What to Expect After Tonsillectomy
Post-op, you’ll probably awake in a different room from the one you were first brought to. This recovery room is where the staff will observe to to see that you aren’t having complications from anything from bleeding to reactions to the anesthesia. You might be given something soft to eat, like gelatin. Depending on where you live, you will most likely be released that same day, once the staff deems you fit to leave. After being under anesthesia, you will not be allowed to drive. An adult will have to take you home.
Post Op: Tonsillectomy Medicines
You’ll probably have two medicines prescribed when you leave the hospital; a pain killer like percocet or hydrocodone, and an antibiotic like penicillin. You may also want to ask for a stool softener. The narcotic pain killers can have a profound constipating effect. Another post tonsillectomy medicine that might be beneficial is an anti nausea drug like promethizine. It can help counteract this side- effect of the pain medicine. Finally, ask your doctor about a steroid to reduce swelling. One of the first things you’ll fight with after tonsil surgery is a swollen uvula. Swallowing can be almost impossible with that inflamed thing swelling up like a punching bag.
Some tips for the first days after surgery
Begin icing the throat area immediately. This reduces swelling and makes drinking precious fluids more tolerable. Just do it, and keep doing it. Have a comfortable recliner set up. Lying flat can make breathing difficult and seems to aggravate the throat area. Be sure to have a humidifier or vaporizor to keep the air moist. If possible, have someone stay with you for those first days. You may think post tonsillectomy will be a great time to catch up on reading. It probably won’t. The medications make it a little tough to concentrate. Watching movies is probably going to be more enjoyable as you recover.
Don’t continually look at your throat. It will look awful. Here’s an example:
Many people become obsessed with how the area looks. Let it go. As long as you’re not having alot of bleeding, it’s probably fine.
Pain After Tonsillectomy
Most adults describe the first day or two after surgery as, “the honeymoon.” “This isn’t so bad!” This is partly because you’ll still have some of the general anesthesia in your system. Things typically get worse days two and three. From there, the pain will ebb and flow, with days seven and eight often being the worst.
The best advice I can give about managing pain after tonsillectomy is as follows: Stay hydrated. take pain medicines on a strict schedule. Run a humidifier. Ice the affected area often. Try to stay positive and keep your mind on other things. There is a strong psychological component to pain. Sleep with your head elevated. Keep Drinking Water!!
What to look out for
The top risk post tonsillectomy is bleeding. Some bleeding is normal. Gargling with cold water will usually stop the bleeding. If it does not, and you find more than a couple tablespoons of blood, it’s time to get to an emergency room. Don’t panic- this can easily be treated, but time is important. Get in. Get it fixed.
Another problem after tonsillectomy is oral thrush. Largely due to the antibiotics you may be taking. A white film and soreness on the tongue are usually a sign that you have thrush. Some have luck eating probiotics like yogurt. Others report that a tongue scraper helps. I recommend calling your doctor’s office.
A side effect many don’t anticipate, or even realize they are experiencing, is depression. Prolonged use of pain medicines and the subsequent withdrawal from them, can have a chemically depressing effect on a person. Likewise days and days of pain, poor sleep, and poor diet, can also wear a person down.
Tonsillectomy Recovery Time
One of the most common questions is, “how long will it take to recovery from an adult tonsillectomy?” Well, it varies. I’d recommend taking two full weeks off from work. You may feel well enough to return to work sooner, but you may not. Informal surveys that I’ve conducted indicate an average tonsillectomy recovery time for adults to be about 10 or 11 days.
Longer Term- What to expect weeks and months post-op
As your throat heal, one of the first things you’ll notice is a change in your sense of taste. This is very common and can last from two weeks to to several months. It almost always returns to normal though.
The other thing you’ll probably notice after your throat has done most of its healing is a loose feeling back there. It’s almost as if there isn;t quite a tight seal between the back of the nostrils and the throat. again, this is normal. It can take several months for all of this tissue to firm back up, but it will.
Finally, you’ll probably have a much better life after your tonsillectomy. Depending on your reasons going into the surgery, you will most likely sleep better, get sick less, and have better breath!
Best of luck to you. Please explore the rest of this site for more in-depth descriptions, as well as personal stories and photos from readers.
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Hey everyone I’m in day 12, thanku so much for this site it has been great, the humidifier is awesome thanku for that tip…I will have to say this procedure was byfar the most painful I have had, and I consider myself a person who has a high pain tolerance….omg it was awful and the pain meds were making me extremely depressed. So I stopped taking the pain medication day 4, and switched to just Tylenol which has seemed to work oh ya and have the doctor give u the liquid lidocaine great stuff. I appreciate all the post from everyones experiences it helped me thru ….. today I have a sore throat but finally feeling somewhat normal again 🙂
Hi Jen. Thanks for the update. Glad to hear that you are on the mend ! Please stay in touch. The newbies can always benefit from a veterans wisdom! Take care.
Day 12 here for me and I haven’t felt worse since my surgery. Everything is sore, mind foggy and lots of general pain. I think my scab finally started to come off in my sleep last night. I hope this doesn’t last more than just a few days. I’m a 31 year old male
Day 5 of recovery has been the most painful and confusing so far. I didn’t know where the pain was coming from or how to address it. My ears and throat felt like daggers were ripping away from the inside out and I did not know whether to ice or heat. Before bed, I ended up sucking on ice chips till I could swallow my pain killers. Once 30 minutes passed and the sips of cold water had not helped, I switched to warm water and a hot water bottle for my ears. The warm water still hydrated my throat and loosened my jaw muscles. As well, the hot water bottle took away the pain in my ears. Once the pain was gone for another 30 minutes without treatment, I continued to drink water, room temperature this time. I even fell asleep because I had finally relaxed. When my alarm for the next round of pain meds went off, I went back to taking pills with room temp water, not ice cold, and I have not had the intense combination of pain since.
On another note, my breath was so bad that it was offending ME. I have taken to gargling with one of the “milder” mouthwashes (checked with Doc first) and my teeth, gums, tongue and husband are much happier for it.
Hi Mr. Tooke,
I was just wondering if there is a difference in recovery for the different types of tonsillectomies. I am getting my tonsils and adenoids out tomorrow the old fashioned way.
Hello Amelia – I have found no clinical studies that definitively indicate one method over another as best. Anecdotally, I read from patients of the coblation method who often tout it as best for recovery. (not scientific, but it does come up alot)
Best of luck to you!
Hi Amelia – hope you got my email. How is the first day or recovery going for you? Keep drinking!!!
Well, I couldn’t keep any of the medicines down for a coupe of hours today, so it’s been pretty rough to say the least! But I’m a ton better now. Planning to have this the day before Thanksgiving was not my smartest idea-the food smells so good and I can’t eat any of it. Thanks for checking in!
Aww- sorry 🙁 Yeah that’s rough. And yes, not the best timing. ha ha. Hang in there. I’m pulling for you!
Advice needed I’m now at the end of day five and have been in immense pain all day!
But my question is why does my mouth and jaw feel so tight?i can’t open my mouth fully and can’t speak properly either. Has anybody else experienced this?should I keep opening and stretching my jaw (which causes even more pain) or just rest?
Thanks in advance starting to worry now!
I am on day 9 and I’m also experiencing a lot of jaw pain, especially in the joint. I am still not able to open my mouth fully, and haven’t even been able to look at the surgery site. From what I’ve read this can be due to the muscles in the area being weakened and also from the surgical procedure itself because they have to extend your mouth (jaw) opened as wide as it goes causing trauma to the area. Likely, time and pain meds will heal this and I would imagine icing the area would help, too. I would imagine the more you try to “force” it open, the more inflammation you can cause in the joint area so allow some time for healing. I’m starting to be able to “handle” the sore throat, but the jaw pain is really hindering eating normally. I also have to drink slowly or water comes out my nose. Hope that’s not a permanent side effect!
Most of the pain is just recovering from the tonsils being removed; if possible, just do your best to not think about what is going on so much that it keeps you from being able to just rest as much as possible
I am on my 9th day and the pain comes and goes; the worst part is when, I have woke up to find that my throat is dry and taking my pain medication burns so bad trying to get the pain under control again.
But, it is definitely getting a little better as each day passes; I am not ready for company or anything yet; just want to be alone in my bed resting.
But, I am hoping that after the second week passes that I can really see the pain reducing over time.