Why do people get their tonsils taken out?!

Why do people get their tonsils taken out?

They used to do them as a pretty standard procedure on small children because they are such a trap for bacteria, etc. That's actually part of their function, to trap bacteria before they spread further, causing a more serious infection. That's why they stopped doing it as a standard procedure.

I had to have mine out about 5 years ago, well after the age of 30. I had a thing called crypts, which are basically pits in the tonsils which trap bacteria and food particles. (I know, it's totally disgusting.) Many people with crypts are able to clean them out simply by pressing on the tonsils, but my crypts were so deep that I was unable to keep them clean. They grew enlarged, and were often sore even when they were not infected because of all the gunk trapped in there. That's why I had mine out.

I know more than a few people who have had theirs out because they became chronically infected. My friend has a son who had chronic strep infections. No amount of antibiotics could clear up the infection. He would get a little bit better for a while, and his temperature would go away, but within a week or so of stopping antibiotics, he would develop strep throat again. A doctor finally found that the problem was that his tonsils were completely riddled with strep bacteria. They were so heavily infected that no amount of antibiotics could cure the problem, so they were removed. That did away with the problem.

I used to get strep at least once every year, and often twice a year or more. I have not had strep once since my tonsils were removed. I am happy to have them gone. Most people who have them removed now have them removed for a similar reason. They can be a reservoir of chronic infection, they can be enlarged, which blocks the throat, or they can constantly be sore. It's just easier to remove them when they become a problem. Few doctors recommend having them removed in children unless there is a problem, so many more people have theirs nowadays than in the past. That's fine--they actually are a good thing to have as long as they don't start causing problems. When they do, it's just easier to have them out.