

I had episodes of that for years and years, from my late twenties until a year or so ago. The doctors had no clue. They'd test for strep and get nothing and give me antibiotics which had no effect.

But I also haven't had an episode of it for at least a year, possibly a little longer. I've been gluten free for 13 months. Another coincidence? I think not.

Violet

Is it stuck in your tonsils? You can rinse them out with a water pik or even gently nudge them out with a Q-Tip. It's called cryptic tonsillitis and the only cure is a tonsillectomy. I started getting it in my early twenties and they treated it with antibiotics. But it is almost impossible to clear because of the nature of the the gland. I wound up getting infected ears repeatedly to the point I have low level hearing loss in one. It was a case of young person and stupid HMO dr that kept me from getting treated. It hurt like I can't even tell you but I would do it again in a heartbeat.

If you get one of those out, give it a sniff. It will smell like-----the most horrible stench you've ever smelled. Push under the spot and it should pop out. Gross, huh? Oral cancer is usually a patch not a chunk.

Not the most pleasant thing I've ever typed in the am. Ask anything you want if you think I might be right.

[ravenwoodglass]

My DD got these all the time, if they are the same thing, yes they are really yucchy. I forget now what they were called but they were something that like so much was gluten related for her. They went away on their own after a few months gluten-free. Another one of those autoimmune related oddities we get, if you are really concerned you should however have it checked by your doctor. There is always the possibility of strep and other stuff so don't hesitate to ask for a throat culture to be on the safe side.

[TrillumHunter]

Violet,

So it just went away after going gluten free huh? Well, I am very, very happy for you and very, very mad it took me so long to be diagnosed. I wonder how many of us have/had this? I tell you, I was so sick with this for YEARS! For months at a time I would be hoarse and have a sore throat. I had been a singer in high school but I completely lost the quality of my voice. Plus, it plain hurt to talk for any length of time. Not to mention the incredible number of antibiotics I took for it. GRR! RANT! GRR!

I am glad you are better without surgery. Now if it ever comes back (let it never) you'll know what to call it.

Wait until I see my doctor again......

[missy'smom]

Is it stuck in your tonsils? You can rinse them out with a water pik or even gently nudge them out with a Q-Tip. It's called cryptic tonsillitis and the only cure is a tonsillectomy. I started getting it in my early twenties and they treated it with antibiotics. But it is almost impossible to clear because of the nature of the the gland.

If you get one of those out, give it a sniff. It will smell like-----the most horrible stench you've ever smelled. Push under the spot and it should pop out. Gross, huh? Oral cancer is usually a patch not a chunk.

How interesting. Yet another mystery solved for me! I've had these for so many years. I asked a doctor about this and he just said it was no big deal, he got them too. End of story. Interestingly, I can't remember the last time I had one. I still have my tonsils. Maybe gluten-free has helped this too.

[Guest LittleMissAllergy]

Just thought i'd let everyone know...after playing around with my diet a little bit and deciding to cut out citrus and highly acidic foods, my bumps and itching went away! Oranges and kiwis seemed to have been the biggest culprits! Who would have thought. Usually I react in my digestive system, so this was completely new to me.

Thanks to everyone who replied! Maybe some of you might want to try this too? Good luck!

[momandgirls]

It sounds very much like you have tonsil stones or tonsilloliths. Tonsil stones are white/yellow waxy bumps that get stuck in your tonsils. Usually you can cough them out. They are protein deposits and are generally found in people that have naturally large tonsils with naturally deep craters. They are not dangerous and have nothing to do with celiac or being gluten free. If you have deep craters in your tonsils, sometimes food particles get stuck. Protein and white blood cells then surround the food particle to get rid of it, which then makes the "stone" larger and, therefore, make it big enough to be coughed up. There is really nothing to be done about it except get your tonsils out if it happens particularly often or is particularly bad.

[TrillumHunter]

have nothing to do with celiac or being gluten free

I must respectfully disagree with this broad statement. Enlarged glands can be a sign of an autoimmune response. This "harmless" condition should always be put into context with the presenting patient's general health and other concerns. Perhaps if it had been in my case, I wouldn't have suffered unnecessarily for over a decade.

Just some food for thought....