Feel Like "Something" Stuck In My Throat

I am 57 years old and just had my first bout with tonsil stones.  I had no idea what that thing was stuck on the side of my tonsil, but removed it with a Q-tip. Then about a week later the feeling came back and there was another one. When I removed it, I could see another "white thing" was under it.  In all I dug out about 15 or so of these things each smaller than the one before it.  Of course, all that digging and poking caused some bleeding.  Since I already had an appointment with the doctor for a bladder infection, I mentioned this to him also.  He told me "cryptic tonsil" and said the only permanent course of action-have your tonsils removed.  I do not know if at my age that is the best course of action, but then as I get older a tonsilectomy will only be harder on me than now.  I guess I am between a "tonsil stone and a hard place" so to speak.  Manual removal of the stones is not a very pleasant experience, and I worry that I might damage my tonsils even further or cause some type of infection by all that poking around. 

After reading everyone else's experiences, I do not feel that it is something I have to make an immediate decission on-in other words, not a life or death problem...just a pain in the neck!