Tonsillitis

To determine if you are a candidate to have your tonsils out, we need to know:

How often do you get infections?

What does it feel like when you have an infection?

Do you get fevers?

How does it effect your daily activities? (work, school, etc.)

If you are a candidate for removal, we use Coblation for tonsillectomy. It has been shown to cause the least pain with the least complication rate among the different ways tonsils can be removed.

Voice Disturbance

In order to determine what treatment you need, we need to know:

Is the change in your voice something that gets better and/or worse through the day?

How long has your voice ben different?

Do you use tobacco and/or alcohol?

Do you get heartburn?

Many times, direct visualization will be necessary with a fiberoptic scope. The scope is something that can be done in clinic with topical anesthetic and does not take longer than a minute.

Treatment many times requires certain dietary or behavioral changes to better take care of your voice. Sometimes medication is needed; rarely surgery is required to remove a nodule or polyp.

Something Stuck in Throat/Trouble Swallowing

In order to determine what treatment you need, we will to know:

Are you able to swallow liquids or solids?

Does food get stuck in your throat?

Is it painful to swallow?

Does it always feel like something is stuck in your throat?

As with voice problems, it may be necessary to use a fiberoptic scope during your visit to visualize your throat. This is done after numbing your nose and gag reflex. Furthermore, it may be necessary to do a swallow test (x-rays are taken while you swallow liquids, a biscuit, a cookie, and a pill).

Treatment may require swallowing therapy, medication for acid reflux, or possibly surgery if a stricture or growth is discovered.