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Ragtime
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06 Nov 2009, 9:43 am

I sometimes get one severely inflamed tonsil, while the other one is fine. What is this condition?
Right now, my left tonsil is bigger than it's ever been, so much that my ear hurts badly. The pain (in both my ear and my tonsil) is unbearable when swallowing. I'm on eight ibuprofen right now, and all that's done is reduce the pain about 25%.

And again, the other tonsil is fine -- completely normal. Is this most likely a virus, bacteria, or allergy?

When I get these inflamation episodes, they usually go away within 2 days. But this one seems at a dangerous level,
so I need to learn a home remedy to reduce the swelling.


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Zsazsa
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06 Nov 2009, 10:07 am

It is not uncommon for one of your tonsils to work harder than the other at clearing your body of infection...it is all part of the
Lymphatic System. You may not feel "sick" but, somewhere there is an infection within your body and its defense mechanisms
are working diligently to restore the "homeostasis' within your body.

It is all part of the miraculous "wonders" of the human body...nothing to be alarmed about. If it is too uncomfortable and causing
you pain, go to your medical physician for a prescription anti-biotic.



visagrunt
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06 Nov 2009, 12:22 pm

Many infections are not bilateral--that is to say that they will affect one side of the body, or one side of the body before moving to the other.

If you have a low grade infection in your left ear, for example, it stands to reason that your left tonsil will be the one that is doing the heavy lifting.

However, with pain in your ear, your throat and swallowing, I would suspect an ear infection, or perhaps a strep infection. You very likely need a 7-10 day course of antibiotics, even if the symptoms abate within 2-3 days. I would recommend seeing a doctor, as an untreated ear infection can lead to serious complications for your hearing.


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