• HEALTH & RECOVERY
    Welcome Guest
    Posting Rules Bluelight Rules Thread Directory 1 Thread Directory 2
    Mindfulness Links Addiction & Mind
    Sober Living Partner Program (SLiPP)
  • H&R Moderators: VerbalTruist

no idea whats wrong with my lungs

S

snugglewitme

Bluelighter
Joined
Aug 21, 2011
Messages
30
well for the past year i have been having these little pieces of skin come from my lungs
the reason i havnt done anything about it is because my friend said that it was from strep throat when your a kid and i just ignored it. just today i asked about 8 of my other friends and no one knew what it was.
at the time that this started i was only smoking marijuana(legally), now i also smoke cigarettes. when this did start it happened every day, a few times a day and now it happens about once a week.

the pieces that come out are not red, they are tan colored. the pieces are exactly the same size as a fruity pebble(about 1-3 cm). the pieces are about as easy to sqeeze and smash as butter. they stink when i smell them and they smell even worse when i smoosh them with my fingers.

my lungs do not hurt, even when i smoke

if no one can help me with this by the 16th ill probobly go to the doctor and get this mystery solved
 
When you say "pieces that come out" do you mean you cough them up? Are they definitely solid, or could they be phlegm? (It can be really thick and can come in a wide range of colours!)

Internet diagnosing is never a good idea - chances are you will get advice from non-medically qualified people, and even if someone was medically qualified it would be very difficult/impossible to give an accurate diagnosis over the net without seeing you face to face and examining you (and taking a look at the stuff you are bringing up).

Please see a doctor to get this checked out - a history, chest examination, a look at what you cough up (and possibly sending it for tests) and possibly a chest X-Ray should give them a good idea of what is going on. It could be that you just produce a lot of phlegm which you cough up, especially if you smoke, but it might not be, and we're not going to be able to diagnose you I am afraid!

I'm going to move this over to Healthy Living as it doesn't really fit in TDS (but if you are worrying about this and want some support, please feel free to make a new thread!) - not sure what the HL mods will do with it, but it seems like the most appropriate place!

Good luck at the doctors :)

TDS > HL
 
This isn't too abnormal, they are actually coming from your tonsils. Check out this wikipedia link..I'm sure you can find a more reliable source/information using this basis information http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonsillolith

There are a few things you can do to alleviate the production of them, but I am not sure that you can completely get rid of them. Anyways, like effie said, going to the doctor is not a terrible idea because it is impossible to completely and accurately diagnose you only by reading your text there. There are however a few qualified people around who can definitely give a few tips, and maybe get you started on the right path (as in being able to suggest which type of specialist people should see for what issues, or how people should communicate with their doctors to get the best treatment) to dealing with a medical issue.
 
i think i have Tonsillolith, but the pieces that i take out are about 1-3cm... not an inch, and they are also a more darker color
sooo... can i live with this or am i going to have to get worked on

edit- people said the peices are hard and mine are as easy to squish as butter
 
snugglewitme said:
i think i have Tonsillolith, but the pieces that i take out are about 1-3cm... not an inch, and they are also a more darker color
sooo... can i live with this or am i going to have to get worked on
Click to expand...
No one here can know this with any significant amount of certainty. You need to see a real medical professional if you're seriously concerned. Posting on bluelight will do you little good :\
 
i am going to the doctor on the 16th... i just wanted some info before i walk in there clueless
 
I am pretty sure that it is not lung tissue. You probably have a condition called cryptic tonsils (tonsilloliths). Your tonsils have deep groves and pits in them that debris get stuck in. It forms into like a soft, usually foul smelling, white plaque ball. This debris will dislodge and come out sometimes when you cough. What you are smelling is actually a combination of volatile sulfur compounds(Methyl Mercaptan and Hydrogen Sulfide), post nasal drip, and bacteria. (ew!) Possible treatment options your doctor will have for you:
1)No treatment. Many tonsil stones, especially ones that have no symptoms, require no special treatment.
2) At-home removal. Some people choose to dislodge tonsil stones at home with the use of picks or swabs.
3) Salt water gargles. Gargling with warm, salty water may help alleviate the discomfort of tonsillitis, which often accompanies tonsil stones.
4) Antibiotics. Various antibiotics can be used to treat tonsil stones. While they may be helpful for some people, they cannot correct the basic problem that is causing tonsilloliths. Also, antibiotics can have side effects.
5) Surgical removal. When tonsil stones are exceedingly large and symptomatic, it may be necessary for a surgeon to remove them. In certain instances, a doctor will be able to perform this relatively simple procedure using a local numbing agent. Then the patient will not need general anesthesia.

Since tonsil stones are more common in people who have chronic tonsillitis, the only surefire way to prevent their occurrence is with surgical removal of the tonsils. This procedure, known as a tonsillectomy, removes the tissues of the tonsils entirely, thereby eliminating the possibility of tonsillolith formation.
Unlike tonsil stone extraction, tonsillectomies are typically performed under general anesthesia.

Although this is not a life-threatening condition, GO SEE YOUR DOCTOR. I see that you have an appointment set up, and that's good. Hope everything works out for you. In the meantime to alleviate the foul breath, you can gargle often with Listerine a few times a day (not too many though, probably not more than 4 I would suggest because over-use of mouth wash can actually *cause* bad bacteria to form, since it can completely throw off your mouth's natural chemistry). Use warm water mixed with salt and gargle often. You could do this as many times a day as you wanted, I would suggest definitely when you wake up, before you go to bed, and after you eat anything to help prevent more debris from getting stuck in your tonsils.
 
i dont have bad breath, but then again ive had this for over a year and no one has ever said i had bad breath.
the only part that doesnt smell good is the pieces that come out every couple of days... those smell HORRIBLE
 
When you see your doctor tell him/her what's happening and it sounds nasty but maybe bring a sample of what you're coughing up to them?
 
your coughing up pieces of lungs.... you should probably start smoking more cigaretes,without filter + add crack smoking to your hobby totaly the way to go,dont even think about quiting nicotine
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top