Thank you for your question. I agree with Dr Annabelle that if you have been getting frequent tonsil infections (that were confirmed by your doctor) and requiring oral antibiotics for each episode, surgical removal of the tonsils (tonsillectomy) is certainly an option.
This is one of the most common surgical procedure performed by an ENT Specialist.
As Dr Annabelle has provided a comprehensive and good answer to your question, I shall not be repetitious but do have the following points to add:
- The tonsils are two ovoid-like glands that sit at the back of your throat. There is a right and a left tonsil and they are part of your immune organs. However, they play a very small role. Your body's immunity is largely derived from larger immune organs such as your liver, spleen, bone marrow and lymphatic system. Numerous studies have shown that tonsillectomy does not affect your immune system. Hence, you should not be worried about your immune system being "weaker" after a tonsillectomy.
- As the history of your tonsil infection is only 2.5 months, observation is certainly an option provided that you do not mind enduring another infection and a course of oral antibiotics. We do not quite understand why some people are more prone to having frequent tonsil infections than others. If the cause of a tonsil infection is due to a virus, practising good hand hygiene (e.g. frequent hand washing) and staying away from people who has a viral infection may help prevent frequent attacks.
