NOT! (Nursing Open Thread) is a community forum hosted by Nurse Kelley to provide folks with a regularly-scheduled interactive place to discuss their health problems, share remedies that have worked for them, seek suggestions, or raise bloody hell about their situation. Everyone is welcome to participate and lively discussion is encouraged. Nurse Kelley's only rule is this: Be kind.♥
A few weeks ago I was paging through my local paper when I happened upon a syndicated advice column by a Dr. Donohue. You know the kind I'm talking about; someone will send in a health question of general interest and the columnist provides some advice. The questions rarely stump Nurse Kelley, but on this particular day I learned about something brand new to me.
Quoted from the question: "I have tonsil stones. They are little balls that come from the back of my mouth when I sneeze, cough or gargle. They resemble small pieces of garlic. Aside from being annoying, they are disgusting, because they smell and cause bad breath."
Huh. Have y'all ever heard of tonsil stones? The columnist's answer wasn't much help to me as he addressed most of it to the issue of bad breath. All he said about tonsil stones was this: "Tonsil stones are aggregates of food, bacteria and the mucus of postnasal drip that find their way into tonsil crevices. They do have a revolting odor."
Food, mucus and postnasal drip? Gack! Nurse Kelley raced off for a consultation with Dr. Google, and you have no idea how lucky you are that I am (still) having problems embedding videos. Jumping Jesus, my eyes are still protruding and my stomach is still heaving! Calcified pus is a fair description of what some unfortunate people are harboring in their tonsils. They have my deepest sympathy.
But wait. There's more.
Starting with the YouTube videos of tonsil stone extractions, I discovered an entire underworld of videos posted by college boys and their friends squeezing a hideous collection of ginormous zits, boils, blackheads, cycts and carbuncles. It was like witnessing a terrible car crash ~ the spirit says no, but the eyes cannot turn away.
Afterwards, Nurse Kelley required a stiff drink small sherry. Is this what my son was doing at New Mexico Military Institute? While I worried about sex, drugs, and rock & roll?
If you dare, see Dr. Google for your own consultation. It will be the last time you think about meta wars for a few hours.
How are y'all? Has everyone recovered from all teh drama?