I had my tonsils removed in Dec 2012. I had been getting recurring tonsillitis before I started on biologics but only about ~4-8 times a year for the past couple years. I was told that I should have my tonsils removed at some point but that was said by someone who wasn't my regular doctor and every doctor I saw since said to not remove them and continued giving me antibiotics which never really helped.
Once I was started on Humira it was happening after every single injection and would last up until a day or two before the next injection. I told my Rheumatologist (the doctor who prescribed Humira) that I believed if I had my tonsils removed, this may stop happening. He did not agree. The reason why I believe I could have done better on Humira without my tonsils is because bacteria builds up in the crypts and antibiotics cannot kill the bacteria because its not actually in our bodies, its in a pile of dead cells, old food etc stuck inside the crypts. Being on biologics makes us more susceptible to infections so if we have this nasty bacteria just hanging around in the crypts, then its very possible we could become sick more often from it. Made sense to me then and still does. I was taken off of Humira because of the recurring infections.
"Your tonsils are filled with nooks and crannies where bacteria and other materials, including dead cells and mucous, can become trapped. When this happens, the debris can become concentrated in white formations that occur in the pockets.
Tonsil stones, or tonsilloliths, are formed when this trapped debris hardens, or calcifies. This tends to happen most often in people who have chronic inflammation in their tonsils or repeated bouts of tonsillitis."
http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/guide/tonsil-stones-tonsilloliths-treatment-and-prevention
So I saw an ENT and told her my story and she said that she would remove my tonsils (I was 30 years old at the time). After that I started on Remicade and didn't have any infections where my throat was involved. I had different infections elsewhere and switched to Methotrexate but ever since my tonsils were removed I haven't gotten sick. That's 5 months of awesome right there.
Feel free to read my thread about having my tonsils removed (contains updates before and after surgery):
http://www.crohnsforum.com/showthread.php?t=43407
Hope this helps.
