Tonsillectomy Recovery

Welcome to the tonsillectomy and tonsillectomy recovery resource center. Whether you’re considering, planning, or recovering from a tonsillectomy, you’ll find all the information you will need to make the best decision about surgery and how to ensure the best care during and after  surgery. I’ll also help you prepare for your tonsillectomy by laying out simple steps that will make the day of surgery easier, and your tonsillectomy recovery more comfortable.

My name is Greg Tooke and I’m a tonsillectomy patient myself. For most of my life I lived with huge tonsils with craters the Ear Nose and Throat doctor called, “cryptic.” I got tonsillitis and strep throat several times every year. I snored at night and woke suddenly, catching my breath.  Like many people, I had sleep apnea and didn’t even know it.  Speaking of breath, tonsil stones were making my breath smell awful at times. I’d heard horror stories about adult tonsillectomy , tonsils that grow back, bleeding, pain, and even death. I was afraid. Finally, with the advice of my doctor and a resolve to improve the quality of my life, I scheduled my tonsils removed the day after Thanksgiving. (a last meal??)

I’ve been down the road you’re on and learned an amazing amount. Unfortunately, I learned the hard way. I suffered more than I needed to with tonsils, before the day of my tonsillectomy, and in my recovery, for the most part, on my own. As a divorced father of four children, I knew it would be a challenge to meet my obligations while recovering from surgery. Finding very little information or support for patients like me online, I spent much of my recovery creating a website devoted to helping others going through what I was. I later created a forum where people could post questions, offer each other support, or just complain.

You can read more about my story in the pages that follow. You’ll also learn about tonsillectomy methods , tonsillectomy risks , how to advocate for yourself to get the best care from your health care provider, what the risks are, how adult tonsillectomy differs from children’s, what foods to eat after tonsillectomy , how to deal with pain, depression, bleeding, and a number of other delightful possible side effects of tonsillectomy.

I’ve also assembled a list of items you may want to order before your tonsillectomy. They can be found in the Tonsillectomy General Store by clicking the, “Things You’ll Need,” tab.

The entire site is searchable via the little search box located at the bottom of each page. Go ahead- try typing your tonsil question and see what comes up!

Greg