Don’t Discount Tonsillectomy
from Keren

Hello, Just found your site and think it's hilarious and informative. I've had guttate psoriasis since I was six years old, but it remained mostly quite mild and didn't bother me too much.  However in my late twenties I began to suffer from repeated bouts of tonsillitis (every 3-4 months or so) and each bout would be followed by an incredible flare up of tiny psoriasis spots all over my body.  There were so many they looked like they were threatening to join up into one big plaque. Each time this happened my doctor and I treated it aggressively; every topical application known to dermatology, hospital stays, UV, homeopathy, Chinese herbs etc. As soon as treatments ended, it flared again. After about six episodes of tonsillitis (which was also aggressively treated with antibiotics, that never shifted the strep infection) I suggested that removing my tonsils might help.  I was sent off to an ENT specialist who (arrogantly) said a tonsillectomy would be of no benefit at all, but conceded that the attacks of tonsillitis were bad enough to warrant the operation. 

The tonsils were removed and my psoriasis returned to an even milder form than it had previously taken. Maybe not a complete cure, but I can mostly ignore it now (apart from the odd facial flare up). I just wanted to say that if this is happening to anyone else out there and your doctor hasn't suggested removing your tonsils, give it a go!

Have to say though, it didn't help my psoriatic arthritis, but then you can't have it all.

Thanks for the site.  –Keren (UK)

*****

Ed’s Response:  Interesting story, Keren.  When I was a child tonsillectomies were “in.”  A kid missed more than a few days of school per year?  Yank its tonsils!  They yanked mine when I was 7 or 8 and it was followed by a few years of near-perfect school attendance. 

I’d heard that the popularity of tonsillectomies had declined, but golly!  Someone, such as you, with such a repeated history of infection of the tonsils?  It’s hard to believe they didn’t yank them much sooner.

The strep-guttate-P connections has been long established, so its no surprise that your infections made you flare.  To the extent that removal of your tonsils reduces the strep flares I suppose it makes sense that your guttate P should improve, too. 

Whatever the reason, who’s complaining?!  Eh?  Thanks for sending in your story.  From henceforward it will pop-up when folks search on “tonsils,” etc.  -Ed

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