“Trendy Honeydew: Exciting Tapir” 

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     Part three of my body series, Trendy Honeydew: Exciting Tapir continues the themes of personal body struggles. This time the piece is going on a more recent, temporary, issue I had with my tonsils. Over spring break (March of 2022) I got some unknown infection in my tonsils. This caused pains in my ears, shoulders, neck, chest, and sometimes down my arms into my elbows. The doctor had no idea what the cause of this was, and lab tests didn’t really help either. After taking antibiotics for a couple of weeks I started feeling better. The pose the figure is in is a reference to the position I had to sit in one night. I was in deep pain and it felt like someone was tying my left arm to my ear. I couldn’t move because of how painful it was.  This was a weird experience for me; I have no recollection of my tonsils flaring up like this in the past. 

Tonsils are lumps of tissue that reside at the back of your throat. They help keep bodily fluids in check, as well as help get rid of infections. Some people get their tonsils removed at a young age to help with their breathing or if they are at risk to get a lot of infections. Tonsil stones are these clumps of dead cells, food particles, mucus, and bacteria that get stuck in the creases of the tonsils. These can cause ear pain, bad breath, sore throats, and many more things.

I wanted to show others the weirdness of tonsils in this piece. Many people won’t get to experience the pain inflamed tonsils can cause due to them getting theirs removed at a young age. But for others who have the chance to experience this: I want them to understand that not everything is known in the medical field. There might not be an answer to your problems just yet. But that is ok, research and tests are happening every day.