ENT MRI

Hi, 

I attended an appointment with an ENT doctor this morning after an urgent referral for a swollen tonsil. He said he could not see anything of concern, however it is inflamed and larger than the other tonsil. 

He said as part of the NHS process now, anybody with a swollen tonsil who visits them has to be booked in for an MRI scan to make sure there is nothing there. I've been booked in for next week. 

Just wondered if this has been the case for anybody else? 

  • Hello Swebst, 

    It sounds like your ENT doctor is being very thorough which is great and despite not finding anything of concern, he decided to book you in for an MRI scan just to make sure there is nothing of concern. It's great that you don't need to wait long at all and that your appointment is next week. 

    I hope that you will meet other members of this forum who have been in a similar place before and that they will be along soon to share their experiences with you. 

    Best of luck for your appointment next week and I am keeping everything crossed for you that it turns out to be nothing to worry about. 

    Best wishes, 

    Lucie, Cancer Chat Moderator

  • Hi how did the mri going? Currently going through the same thing and would love to know how things went with you?

  • I had the same! My ENT recommended a tonsillectomy and MRI so i had both done and all came back normal. I spent weeks being so anxious about it as i couldn't find many stories of just one enlarged tonsil ending well but it was the case for me. Fingers crossed for you 

  • Hi! I had my MRI on Friday last week and my follow up appointment is Thursday next week. The radiographer was really informative and told me from the referral it seemed like the ENT specialist wasn't too worried and the MRI is now a standard procedure if you have one enlarged tonsil. 

    It's the waiting that is the worst thing about it. Hope yours comes back all clear! 

  • Hi, I just had my first NHS appointment with ENT as one of my tonsils is larger and there is a growth on it too. My experience was terrible, ENT spent 3 minutes with me looked at it and asked me to decide there and then if I want MRI or if I want it removed. I asked what he would recommend and he didn't answer this and only said that I can't have both, so if I opt for MRI and it comes back clear I won't be eligible for having it removed on NHS even if it grows or bothers me, so I opted for the surgery, but I really feel like I have no information about what's the best option and left very disappointed. I came across your post when I was searching for other people's experiences, so wanted to share mine as well. I feel very lost with it to be honest,questioning if I made the right choice.