Tonsillectomy | Adult Tonsillectomy Recovery Forum
Tonsillectomy recovery and tonsillectomy planning can be daunting experiences. The days leading up to your tonsillectomy surgery can be frightening. If you haven’t read up yet, you can find information on tonsillectomy methods, risks, costs, adult tonsillectomy, sleep apnea, and numerous tips for tonsillectomy recovery on the other pages of this site. I’ve even added pictures of a post tonsillectomy throat by each day, and a shopping list of things you’ll need before your tonsillectomy. Study, talk with your doctor and consult with your friends about the decision to undergo tonsillectomy surgery. Explore the pages created here to aid in your journey. If you should decide to have a tonsillectomy, let us help you through the entire process, including tonsillectomy recovery.
My own experience taught me that, as tonsillectomy patients, we need to advocate for ourselves. Ear, nose, and throat doctors are, by and large, extremely talented individuals. However, very few of them have experienced an adult tonsillectomy, and the subsequent recovery. I have. Many others have too. We share our experiences here at the adult tonsillectomy recovery resource center.
As you’ll read in the tonsillectomy recovery forum, everyone’s experience is unique. There are many factors that influence the level of pain you experience, as well as the length of time required during recovery. The tonsillectomy method, and skill of your surgeon can have an affect, but there are also many things within your control that will reduce pain and recovery time from tonsillectomy surgery. I’ve tried to include as many helpful tips as possible within the pages of this online resource.
Tonsillectomy recovery can be pretty rough, especially if you are unlucky enough to be an adult! It takes longer for an adult to recover from most things. Tonsillectomy is no exception. There are many things you can do to make it go more smoothly. I’ve published numerous tips here on various pages. I encourage you to read up BEFORE you are in the throws of tonsillectomy recovery.
Talk with your doctor, friends, family, and work as you prepare. You are not alone in this. Like you and like me, many others are facing or have faced a tonsillectomy or a tonsillectomy recovery. I created this forum for you. The community of adults or parents of tonsillectomy patients will amaze you and warm your heart. I read these comments every day and every day I am humbled by everyone’s tonsillectomy story and their compassion for others in the midst of recovery, or the anxiety that often precedes a tonsillectomy.. Please join in. Hundreds of other people, perhaps in your same situation, have shared their wisdom, concerns, tips, and questions about tonsillectomy, as well as their tonsillectomy recovery.
-Greg My short bio
A Good Man with a big heart- Tom could use your help- Read More: Tom’s Journey -dedicated to support Tom Gittens as he battles Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia and Myelodysplastic Syndrome.
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Tonsillectomy Recovery
Hi, Jason
I also had my surgery on the 23rd, in the morning. So glad to make it finally to Day 11 this morning. As the pain has begun to reside from the subcapsular plane where the tonsils were, and ear pain and nausea and fever etc. have also been receding, I’ve become much more aware of how painful the base of my tongue is, and how still fairly paralyzed my tongue is due to that pain. If you’re like me, you can’t even stick out your tongue far enough to brush it properly, or use the tip of it to help clean your teeth or between your cheeks and teeth of food particles! I’m here sharing the pain with you, bud. It makes me wonder if during surgery the clamp that holds your tongue down (I think some are called Davis devices) was released 3 or 4 times like I believe they should do, to allow blood to oxygenate the tongue during the procedure. I wonder if sometimes they just try to hurry up and get the overall procedure done and skip that part… But I know the pressure they have to apply is very significant to get the tongue out of the way. I hope we’re better in a few days on this one!
Had my surgery on May 23rd, so this makes this today – Day 10. Like most commentary I read about, I was surprised how long and difficult this road has been.
Right now my experience is that the discomfort is manageable only if I keep up on the Ibuprofen / Tylenol regimen throughout the day. Things generally hurt most in the morning. Food continues to be very challenging, with everything other than the most bland of foods tasting extremely salty and results in a burning sensation in my mouth. The worst of the pain seems to be in the back of the mouth. Anyone have this?
Another unexpected source of pain is on sides of my tongue, near the base. I think this may be worse when I have tried to talk a little throughout the day. Still not able to talk above more than a whisper without some discomfort.
Sound familiar to anyone?
Looking forward to this experience being a distant memory as I am so sick of popicicles.
Hi all I’m early hours on day 9 in UK and I’m experienceung a feeling of something scraping bk if ny tounge on left hand side if throat ear still hurting also feeling Sik a lot today I also see two white scabs but also holes were tonsil was does this mean the scab gone or is that what catching my tounge and feel something stuk n bk throat lucky no bleeding I’m exhausted Sik of been n pain wen will u feel normal again at my wits end
Hi, Donna
I’m going on Day 11 post-op. From Day 2, my left-side suture had excess length or maybe it slipped, but it is stiff material and pointed into the back of my tongue. That was like a pin-prick constantly scratching the heck out of my tongue, but my doctor took a look and said it was OK. But, it is sticking into one of those lingual tonsils, the bumps on the back of your throat, and that triggers my gag reflex and a huge generation of phlegm that has been sickening in combination with the pain of the sticking, let alone all the stuff that makes you sick from the surgery. Just when I thought it was becoming softer and more tolerable, the right side started doing the same thing yesterday, perhaps because the sutures on that side are finally dissolving too. It is just that it also presented a downward-pointing piece that does the same as it’s twin started doing on Day 2. Yuck and ouch! As for those holes, that’s what I also began to see on Day 2 when that first suture seemed to open up, and I thought it might be an emergency. I called the doctor on duty, but he said it is normal and even on Day 2 it is not an emergency. Hard to believe, but nothing bad came of it. It really helped me tremendously looking at pictures people posted of their tonsillectomy and seeing the holes there also. I am mystified as to why we are told to expect scabs but not holes! Anyway, those holes amazingly fill in over time, and at Day 9, yours should be exhibiting some fairly good amount of backfill by now I would think in those holes. Without any, it was pretty scary seeing what I saw on the night of Day 2. But no matter what, you should stay in very frequent touch with your doctor for medical advice. Keep me posted!
Hi, Alex
The risk of bleeding is reduced by minimizing vascular pressure. By elevating the head and torso, there is less blood pressure on the cauterized and sutured areas. I am likewise restricted from bending over and lifting more than lightweight objects. My dad has been staying with me and feeding and watering my dogs and cat, although I can kneel and squat as long as I keep my head up.
I’ve also noticed that lying flatter seems to make my uvula and surrounding tissues swell a bit more, although they’ve lost a lot of that crazy initial swelling by now. I did finally have my first wake-up and spit blood this morning, but only about 3 small mouthfulls, then it stopped. Day 10 since day 0 of surgery.
I’m wondering if that sloughing is happening to me too, Beth. Other than for a small piece that went out on day 2 with slightly bloody foam, nothing dramatic has happened that way, and I think I’m seeing new tissue developing for the last several days. (I’m on the night of day 9 after operation day.) Hard to say, as my jaws are too sore to open very much and I’ve been told don’t try.
Otherwise, today was the first day in five without over 100 deg. fever, although glands in neck are still a bit swollen. I think I’ve had some immune system backlash at either bacteria or all the trauma to the body. Although I had my Cephalexin Rx refilled yesterday, my doctor’s nurse advised that I stop taking it tomorrow just in case I’m reacting to it too, especially since I’ve had some joint tenderness.
I suppose the meds have caused a major decrease in my bodily output, even though I’ve tried to force fluids despite pain in swallowing. I skipped the meperidine for pain after I got up this morning, rested lots the first half of the day, stayed home for once and things seem to be getting back in order head to toe. Funny thing happened though tonight, for you cooks and dietitians. It took me an hour to chew a bowl of delicious homemade beef noodle soup, no real pain doing so and it was a great success. Then I went for strawberry shortcake (Sara Lee pound cake) dessert with homemade whipped cream with plenty of sugar and some vanilla flavoring added. I chewed as many of the little strawberry seeds as carefully as I could before swallowing, yet either the size of the first swallow or the nature of the soft pound cake or one of the other items was really vicious on my wounds. It felt like one of those cold liquid pains we get in this recovery, but more intense I think. Nothing was really that cold though. In about 60 seconds I recovered from the pain of the first swallow and pig-headedly tried more, but even tiny swallows still burned. I gave up halfway through. I sampled a teaspoon of the whipped cream by itself and there was no pain. Maybe the strawberries are too acidic or the seed particles could still be abrasive. Any ideas?
Anyway, I keep expecting chunks of scab to dislodge and blood and pain to follow, keeping a plastic pitcher on the night stand, but not happening yet. I’m still too wary of reclining flat on the bed though. (My doc said minimum 7-10 days elevation, but reading the stories of blood vessels opening, even weeks out…) Thanks, Beth, for mentioning that your scabs degraded gradually.
Oh, don’t know if I mentioned it, but the Special K French Vanilla Protein Shakes (about $6 for a 4-pk at WM) saved my day 8 (yesterday) starvation crash very well, picking me up with some energy, mandatory protein for healing and very smooth on the throat, best I’ve had all week. I still want to make some ginger tea though, as the carbonated ginger ale isn’t very nice, even at room temperature.
Hang in there everyone!!!
Gary,
I’m curious about the 7-10 days elevation you mentioned. My doctor didn’t say anything about that so I’ve been sleeping flat since day 1 of my surgery (I’m about to begin day 5). Could you elaborate a bit? I’m a little nervous that I’ve been doing something wrong (although I haven’t encountered complications from lying down to my knowledge).
Thanks!
Today is day 4 after my surgery. My doctor did not mention anything about being elevated but I discovered on my own that it is less painful when I plop myself up with 3 pillows and lay on either my left or right side. It helps a lot, you may want to try it and see if it works for you.
Hello! My name is Tina and I’m 33 years old. I had my tonsillectomy on May 30, 2012. Today is day 4. Although everyone’s experience will be different, I would like to share my experience with you all. There may be something in my post that can help you along through your journey. To be honest, I was not nervous about the procedure but the mystery of the unknown was antagonizing, not knowing what to expect during my recovery. When I woke up after surgery, I was dizzy and super nauseated. I was given a Popsicle to eat but I couldn’t even eat half. The pain was excruciating! I was not discharged until I urinated. That wasn’t a problem so I was released shortly after surgery. The doctor prescribed liquid lidocaine and Tylenol with codeine. I couldn’t even imagine swallowing the Tylenol plus I had no intentions in taking it considering I was on strong pain killers and on an empty stomach. I was nauseated already to the max and adding this to the equation would’ve probably made me feel like jumping off a cliff. I did try the liquid lidocaine and that didn’t go very well at all. I vomited for the rest of the day, out my mouth and nose frightened to death that I may start to bleed. Thank God that didn’t happen. Day 1 was far the worst! I did manage to take in some Gatorade. Day 2: No more vomiting, nausea and dizziness continued, the pain is still excruciating, very weak, and started up with fever. At this point you need food in your system and your body is screaming for it. Try your best to eat something, no matter the pain, you need food to pull you through. I had a bit of banana Gerber. Drink lots of icey fluids. Eat and drink things with no milk. The milk causes flem and it feels awful, like your choking. I tried having a chocolate pudding pop. Big no no! Steer clear from red drinks or foods. That way if your bleeding you can distinguish if it’s blood. Moving on, I had my Tylenol crushed as much as possible. I put the powdered Tylenol in a spoonful of Gerber. Oh boy! The Tylenol caused a burning sensation in my throat! Ouch and yuck but at least I had my first dose of Tylenol. It did help alleviate the pain once it kicked in. I was able to drink a lot more liquids. Although your body needs food, only eat what you can even if it is 1 or 2 spoonfuls. It will take you a long way. I am taking my Tylenol every 4 hours. I would suggest you take your meds on schedule, this helps keep the level of pain on the down low. You will still feel discomfort but not that extreme pain. Day 3: my fever is off and on, no more nausea, I still feel weak and dizzy from time to time, the pain comes and goes. Still having rough moments. I was able to shower today and it felt great!!! I’m able to intake a bigger amount of Gerber. Ate some applesauce too. The first batch from the store had cinnamon. I would suggest no cinnamon, it burned my throat! Another trip to the store, no cinnamon. I drink icey fluids round the clock and try to eat something with every dose of meds. It has helped me tremendously.
so pretty much I eat a little something every 4 hours. Still only eating gerbers and applesauce. Day 4: looks like the sun is starting to shine! The pain is less and I can say a word or two. I’ll stick to my notepad and pen because it’s still discomforting. No more fever and seldom moments of dizziness and weakness. My ears do hurt though but the doctor says its normal. Still full bed rest with helping hands. Have someone take care of you and tend to your needs. You need all the rest you can get. From my experience it seems as if the first 3 days are the worst. Let’s see what tomorrow has in store. Another tip, I never lay flat on my bed, it just seemed to hurt more and I never lay flat on my back. I plopped myself up with 3 pillows and would rotate from side to side. I felt more comfortable this way. I’ll post day 5 tomorrow. Good luck! 
I’m 20 and I got my tonsils out 11 days ago now. Yesterday was the first time I could eat “real food” and even then it was all soft stuff. Here’s how my last ten days were: Day 1 (surgery)- they forced me to drink several glasses of water and eat 2 popsicles while still in the recovery room to make sure I could swallow before I went home. When I got home I could barely swallow my own saliva let alone water like in the hospital because the super strong pain meds and anesthesia had worn off, despite taking my prescribed meds (I was on Lortab Elixer and was told to take OTC liquid Motrin as well if the pain was unbearable…which it was). I sucked on ice and forced water down anyway though. Day 2: I think this was the worst day because I was tired from a messed up sleeping schedule from the weird medication timing, I was hungry but couldn’t even swallow water, and the medication made me vomit, but at least they put me to sleep. Water ice (shaved ice, Italian ice etc.) really helped me, but I made the mistake of eating cherry flavored, so we had a scare and thought that I was bleeding. Day 3: I was still only able to eat popsicles and water ice, and drink water and Gatorade…my mom also made me drink Pediasure so I was getting some nutrients. Day 4: pain was still unbearable but I managed to eat soup broth (no noodles yet) cooled to room temperature and very runny applesauce. Day 5: same. Day 6: I could now eat very overcooked, soft noodles in broth (I ate chicken flavored Ramen). I also made the mistake of trying to eat cake, which was not too hard or anything, but too airy and fluffy so it got stuck in my throat and I couldn’t swallow it properly. Day 7: same. Day 8: I could eat mashed potatoes! Day 9: I could eat other soft stuff like bread but with some degree of pain and difficulty. Day 10: I was eating stuff like Swedish meatballs in sauce (I know, weird choice!) because they were soft. Today I’m just about the same as yesterday but I feel better and better every day. For the record, I have a very low pain tolerance so I think the extent of my pain is abnormally long, most people feel better in about 7 days. I was able to talk (albeit muffled and strained sounding) on day 8, but it still hurt. Here’s a tip that not only my ENT specialist/surgeon, nurses and a lot of friends and family who’ve had the same procedure have told me: do not eat dairy! I’ll back it up too because against my better judgment, I decided to try ice cream because I was so hungry and it’s more filling. The main reason is that dairy products cause phlegm to build up and make it not only harder to swallow, but it makes you gag and cough which can in turn make you bleed. If that alone doesn’t turn you off to it, another reason is it makes your breath smell/taste REALLY bad….sorry, I had to say it. I lost about 15 pounds from this whole ordeal. Also, I don’t know how much this had to do with pain or anything but I did also have my adenoids taken out at the same time, which not everyone has done. I did notice that it took awhile to get used to not snoring which I’m pretty sure was because of this, it was a very strange feeling when I was falling asleep!
Hi everyone! Glad to read that many are doing well in the recovery and for those of you struggling…take care and stay the course! I am on day 7 today and doing pretty well. My second big scab came off today and I’ve had a little discomfort from that, but nothing too major. I did back off the liquid Percocet today, too. I just wasn’t feeling well on the meds. The only pain I have (outside of a minor sore throat) is ear pain and a headache. The headache may be due to the decline of pain meds and hot compresses work wonders for the ear pain. However, I am ready for some real food!!!! Thanks again, everyone, for the comments, ideas, and support…this site is a GREAT resource!!!
Thanx u Beth I will stick to bland foods and if improvement starts soon I b so happy I keep u guys posted I am now trying to get some sleep but my ears are hurting so bad nyte all :S:’(
The white scabs, for me, just slowly sloughed off over about 2.5 weeks. I never felt ‘pieces’ of them come off or anything like that. To me, they were akin to the white pus that covered my tonsils during an infection. You know its there but i didn’t feel it, per se. They just slowly went away to reveal the new skin.
I do not feel that the pain necessarily intensified through this process. But the quality of it may change. I had the ear pain days 5-10 or so and not sure if that was because of the white stuff sloughing? Hang in there! After around day 10–12 a lot of people see a noticeable (sometimes remarkable) improvement in the pain. My scabs were completely gone at 2.5 weeks. It was amazing to see the holes fill in and the skin smooth out over time. I’m 6 weeks post op now.
If you’re having burning, avoid anything spicy or acidic. Including probably some fruit juices. Try bland, soft foods. Mac n cheese seems to be a standby for many. It really dies get better!! You’re halfway there!
Hello everyone I am on day 7 at present I have had terrible days and nytes from day 3 to now but at min I having a burning sensation on back of my throat and intense pain swallowing and ear ache I am lucky I have not bleed and each day manged Lil something to eat plz I have white scabs o area were tonsils out wen will they come of and is the pain worse then to come also thanx u
Thank you all for your advice. I woke up this morning and my daughter was spitting up quite a bit of blood. She told me it had been going on since 4 am and it was 6 am when I checked on her. I brought her to the hospital and she is waiting to see the ENT specialist. The initial doctor said he can see a blood clot in the back of her throat but he’s more concerned with the puss. Just wish I could make this better for her!
Jonie, I hope your daughter was stabilized today. Sorry for both of your pain and stress.
My soon to be 20 year old son is planning to fly to Hawaii one week after his surgery. His surgeon is definitely against it. Any advise for this mom?
I really wouldn’t advise it. My 14 year old daughter (adult size!) is day 4 post tonsillectomy surgery. She has barely eaten since surgery as the pain is so great despite round the clock pain relief (co odamol and nurofen). She feels really low and tired. There is also a risk of post surgery bleeding which the consultant said is at its highest risk 5-7 days post surgery. I certainly couldn’t imagine her taking a walk in the park, let alone catching a flight. The change in pressure from altitude may not be a good thing either. Don’t underestimate this one! Good luck
His health and safety is far more important. I cannot imagine someone taking a trip like that one week post-op. if he has a bleed in flight they are not prepared for that kind of emergency. Not a good idea.
I would advise against flying so soon.planes are are very dry and the flight is very long. Also day 7 is the worst for pain. He will not be having fun! Save his money for another time he can actually enjoy it.
Hi everyone,
First time posting here. I’m 25 male, had my tonsils out on Tuesday May 29th, so I’m about to start Day 4 (if you count surgery day as Day 1).
Like most, for me Day 1 was a breeze, just a lot of dizziness from the anesthesia. I was able to consume a lot of popsicles, apple sauce, baby food — and a ton of water/Gatorade. Day 2 wasn’t too bad either, although I think I may have rushed things a little by trying to have mac/cheese (the very small pasta shell variety, which kept getting caught in my tonsil wounds), so im sticking to plain soup broth as the most advanced thing on my menu for now.
But Day 3 was much harder for me. The pain/discomfort went from a 3/10 to a 7/10 overnight. Very tough time swallowing, and I think this unfortunately led me to barely drink anything even though I know I should.
I’ve been taking oxycodone for the pain, but rather than take my pain away (when swallowing) it just makes me dizzy and sleepy. I called the doctor and he prescribed a lidocaine throat gel to numb everything. Because of the gloopy, viscous consistency it is really hard to get to the back of my throat. It ended up just numbing my tongue for the most part which almost made things feel worse and more stuffed up.
I guess for now I’ll just stick to the oxycodone at regular intervals. Really, I’m only in a lot of pain when I swallow, but I feel so congested (even though I think it’s really just my extremely swollen “punching bag” tricking me into thinking it feels like a nasal drip) that I constantly have an urge to swallow.
Alex, the Percocet (oxycodone) made me very tired and relaxed but I welcomed it. At least for the first 4-5 days then I had to stop taking it because it was so binding.
. I feel like any of these narcotic meds just take the edge off the pain. None of them makes it markedly better, at least it didn’t for me. If you don’t line that loopy sensation try just Tylenol (useless for me, very good for others) but don’t double up if you’re oxycodone has it in there too. I specifically asked for straight oxycodone so I wouldn’t have to worry about getting too much acetaminophen. We’re you ok’d to take ibuprofen? That worked very well for a lot of people. Ice around the neck helps and all cold liquids. I know swallowing sucks but you’ve got to make sure you stay hydrated. Continuous sipping will keep you throat more comfortable. Don’t dry out! Hang in there Alex!
Alex, all of us had the swollen uvula, aka punching bag
. It does take a whole for that swelling to go away. I’d say a good 7-10 days. It definitely gives that congested, phlegmy feeling so it’s not your imagination.
Hi!
I am 22 years old, and just had my surgery a week ago! All I can say is WOW. I didn’t really expect it to put me on my butt as much as it did. Like most everyone else, the first couple days were no trouble. Minimal pain, minimal swelling, thanks to heavy dosages of medication! For me it was when the anesthesia start to wear off that the pain really kicked in. On day 4, I woke up in the middle of the night feeling like I couldn’t swallow enough, and was very light headed and hot. I got up to get a fan to put next to my bed, and spit up a LOT of blood. I didn’t throw up thankfully, (my severe sympathy goes out to anyone who did! I can’t even imagine that on top of this pain!) but the blood didn’t stop and I ended up in the ER. I guess the wounds ripped open and I started to hemorrhage. I had to go back into OR and have my tonsils re-cauterized which wasn’t fun. I’m currently on day 7, and STARVING. I’ve been eating a lot of popsicles, ice cream, and yogurt. I’ve found that if you stick Gogurt in the freezer, it’s great! However for me TOO cold is still really painful. So just make sure to watch that. Also KFC has really soft macaroni and cheese, and has been the easiest to swallow. As much as I love mashed potatoes, the gravy was too spicy for my throat to handle! So maybe try without, and let it cool for a little while. For those concerned with losing weight, as I am too, try protein shakes and chocolate milk. It will keep up calories. Drink plenty of water! Today I feel MUCH better than the past couple of days. I haven’t woken up desperate for my pain killers, and haven’t taken a nap yet today! I am having some sharp pain in my throat, but I think it might be from where they had to go back in. The thing that is driving me nuts is how no matter how much water you drink, you always feel parched!!! Maybe because of the scabs? I don’t know. I will have to try the heating pack for my ear pain. I’ve tried ice for my jaw, but that seems to make my ear worse. I hope everyone gets feeling better soon, and best of luck to you all!!
Looking forward to eating normal soon!!
oh katherine, you have my full sympathy. i hemorrhaged 5 days after my surgery and i was coughing blood and throwing up clots. it was not pretty. i believe the sharp pain you are feeling is probably from where they had to cauterize the vessel or vessels. i only had one vessel blow and it was far on the left side of my throat and even almost 3 weeks out i still occasionally have that sharp pain that you are describing and it is always far on the left side of my throat. i found that after the cauterization surgery warm drinks and soups seemed to be more soothing than cold things, you might want to give that a try.
i wish you well in your recovery!
My 18 year old daughter had her surgery on Friday May 25th. She is in so much pain I can not get her to eat. The Lortab made her so sick she kept vomiting. The doctor prescribed Percocet and she is tolerating that better but said it makes her feel weird. I know she is really bad today because she asked me to give her two pills. I just don’t know what to do. I can’t get her to eat and I think it is really making her weaker. I keep giving her ice packs and I’m sure it is helping but I have to figure out how to get some food in her. Right now she is laying in the bathroom on the floor because she wants to be in a small room with the humidifier. I think that is helping to keep moisture in her throat.
jonie,
are you able to get her to drink at all? she really needs to drink because it does help with the pain. if she is drinking see if you can get her to drink a smoothie or something like that. just make sure it doesnt have anything acidic like pineapple or orange in it or anything really seedy like raspberries. if she will go for the smoothie the smoothie places will add protein in them for you for just a little bit extra. i didnt really eat my first few days either because of the pain but i did drink the smoothies. my dr gave me lortab and percocet and i kind of bounced between the two. the percocet made me feel weird too. it was kind of an off putting “my head is stuffed up and disconnected from the rest of m body” feeling. i didnt like it but i just dealt with it because my pain was so bad and the percocet got rid of it pain. if she starts to experience nausea again call the doctor and see if they can give her a prescription for zofran. it comes in a tiny tablet that dissolves on your tongue and it has a berry flavor so it’s not gross to take at all. some people said that it didnt really help them but i know for me it was like magic. it worked pretty quickly as well. when she is able to tolerate warm things you might want to try the ginger tea that beth suggested too. i have ibs and ginger works wonders for me. i have ginger candies and ginger chews and drink ginger ale like it’s going out of style. i just didn’t use anything like this for this nausea because i couldnt handle the spiciness of the ginger or the carbonation. a humidifier worked really well for me as well. it seemed to help keep my throat moist but really the best thing is liquids. ice chips seemed to help soothe my pain a lot as well. i would put a spoonful in my mouth and suck on them and just kind of let the cold water trickle down. an ice pack on the neck is very soothing as well. i kept one on nearly all the time the first week or so.
i hope these help her. you are both in my thoughts.
Thank you for your advice Kristin
I took your advice about drinking and made her some chicken broth. I think the warm comforted her a little and helped a bit with the aching in her ears. I still have the lortab so I might switch between that and the percocet to see if that helps with the problems she’s been having with the meds.
I called the Doctor and they said she could spray chloraseptic in the back of her throat to numb it. I have some but I’m kind of scared to let her do it. I am just not sure if that would burn or not?
Jonie, I tried the chloraseptic spray on myself to see if it would help with the pain of taking the medicine (the liquid lortab burned my throat pretty badly) and it burned my throat. i think it did because im pretty sure it has alcohol in it and alcohol on a raw throat is no fun. something like lidocaine would probably help her but ive only ever heard of it coming in the form of this weird gooey gel you swallow and i would imagine it would be difficult for her to swallow it right now.
hey everyone,
i thought i would drop by and share something that i think i am currently dealing with. as you all know, i had my tonsillectomy on 5/11. my doctor prescribed me lortab 7.5 liquid for the pain. i went through two bottles of that stuff. that’s a total of 960 mls of lortab. i was only taking it when i needed it because i hate taking pain medication (i have ibs and im allergic to codeine. not a bad allergy it just gives me the itchies) but i was needing it pretty much 4 times a day. sometimes i could get by on 3 times a day but no less than that. that went on for about 2 weeks because my pain was pretty intense. it seemed like after i hit the beginning of this week i really turned a corner and i took it once a day for 2 days and i havent taken it since because a) i havent really needed it and b) i dont have anymore.
i believe i am now dealing with withdrawal from the lortab. i really think it’s because i didn’t exactly taper my dosing and also because i took quite a bit of it. i have had stomach cramps, nausea, sweating sleeplessness (and i have hypersomnia!!) and a constant headache for about 3 days now. it is very possible that this could be caused by something else (im going to the doctor tomorrow to find out) but im putting my money on lortab withdrawal.
i am by no means trying to scare anyone into not taking their medication. it was given to you for a reason and i will be the first to tell you that you need to stay ahead of your pain and take it when you need it. just make sure that as you start feeling better you taper yourself off of it instead of stopping “cold turkey” like i did. and dont be afraid to ask your doctor for another small prescription in order to do that because let me tell you, this is no fun. i didn’t call my doctor because once i realized what was going on i had already been off the medicine for at least a full day and i didnt feel that going back on it would be a good thing.
anyway, like i said, i am going to the doctor tomorrow to make sure its not something else like a stomach bug or something so we shall see what he says.
to all of you on the road to recovery you are all in my thoughts
kristin
Good reminder, Kristin. My meperidine (Demerol) comes with the same advice to prevent withdrawal symptoms such as you describe, but I forgot about reading it until now. Best to plan ahead on tapering down. I’m on day 8 post op and still experiencing lots of pain and even swollen glands in my throat, and recently resumed more frequent use of the meperidine. So I do need to start thinking about when to cut back.
Hey-
Day 2 for me. I’m in a lot of pain, but I’m excited to have those dumb things out! I haven’t had problems with sleep, although I am having issues with being very stuffed up. I’m wondering if anyone has advice or knowlege about taking Mucinex during recovery. I know that there’s a lot of healing going on, and I’m wondering if it’s safe or not to take it. I don’t want to dry out my throat too badly.
As for nausea.. I’ve had lots of experiences and I do have advice: if you are able to talk to your doctor, there is a drug called Phenergan, or Promethazine (generic name). I have taken it many times in the past, because the narcotic pain killers make me extremely nauseated. It works really well. Another thing that has helped me, is to go to the store and pick up some motion sickness medication, such as Dramamine.
Good luck to all, and enjoy your recovery “vacation”.
kristie,
i dont see how there could be any harm in taking mucinex but that would definitely be something that you need to ask your doctor about. the reason why i say that is some of the mucinexes (mucinii??) have acetaminophen or ibuprofen in them i believe and its possible that your pain medication may have one of theose two in it as well and you really dont want to get too much of either of those in your system. definitely call and ask if its ok. if they say it is ask them to tell you which one specifically is ok to take.
Gary and Kimberly: I think most of these meds can cause stomach issues especially on a half or nearly empty stomach. Heck, just feeling hungry can make you feel queasy sometimes!
The best thing I can suggest is to try to always keep a little food in your stomach if you can keep it down. Grains and bread are good for this. I chewed up Eggo waffles really well and that worked. And cream of wheat too. I think the more empty your stomach the more nauseated you can get – add medication on top of that (antibiotics are notorious for stomach upset) and it’s a vicious cycle.
Good luck. I hope you both have relief soon!
Kimberly, try ginger tea. Very good for upset stomachs. You can find it pretty easily in most grocery stores in the tea section. If not you can find whole ginger root in the produce area. Peel it, chop it finely and boil it in water for a few minutes. Strain it and drink warm. If you’ve never tried ginger it can be quite spicy but it really helps! I had post-op nausea for the first day and was given Zofran and it did nothing. Ginger tea worked.
Also, I’ve heard Benadryl helps with nausea but you’d need to ask a pharmacist or your doctor if it’s ok to take with your pain meds.
If nothing else, sip some ginger ale? That helps me too sometimes. Do you think the Ned’s or an empty stomach or something is making you feel nauseous?
Just wondering if anyone has tips for nausea? Constant feeling of motion sickness has left me unable to get down any food or water.
Kimberly, i think my nausea is caused by the meperidine (Demerol) syrup for pain, especially if I take it regularly as prescribed. Codeine does the same to me. Zofran worked for me but I’m tired of taking chemicals. I reduced meperidine to lowest dosage and substituted acetaminophen during the day, now no nausea. Maybe Beth’s suggestion of ginger tea will help you. I’m going to buy some ginger ale today.
Jonie , I had my surgery on 5/3 and for the 1st 5 days I took 1 tsp of applesauce with each medication. That was recommended by my Dr to avoid nausea and it worked. I sucked on ice chips constantly & when the pain was bad I had a popsicle or slurpee to chill my throat. Good luck, and please know that there are different phases to the recovery but they go by quickly.
Hello everyone! Day 5 here…6th day since surgery and I think I am doing ok. Sure, I have pain and discomfort but splitting my pain meds dosage into every two hours seems to help. I am able to take in broth, potatoes, Popsicles, water, gatorade, etc. I think the best thing is that I am actually sleeping for about 1-2 hours at a time, finally. I hard the toughest time with sleep. Thank you to everyone that contributes to this site! I appreciate the suggestions and ideas. The biggest thing that I have done is to keep ice on the outside of my neck (front and back). This seemed to help tremendously! Best of luck to everyone!