Tonsillectomy Tips Greg Tooke La Crosse, WI
Tonsillectomy Tips From Greg
Child Tonsillectomy recovery
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Pain after tonsillectomy is inevitable. Tips for easier tonsillectomy recovery from patients who have been through it. What to eat, dealing with scabs and bleeding, managing pain, and shortening recovery time.

Tonsillectomy and its subsequent recovery is no picnic, especially for an adult. Welcome to Tonsillectomy Recovery Resources. Whether you’re considering, planning, or recovering from the procedure, you’ll find all the information you will need to make the best decision about tonsil surgery. You’ll also learn how to get the best care after tonsillectomy. I’ll also help you prepare for your tonsillectomy by laying out simple steps that will make the day of surgery easier and help you to be more comfortable as you recover.

Together we are stronger.  Share your experience. Read about why I got my tonsils out and what I learned

Top 10 Tonsillectomy Recovery Tips

Though I’ve added to the initial 10, these are my top  tips for anyone preparing for, or recovering from tonsillectomy surgery:

  • Drink cold fluids
  • Continue to drink cold fluids
  • Drink more cold fluids! This is perhaps the single most important tip to make life easier while speeding up your recovery period.
  • Get a good cool air humidifier and run it all the time in the room you’re in.  Consider having more than one for the primary rooms you’ll be spending time in. To monitor humidity levels pick up one of these. Enter the code: TONSIL for a 25% discount! Humidity Station
  • Don’t worry about sleep. Forget the normal time convention. Sleep for short intervals, preferably in a recliner. Sleep can be your worst enemy. Sleeping a few hours in a bed usually results in a dry throat that hurts like crazy. It can take almost an hour to get the pain back under control.
  • Keep a written log of your medications as you take them. It’s easy to forget what you’ve taken and when. If you would have problems that require help from the doctor, it can come in handy.
  • Read about others’ experiences and share your own. (Check out the tonsillectomy  forum)
  • Plan ahead! Stock up on items you’ll need ahead of time.
  • Take something with your pain medicine. Carnation Instant Breakfast or Ensure will at least provide a base in your stomach and reduce nausea.
  • Drink ice cold liquids!

A few bonus tips- read on>>>>

A few bonus tips for a better recovery:

  • Plan some minor events. Even a simple event like a walk or a bath can take your mind off the discomfort and help your mindset during tonsillectomy recovery
  • Chew sugarless gum. When pain gets referred to the ears, and it often does, chewing gum can ease the ear pain. It also keeps the swallowing process active, which many believe aids in tonsillectomy recovery. A warm compress on the area can also relieve ear pain.
  •  Ice! Whether it’s a high-tech ice bag or a bag of frozen peas, applying ice directly to the throat and neck is a great way to reduce inflammation and take the edge off of break-through pain. (thanks Kate!)
  • Those are my top tonsillectomy tips. For a detailed daily checklist, check out my upcoming book.

I’ve put together a collection of items that I think would be helpful, if not essential, to making tonsillectomy recovery a little more pleasant. Check out the General Store.

Some Extra Tips – After Tonsils are Removed:

  • It’s REALLY important that you drink. I know it’s almost impossible at times, but you must. A trick I used was to use Cloraseptic (sp?) numbing spray. (There’s also a lollipop your doc or pharmacist might know of)- to numb the throat a bit. Then I’d take the medicine. Once the meds kicked in (1/2 hour?), then I’d try to eat. My favorite foods at first were Jell-o and creamed soups. (sweet potato or broccoli by V-8 were good)
  • You must keep drinking. It helps your throat heal and keeps you hydrated. One reader, a nurse, said she went to an emergency room and demanded IV fluids. Wow! Maybe not such a bad idea!

About the author

My name is Greg Tooke and I’m a tonsillectomy patient myself. For most of my life I lived with huge tonsils with craters that 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, excruciating 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 tonsillectomy for the day after Thanksgiving. (a last meal??)  You can read all about my tonsillectomy  story in the pages that follow.

Greg

 

199 comments

  1. 35 yrs old. Had my tonsils out 10 days ago. I’m in more pain this 2nd week than I was in the 1st! I can feel the scabs in my throat. It’s gross! I was told I could start eating “soft foods” this week, but I’m afraid of the pain it may cause, since drinking liquids still hurts. Has anyone else learned the art of avoiding swallowing? Lol (if I could). The worst pain is when I wake up in the morning. I guess because I go too long without liquid and my throat is dry? Thinking of getting a humidifier… . Coughing is my worst enemy, next is yawning. I sing in a group, but I can’t imagine singing for a while. Talking too much or too loud causes more pain, so I’ve been pretty quiet for 10 days. I must say though, the pain from this is not half as bad as when I hurt my back and was in bed for a week. Since I’ve had worse pain, I compare. People who have hurt themselves before tonsil surgery may understand. It’s been painful, but thankfully not the worst pain I’ve ever felt. Hoping I never get strept throat again after this!!!

  2. A common issue I found out about after removal of tonsils is thrush. The flora of the mouth can become unstable from surgery. After day 8 I still was not eating. I felt like the inside of my mouth, gums & tongue were on fire & ached. I swished with peroxide & water and started taking acidulous & I am eating! It maybe good idea to check with doctor to confirm, it’s just what worked for me. I had googled the problem & that was the answer!

  3. Thanks for the tips I am looking after my 14 year old daughter she had tonsilectomy yesterday,

    1. Hello- Hope your daughter is well. Her age will be a strength as she recovers.

  4. Day 7 It really has been tough. I lost 12 lbs. I did everything the way I’ve been told, soft food cold drinks with ice chips, applesauce, keep pain under control. Time is the biggest healer. Everyone heals different. I have an allergy to hydrocodon so I have had to rely on tylenol. I was told no iboprophin or naproxin because of the bleeding risks. I’ve had ear & jaw pain & a lot of mucus. I have been keeping track of when I take even tylenol. It will get better.

  5. Day 11 post-op: To help with the ear/neck/throat pain, I’ve used a heating pad on low to medium heat, pressing the pad to the entire side for 5 minutes. Did this 3 times yesterday and it has helped with the pain. Check with your doctor first. Pain meds did NOTHING for me during recovery, only the heat has helped, and time. I did not have any complications post-surgery, except for most food tasting awful, especially those with fat like mayo or milk fat. Salt burns my throat so I avoid processed foods like canned soup.. Swallowing still causes some pain, but nothing like the pain from earlier on. No food tastes right yet, hoping my sense of taste will recover, as I have read accounts online of some folks never getting it back.

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