Last night my flatmate turned to me and asked “Do you have trouble breathing?” It was a bit of a random question but once explained made sense. A friend of his has just had his tonsils out and after years of mild breathing difficulty is feeling like he is getting way more oxygen than ever before.
When we discussed it more, after giving it a bit of thought, I’ve always had rubbish sinuses and even though I do plenty of exercise I get puffed more easily than I should. My flatmate seems to think it might be related and could even explain why I hate doing cardio so much, if I’m struggling to get breath. I can’t sleep on my back because I snore a lot if I do and have even been known to stop breathing briefly.
So, my question is to any medical professionals that read the blog. Could my tonsils really be contributing to my hatred of cardio and difficulty breathing and is it worth a trip to my GP?
Hi brenton
i used to suffer from the same things you described. i also managed to catch a cold at least 5-6 times a year. 2 1/2 years ago i had my tonsils out, as well as my adenoids which also caused sinus problems for me, and since then ive never got sick, i breath a lot better, and my snoring is apparently nowhere near as bad. i would defintely go see a doctor and get a referal to a nose and throat specialist so they can check it out. feel free to email with any quustions about it
cheers
pete
Darling B,
Just wondering…. what does this picture have to do with your tonsils?
Other end, I thought???
Much love,
Christiaan xx
Damn. I just wrote a long comment and the system didn’t submit it. I’ll just write it up again.
Enlarged tonsils and adenoids have been known to cause many of the sympotms you described, particularly the Sleep Apnea (difficulties breathing when sleeping). This is more common in children, but appears in adults as well. There could also be another anatomical feature that causes the same symptoms, such as long or thin airways etc.
This could be worth a trip to your GP, or at least a mention, next time you go to see him (yearly check-up?). If you find you have difficulties sleeping, wake up during the night feeling out-of-breath, or are inexplicably tired most days, you could also ask for a PSG (Polysomnography, or Sleep Study) in a sleep lab, to see if you indeed suffer from Sleep Apnea.
If you have other questions or want more info, get in touch with me. I may be just a med student, but I actually know this shit…
Barak.
Try cutting out dairy and wheat first, and see if that helps (I’m a naturopath by profession…)
:)
I had surgery done to fix snoring and sleep apnea this summer. It is amazing how much better I feel. I didn’t know what a good night’s sleep was until after the surgery. They took tonsils, adenoids, soft palate and uvula (the little dangly thing in the back of your throat). I also had deviated septum fixed.
Before surgery my snoring was a big deterrent to someone sharing a bed with me, but now I’ve been told I’m great to sleep with ;-)
The recovery was a bitch, but worth it.
i think i am having the same thing as you Brenton
Hello – my partner suffers from sleep apnea. He got tested and was provided a breathing machine. Definitely not a sexy thing, but he sleeps so much better and his breathing issues (while not gone) are no longer a problem as long as he uses his machine. Might be worth checking out if you don’t want to consider surgery.
I have had a problem with snoring, sleeping short periods of time, and extreme fatigue. I had a sleep study, and now sleep with a CPAP machine. Now I sleep all night long, don’t snore, and awake rested.