Sometimes not so bad – Emily’s Tonsillectomy Experience
First, I’m going to start off by saying I wish I would have done this when I was younger but I am still SO glad that I got it done. As a younger child, my doctor recommended a tonsillectomy because my right tonsil was the size of a golf ball. Now, I am 23 years old and have consistently gone in for throat pain. They would give me antibiotics for strep or tonsillitis and it would always come back. I kind of had enough and my current doctor said she did not recommend a tonsillectomy at my age. That, was discouraging. I wanted a second opinion so I met with a specialist. He didn’t want to jump the gun right away. We tried everything from natural probiotics to antibiotics and of course, it came back.
8 months later, I was approved to schedule surgery and I am so glad I did it. Why? Because my entire right tonsil was filled with tonsil stones. Yuck. Onto the recovery portion. Day 1: Surgery was smooth, no complications. Applesauce, pudding, sugarless gum, and popsicles were my best friend. And I urge you throughout the entire recovery process, drink lots and lots of water. It actually shortens the recovery time and I firmly believe that is why I am recovering faster than I anticipated. Sleeping was hard. I was taking medications every hour so I took various short naps.
Day 2: A little rough. I was dizzy throughout the day due to the medications. Added soup into my diet, it was so good eating something savory..ish.
Day 3-5: This is when the pain really kicked in. The scabs are starting to form. Side note, I was constantly burping and had indigestion- ALL the time. Still had difficulty sleeping. Another side note- even if you aren’t taking medication as much, set alarms throughout the night to drink water. I am serious. There’s nothing worse than waking up with a dry throat that already has gone through some trauma. Again, the more water, the less recovery time.
Day 6: Completely off medication! This was a relief for me. I still had painful times throughout the day but sucking on ice hourly did so much for me. Side note- I am not a good couch potato. I like going out and doing things so I was becoming a little stir crazy at this point. Tried doing chores around the house and two hours later it hit me all at once- I overdid it. Even if you feel like you’re better you’re body is still recovering. It’s been through so much. Plus, everyone’s bodies react differently to the entire process.
Day 7/today: I was able to sleep way more than I have! Small victories. Right side is healing up very nicely, the left is not even close. Not sure why is going on there. Drank coffee for the first time in awhile, so far so good. I’ve been able to eat semi normal foods again. On a pain scale from 1 to 10 (1- lowest; 10- highest), I’d say I never went beyond a 5. I was mostly a 3 or 4, but 5 would normally happen if I didn’t drink enough water. I know everyone works differently, but don’t let the bad stories free you out. Just take caution and be prepared as much as you can BEFORE the surgery and chart the times you take your medications. There’s nothing worse than not remembering when you took your last meds and trying to ball park it. These are some strong meds you guys! Hopefully this helps.