I am four weeks post op and my throat is still swollen and the dr’s are not sure why. Did anyone else experience this? Do you know what could be related to the swelling and having an asymetrical mouth? I am so ready to be back to normal. I have had throat issues for five months which included a terrible peritonsillar abcess and chronic tonsillitis.
Day 14 after my tonsillectomy. I am 51 and knew this would be a difficult recovery. I thought by this time I would have much more energy than I have. I fatigue very quickly when doing very little. I also have occasional chills and then break out in a sweat. No fever, but not feeling quite right yet. I have a follow up appointment next week, so we will see what he says. I also still have scabs that have not come off. Solid food is almost impossible for me still. I also have a lot of sensitivity to hot and cold on my teeth. Anyhow, these were some symptoms I did not expect to have. Thanks!
My throat is healing but its still not completely there! I am so sick of feeling sick!
On day 17, been going to the gym and walking and doing the elliptical since day 14. Still drinking lots of water, for the most part my throat is pink and red, very little scabs left. The bad part is I want to have a beer so bad but trying to wait till day 21, not too far, and to ask the doctor before doing so. I am drinking mocha’s and other coffee drinks at Luke warm temperatures. The nurses told me I could drink soft drinks and ginger ale right away just be sure to drink plenty of water with it. So far so good, hoping to have an alcoholic beverage come this weekend.
So I have posted a few times on here and I am on day 17 of my tonsillectomy, i got mine on december 29th. So far I am doing so much better and pretty much can eat anything except for pizza and “pointy” foods such as chips and what not. But…today my throat is pretty sore. Not the sore feeling after surgery but as if I am getting sick with a cold kind of sore throat. I keep coughing because I feel a tickle in my throat and it sort of feels as if my throat is burning. Does anyone know if this is normal? I went to my Dr. yesterday for my 2 week post op and he said I am 90% healed and looking great. For dinner I had a buffalo chicken wrap with french fries and the wrap was not that spicy and I dipped the fries in ketchup. I am just sooo confused as to why I am feeling this sore throat pain, my voice is even raspy. Please don’t tell me that I am getting sick because this is exactly why I got the surgery because of frequent tonsillitis and other reasons. I will be sooo upset if I am getting sick because isn’t a tonsillectomy supposed to stop you from getting frequent sore throats? And with the $$$ that I owe in bills is ridiculous. Please help!
I am on Day 13. Still sore, my throat is actually pretty pink and most of the scabs have come off. Still very sore, still cannot sleep laying down, have to be reclined. I have been able to eat some toast, but still on a soft diet. Stopped the pain pills on day 9, cause. Wanted to drive, and am taking Tylenol. The pain is manageable, in fact less than it was when. Would get strep. The ear pain seems to have stopped, but early evening I usually get a spike in pain. I am so looking forward to having a mixed drink soon, hopefully two more weeks. But so far, healing well.
On day 14, just looked at the pictures of recovery on this site, and it looks like it took this person or some to heal longer. I have taken no Tylenol today (quit pain killers Saturday, on purpose and switched to Tylenol only the next day). This is the first day the pain has been mild enough to take nothing. Went to the gym and walked 30 minutes then hit the hot tub, and my throat is almost all pink. Only stabbing is way in the back close to ears. Overall, my healing seems to be going well. Just remember, everyone heals differently. Hoping it continues to go well. Even ate cheese sticks tonight.
So, I’m at day 25. I’m almost 100% healed. I had my procedure and the recovery process was not as horrible as some have put it. I was asleep for most of the first 5 days. I know that is a big no-no, but I pushed through it. I used the pain meds for the first 6 days with doses every six hours alternating with ibuprofen. I found that sonic had the best ice to chew and suck on. My diet for the first 6 days was Mac and cheese, Popsicles and Gatorade. On day 6 I had my worst pain, but it was only a 5 of ten. Christmas Day was ok and I was able to eat fettuccini Alfredo and garlic bread, so I was happy. The next day I went to watch some hockey with my friends and made it through the days after that swimmingly. I started eating a normal diet on day 9 with no problem and I haven’t taken any narcotic pain meds since Christmas day.
Hey Nick! Thanks for checking in. Glad that you are well.
I am on Day 8 and absolutely miserable. Was prescribed 60 percocet pills to take 1 to 2 pills every 4 hours. Some days I had to take 2. Now I am day 8 with only 3 pills left and my scabs haven’t even started coming off.
I’m in day 11 struggling in the mornings I suggest you get some numbing spray and aleve I take 2 ever 4-6 hrs it helps a little and Ice lots of ice and water
Hi I am 3 months post tonsillectomy. At my post op visit, i was healed about 90%. About a month after, In October, and till this day, i feel like something has changed within my uvula, soft palate area. After eating most of the time, it feels like my uvula gets swollen and rests on my tongue, but i dont think its actually swollen. When my throat bothers me, i look in the mirror and sometimes i see red/purple veins at the top of my uvula, and also the back of my throat has many visible red veins, and even i think seems like its inflamed/swollen. Seems like my soft palate has dropped lower than what it was before surgery, but who knows maybe it wasnt and i never paid attention. All i know is that when i went back to my ENT 6 weeks post op he said he saw nothing wrong and just some scar tissue. So i went for 2nd opinion and he said seems like acid reflux burns. I had endoscopy few weeks ago, and the GI DR said not much acid burns but i do have a duodenal ulcer. Ive been seeing my allergist also, and she thinks it could be from post nasal drip and allergies. Im just frustrated, Im going back to my ENT this week to get it looked at again. Just wondering if this is similar to anyone elses experience ? And how long did it take to resolve completely till the scar tissue i guess calms down. Maybe since my tonsils arent being attacked now, perhaps the other parts of my throat are ? Ive read online that some people take up to 6 months to a year to completely heal with everything. Would appreciate any thoughts and experiences.
I am on Recovery Day 17 & I am feeling great!! So far, I have lost 13lbs. The day of my surgery when I got home, I got very sick. I threw up 2 (maybe 3?) times and the Zofran that my doc prescribed wasn’t helping. A friend brought over her oil diffuser w/ some peppermint essential oil & that helped greatly! I also have a Quease Ease (http://soothing-scents.com/). The day after surgery, I thought everyone had been exaggerating about the pain. I felt so great that I cleaned the entire house! I paid for it dearly that night. My doc prescribed me liquid Tylenol w/ Codeine & that wasn’t cutting it. So he prescribed me Percocets & those helped. Days 2-7 were brutal. My hubby had to take care of me. This included getting up in the middle of the night & getting my pain meds. All I ate from days 2-7 were applesauce (with my crushed up percocets in it) and shaved ice. SHAVED ICE SAVED MY LIFE! My wonderful hubby would put a cupful of ice in our blender (we have a Ninja) and crushed it up so it was almost like snow & I ate that with a spoon. I also sucked on lots of mints & suckers to keep my throat lubricated. This was a huge help since my throat was so sore that I couldn’t even hardly swallow water. On day 8, I actually felt like a person again and my recovery has been steadily better every day since. I had my 10 day check-up with my ENT and he said every thing looks great and that I only have a little bit of scab left. Even though I felt better on day 8, I am glad I took the extra time off. Today is my first day back at work (because of the Thanksgiving holiday) and I am glad I had the extra days to recover. My throat still feels strange. It doesn’t hurt, but it doesn’t feel normal yet. I still have large pockets of where my tonsils used to be & food has been getting stuck back there. My brother told me it was a month before his started to feel normal again. I could talk after surgery, but it hurt a lot to do it. It wasn’t until Day 10 or so that my voice felt normal again. It is still a little raspy, but my ENT said that was normal and would go away in a week or so. I am also starting to exercise again today!
Hey. Its me again. Had the surgery last week and OMG! The worst days of my life. I will make it but geeze!! This sucks bad. I had to read your comments again because I began to get depressed, lol. Im driving my husband and doctor crazy by keep asking them how long will this last. Its good hearing from someone that understands the process and pain. Your experiences are helping me through girl. Thanks again:)
Horrible flashbacks reading your message Ty! I have just returned from a business trip, meeting lots of new people, and I didn’t have to worry about my breath: so liberating and confidence building. I discovered that one of my colleagues had her tonsils removed 2 years ago – when I happened to mention that I was just a few weeks on from my operation, she gave me a big bear hug because she could empathise with my more recent experience. You WILL eat, sleep and enjoy life again – I promise! Stay positive: you made the right decision.
I am now four weeks post surgery (in the UK), and life is good! I had a tonsillectomy due to tonsil stones (I had small, pitted tonsils, and was unable to remove the stones myself, whatever method I tried) – private medical insurance and a past history of throat infections helped get me the surgery. I knew it was a drastic option, but I was prepared to do ANYTHING to solve my bad breath problems. I did nearly cancel when I read this forum the day before surgery though! But I didn’t, and I survived, and my tonsil stones and bad breath are finally GONE!
Having found this forum so much help during the dark days post-surgery, I wanted to share my experience/what helped me. If you are about to have surgery, or are still in recovery, I can promise you it will get SO much better in a few days – hang in there!
1. Don’t plan ANYTHING for the two weeks post surgery – and make sure you book at least two weeks off work. Days 5 – 8 were the worst for me, although in total I had about 10 days of constant pain/medication and sleep deprivation.
2. I cried A LOT on day one – a mixture of the anesthesia/trauma, relief at getting through surgery, and pain! I had one night in hospital.
3. Sucking on crushed ice helps a lot – make sure you have some in stock. I did not use a humidifier – we didn’t want to pump damp air into our bedroom!
4. Take as much pain medication as you can – I used Tramadol, ibuprofen and paracetamol – you will not get addicted, and you WILL need them. But keep a drug diary so you can recall what drugs you took and when – you will not remember!
5. Sleeping with my face/throat on a hot water bottle helped me a lot in days 5+: your throat muscles tighten up in response to the surgery, and I think this helped relax me a little
6. The nights were the worst, as I would wake up in a lot of pain and then struggle to swallow more medication/get back to sleep. Listening to the radio really helped get me through the dark, lonely hours. My husband moved into the spare bed for the first 10 days, to ensure he could get some sleep and I could thrash around the bed as much as I needed to get comfortable!
7. In the UK we are advised to eat rough food e.g. toast when we can. I did manage this a couple of times, but I mostly lived on soup (no bread!), fish in sauce (you can buy this frozen in handy microwaveable pouches), yogurt, porridge and hot chocolate. I tried making smoothies but the fruit was too acidic and hurt my throat. There were a couple of days when I could not face eating anything due to the pain. I did not get constipated, and I did not lose much weight – because I spent two weeks resting, and most of what I DID eat was high calorie!
8. You will be too tired to read much – have a good set of DVDs on standby
9. I did not have any bleeding. I felt so ill that completely resting in the first week was an easy option – and I made sure I had someone on call in the first few days, just in case
10. I was able to speak on all days, although about half an hour of conversation was enough
11. I went for my first short walk one week after surgery. Four weeks on, I am now exercising as normal – running, swimming and pilates.
12. I stopped regular pain relief on about day 15, having gradually cut down on what I was taking.
13. I gradually re-introduced different types of food after two weeks. I still have a sticky feeling in the back of my throat, which I expect to disappear over the coming weeks.
My tonsillectomy recovery was the worst 10 days of my life. But ridding myself of tonsil stones is one of the best things I ever did!
Thank you for sharing. I also have tonsil stones and thought I may be going to far getting surgery to remove them. I’m a married woman and nothing’s is more damaging to a marriage than insecurity. TMI, I know just wanted to say thanks for sharing your experience. I’m going forwadr with the surgery.
I am also married (and 47 – forgot that bit!) and would not even discuss the problem with my husband. So I feel your insecurity! It will hurt a lot – stay focused on the goal and remember that in a few days you will be much better, and also liberated!
Day 9 of my recovery.
I’m not sure how relevant this will be to anyone because I’m not entirely sure how common it is. I’m just turned 18 and have been having a lot of problems with my tonsils for the best part of three years. One thing I always found when digging out those god awful tonsil stones was that my tonsils were extremely prone to bleeding – something my ENT surgeon also found out on the day of the op!
He said no one in his experience had bled that much in a tonsillectomy procedure in years. I had to be stitched right up on my right side and let me tell you, we all know how sore recovery is without stitches right? Imagine being wheeled out of theatre with those bad boys in you. It’s been sore, for the first few days it was the actual space at the top of the back of my throat that was painful and white and scabby. I was throwing up old blood so frequently (and a lot of it might I add) that I couldnt keep anything down; not food, not painkillers. It was awful.
But I powered through and ate as much as I could, despite the pain, because I thought ‘you know what I’ve put up with enough sh*t from my tonsils this time I’m gonna show ’em what I’m made of!’ And after about day three or four the pain subsided from my tonsil bed area and is now a horrible stingy/achy feeling further down my throat, which apparently is due to the whole stitching procedure, I guess a lot of tubes were bumped around in this process and it’s seriously bruised me inside. I find the pain really hits me at night and I’m starting to get severe earaches to accompany that, which is nice! My co-codamol painkillers ran out days ago so I’m going strong on paracetamol and Diclofenac.
I hope everyone else is managing to power through! Just think of all the tonsillitus and nasty tonsil stones that you’re gonna get to avoid for the rest of your life! Remember, at most this recovery process is going to take 17-20 days, which in perspective, is more than worth it to be tonsil free!
Stay safe xxx
Wow. This is great Kate. Thank you so much !! Best of health to you. Stop back again.
Wow. This is great Kate. Thank you so much !! Best of health to you. Stop back again.
I am a 24 year old female, I had my tonsils removed on July 23. I had my tonsils removed due to horrid tonsil stones. Let me start off by saying DRINK WATER NO MATTER HOW BAD IT HURTS!!!! Day 1: after procedure you’re so loopy from meds it flys by. I was offered a blue slushing and teddy Graham’s. 8 bags of teddy Graham’s later I am ready to keave!! After surgery I even had McDonald’s I don’t even remember eating it. Throat was numb all day long. I received percocet 5mg. All you will want to do is sleep. Have someone wake you up to drink and take meds!!
Day 2: pain was still tolerable I started taking the pain medication every 4 hours so the pain doesn’t get out of control. I was eating mash potatoes ( the pre made bob Evans kind was the smoothest), I noticed ice cold water stung my throat so room temperature worked. I was drinking every 20 mins to keep the throat moist. Sleeping was horrible, I ended up sleeping on couch so my head would be propped up. Waking up every 45 mins to sip water, you get no sleep at all. I didn’t want my throat to dry out because it is so painful. I set my alarm every 4 hours so I would take my medicine.
Day 3,4,5: Worst days ever! Extreme pain 10/10, that pain medicine didn’t help! Ear pain started kicking in. I had ice constantly on my throat to keep swelling down. Scabs were formed in back of throat very thick. Drinking water was a task. Everytime I swallowed felt like razorblades. I had to force myself to eat. Ended up getting a blood clot on my left tonsil on day5 and started bleeding. On call dr told me to drink ice cold water and it helped. Woke up after and blood clot resolved on its own. I was having mini hot flashes all day.
Day 6: I felt like a new person. Pain was a 6/10. I was eating drinking taking my neds around the clock
Day 7,8,9: scabs started falling off day 7. It feels like something is caught in back of throat when them fall off. Throat is very sensitive after they fall off that any liquid or food stings the throat. I have bumped my meds down to 1 pill every 4 hours instead of 2 pills. Sleeping longer through the night.
Day 10 and on: pain has started to be controlled with Motrin. I feel 100% better!! I am starting to eat solid foods. I had PBJ sandwhich and it was easy to go down. I feel back to my normal self. Throat still hurts but just like it would as a sore throat.
I think keeping myself hydrated non stopped helped with my speedy recovery. I go back to wk in a few days and feel comfortable going back. I still have to drink water so throat doesn’t get dry. My scabs are 75% gone. I’ve had someone with me the whole time and you DO need that. Milk never seemed to cause the phlegm in my throat as others posted. It soothed the burning. I lived off mash potatoes and chick n star soup mix for the first days. Keep taking medication when it’s due so pain stays under control!! Take the full two weeks off dr reccomends because you will need it. I would do this surgery again knowing it is going to cure my tonsil stones and stinky breath! Sorry this blog is all over the place my mind is going crazy! I hope everyone as a good recovery as well as I’ve had!
I am a 26 year old female. I had my Tonsils removed 9 days ago. (July 21st) day 1. Being the day of surgery wasn’t bad at all had no problem eating/drinking.
Days 2-3. I couldn’t swallow anything (not even water).
Days 4-6. Probably had to be the worst days for me I had a fever. Hot flashes/cold sweats. My mouth and jaws hurt something terrible..
I developed major depression from being stuck in the bed, I also got very weak from not being able to eat anything at all with the first 5 days.
Days 7 and 8 weren’t that bad I still took the days easy tried to get up and clean a little, even managed a little walk at the park.
Today is day 9 I had my checkup and the doctor was very impressed with the way my throat looked.
It is still very sensitive my jaws hurt u still cannot manage to yawn or drink soda.
(Not to mention, I didn’t take the prescribed 5-350 hydro/Tylenol as I don’t do well at all with pain meds.)
Tylenol regular strenght worked just fine for me.
I haven’t slept a full night since my surgery I wake up every night at 2 am in some pain.
It’s not something I would recommend for anyone. As the pain is absolutely unbearable I wouldn’t wish it upon anyone.
I’m hoping all of this pain will surely be worth it end the end (fingers crossed)
This is so helpful, I’m glad I found it. I had my tonsils and adenoids removed on July 11th. So I’m on day 10 today. Day 3/4 was the absolute worst but following my doctors advice I took all my medicine on schedule and drank water and lots of popsicles. Day 5 I has some painful soft pasta but man was it good. Days 7 through now I’ve had rice, pasta, soup, lots of pudding, fruit smoothies, cake donuts moistened in milk, mashed potatoes with no salt, and scrambled eggs. I feel soo much better but the LEFT side of my throat still hurts and is swollen and tight. The right side feels awesome. I’m hoping that this goes away soon. I’m going back to work tonight. I had my follow up on day 7 and he said it looked like a day 10 throat and I honestly think that was due to my careful eating and lots of drinking! My ears still feel awful but the earplugs almost fix that. Oh, I’m a 24 year old female by the way. I had enlarged tonsils, making it difficult to swallow and frequent strep.
Funny, im a 25 year old female, had the same problems as you and recovery went about the same. Today is day 12 for me and I feel like 75% back to normal. Im still having some wicked ear pains at times and it hurts a bit to swallow but about 75% of the scabs are gone and I can talk without pain and eat most foods. We’re almost there!
I’m a 19 year old female and had its been 6 days since surgery. When did your scabs fall off Katie? It feels never ending!
Have a question, when you are de scabbing does your syliva getting so thick you can not swallow it and when you try you gag and more spit comes out from somewhere below your tongue. Plz help
For me, yes! My saliva seemed like it was foamy or bubbly. Looking at my tonsil beds, I could see the foamy saliva back there. I also felt that my scabs or the foam and saliva were like a shelf down behind my tongue, so that liquids and food felt like they were getting stuck back there while I tried to swallow. It did not suddenly get better, but by day 15 or so, I was noticing an improvement.
Thank you so much M, I seem to have a stich and scab down there and I have been bleeding down there and I swish the mouth and nothing, but then I gag a bit to bring saliva back up and I am pulling up a lot of dark blood. Any thoughts on how to get fix that… been like that for about a day and a half now.
I had bleeding that required a trip to the hospital, but the doc told me the clots (or the size of them) which I would cough up were inconsequential. If you were vomiting bright red blood, that would indicate active bleeding. You have probably had some small bleeds, hence the clots (dark blood is older blood), but I think a ton of folks have some bleeding when the scabs are pulling off. It’s the bleeding that causes vomiting or does not stop with swishing ice water that you would worry about.
The only advice I can offer is to be patient. Try to not clear your throat by coughing, suctioning, or gagging the saliva back up to spit it out. I had about 4 or 5 days where I really was bothered by the thick saliva resting back there. On the positive side, It did do a good job of keeping my throat moist. I have a feeling that since it prevented me from taking big bites, it also prevented irritation and bleeding back there as the scabs continued to slough off.
I am on day 19 now, and I can finally gulp water and take normal sized bites, and I only have noticeable discomfort at the start and end of the day or when yawning/sneezing/coughing.
You’re reaching the end of this ridiculous journey. Just keep being patient and the healing will happen!
Well that would be very nice to even eat something. I have not been able to eat since my procedure which was June 24. I was stuck in the VA Hospital in Pitt for four days leaving to go home on the past friday. I was not even able to drink anything until July 1st when I had a very big scare of death. I had a lot of blood in my throat that was blocking my air ways. I was able to cough it up and it was about the size of a small fist. At that point I knew I had to start getting something in me. I was able to go to my local VA hospital and we were able to change the kind of meds from Liquid codeine, which I have a allergic reaction to… and they knew it, to the liquid kids pain meds. So that was a hard thing to swallow but when I did get both 2 tsp down total of 4 tsp I was able to get some things in me like Pedylyte freezies, boost, water, gatorade.
My biggest thing is now today I was able to finish my steroids and I have not been on my liquid pain killers all day because they really only help a bit. I have been able to start swallowing today also due to my mother scaulding me about how I need to hydrate. ps I love my mom.
Well I just coughed up another clot but I can’t tell if it was a scab or just a clot… I launched it out into my parents garden and its gone. Well Please do keep in touch I really do like to know that I have someone else I can relate with.
Also just so you know, I had my Tonsils, anoids, and my throat streched.
Day 11 after coblation tonsillectomy on 6/20. I had a terrible night of sleep last night – the pain in my throat wasn’t too bad, but my nose kept getting stuffed up, and since I was trying not to sleep with my mouth open, I woke up numerous times because I wasn’t getting enough air through my nose. I felt pretty bad this morning, just from lack of sleep, so I took it easy. As the day went on, I felt better and more energetic and got out for a longer walk with my dog.
I am trying to cut back on the Tylenol as well, going from doses every six hours to every 12 hours. It was mostly OK, but then I ate a more aggressive dinner (just rice with some soft vegetables, but it was still pretty rough on my throat), and I could feel it. I am sucking on a Cepacol lozenge now to try to quell the soreness.
I still have scabs on both sides – it seems as if they are gradually getting smaller, but nothing dramatic so far. I can talk for longer, but my voice gets tired pretty easily, and I can’t open my mouth too wide. It has probably been a good exercise for me to have to eat so slowly and chew so thoroughly. I’ll try to remember it. I am planning to go back to the office tomorrow, at least for a half day of work. We will see how it goes. I will post more if anything interesting happens, for sure when the scabs finally come off. I hope everyone is hanging in there!
Good luck tomorrow Sarah- thank you so much for sharing your experience! -Greg
Greg, when I found your site I read everything you had to say and the shopping list AND everything else was so helpful! Thank you so much for setting up this webpage……you have been a Godsend to me!
Thank YOU Brandy! Hope you are well.
I am currently on Day 17 of my recovery and for the most part I am back to normal. I am back to a normal diet but find that I still need to be mindful of not having large mouthfuls and ensuring that I chew properly. I haven’t tried anything crunchy like chips yet but I am eating toast again.
Overall I would say that my recovery was pretty good. I hit an emotional wall on Day 8 and had a bit of a breakdown as I wasn’t able to get any food down without pain. It was easily my worse day but I turned a corner three or four days later and started introducing more solid foods into my diet.
My throat still feels a bit weird but I guess that is to be expected.
I was lucky enough not to have any ear pain (aside from an old ache) – though my ear was popping a lot on Day 14 when I was swallowing but it was annoying more than anything else.
To those still recovering, I hope that it’s as quick and as easy as possible.
Day 11 after my coblation tonsillectomy: I simply feel like I’ve got a bout of tonsillitis. I’m really not sure what it is, but I think it’s scabs down where I can’t see them causing a lump in my throat. It’s the sensation you get when you get choked up and cry. It sometimes gets worse when I eat and drink or strain my voice (too much talking, too loud, or too high pitch). I’m entirely confident that this will not last forever, and it’s more of a nuisance than a pain.
The rawness/pain with swallowing was worse upon waking, let up wonderfully during the day, and then worsened again by bedtime, just like any sore throat I suppose.
I still get a few pangs of sharp pain which seems to be the scab pulling away. I’m thinking when the scabs are finally gone, the lump ache will go away. I’m trying to be patient with the scabs. I had a bleed cauterized two nights ago and want to avoid any more bleeding.
With that in mind, I’m limiting any strenuous activity that would put any pressure on my throat. I’m just taking it easy, enjoying feeling alive again. I did not take a nap today! I can eat toast, potatoes, anything well-cooked, so long as I chew, chew, chew.
Since this is the last entry for me, I just want to give Greg a major shout out. The post-op information given to me by the my ENT/hospital was a complete joke. Without Tonsillectomy Resources, I wouldn’t have known at all what to expect, would have no idea how to handle the bleeds, and would have had very little support. My family is astounded at the length of time it takes to recover from “such a minor surgery,” but we’ve all learned a lot during this journey. Documenting my days on the site helped me step back and see my progress, showed me that everything I felt was normal, and encouraged me with the reminder that the grass IS truly greener on the other side. I will NEVER have another tonsil stone, bout of tonsillitis, or a tonsil taking up half my throat. I thank God for that, and I thank Greg for this site!
And Martha, I thank you for your post. I’m pulling for you. All my best. Take care.
Martha – good luck! Thank you for all of the detailed posts! Please come back and post again if you have any other insights as your recovery continues. I hope it is a totally smooth road from here on out!
When does the pain in the ears stop? Today is exactly two weeks since my surgery and I’m still finding the pain in my ears to be awful. I still have a sore throat especially when I wake up in the morning. I am still taking my pain meds when I feel the pain warrents it. Most of the time, its the pain in my ears that makes me take them. I’m really hoping it goes away soon. I’m kind of excited to go to my post-op and find out how I’m really doing but I’m also a tad nervous as to what he will want to do with my sinuses. He told me before my surgery that he wanted to check them out cuz everytime he sees me, my nose has been totally messed up either something is wrong or my allergies are wild this year. Just hoping he finds out what and it can be fixed so I’m not always breathing through mouth. I will say I’m very happy that the surgery helped with my snoring. My mom says I don’t sound like I’m sawing wood anymore and I find I do sleep better which is awesome. Now if I could get this ear pain to go away I would be almost back to normal. Oh how long did it take you guys before you were able to eat hard foods like chips, crackers, and toast? I’m so afraid to but I’ve been craving funion chips!
day 11, I had my tonsils, adenoids, deviated septum, turbinates and tubes put in my ears all at once. I have found very little if any information online about someone having all five of these procedures done at once. I had to make an early trip back to the ENT on day 9. The ENT said I have a long way to go, my scabs are still intact in my throat, I’m filled with scabs in my nose and I’m assuming from adenoids. I asked if it’s normal for me to still be taking pain medicine (vicodine 7.5/300mg) every three hours, she said my recovery is going to be much more then just someone with adenoids or someone with just deviated septum. Even on day 11 there are times my pain goes to a level 10. I was put on steroids about day 6 because of pain and I had a tremendous amount of swelling in my jaw area, down my neck and my uvula was about the size of a breakfast sausage. My uvula today on day 11 is still very large compared to many recovery photos of someone at this stage. Yesterday I felt like I hit a set back and went back to eating virtually nothing, lots of water and Gatorade. Today I am hacking up a tremendous amount of bloody mucus, I have to force myself to almost suck it out and spit, it’s not from coughing it up. Sorry to be graphic.
I’m just wondering if anyone can give me insight of what I can expect over the following days. Any input would be much appreciated!
Shannon, I’m closing out day ten and have had almost the same exact procedures done as you. Similarly, I was placed on a steroid as well, day 4 related to the inflammation and inability to swallow. I too am hacking up bloody mucus the same as you’ve described, and I’m curious as to when that part will end. It feels continuous, as if they second I hack it up, there is another sitting in the exact spot the previous one just came from. It makes it extremely difficult to breathe and further exacerbates the pain in my throat. Today in fact, I began to get sharp headache pains when I would try and rid myself of the constant mucosal drainage. Anyway, sorry to be so detailed. I just figure it’s better to explain, so that if you have experienced the same thing, you could shed some light on when things start getting better. Hopefully, things are looking up for you by now.
Thanks.
Dom
Now on day 11 at 5am! Just went to bed at 3! The thing is, all day long, I’m drinking, watching tv, whatever and have no pain whatsoever! Oh, also, my throat can’t stand anything cold now. Not even water, and Popsicles and juices burn to swallow. Guess some areas are still raw. It hurts so bad, so I’ve started eating cream of whatever soups and hot tea all day long and it calms my muscles down back there I guess. Just my hypothesis. But yeah, I take my meds and go to bed, whether I sit up and sleep or lay down. For the past 3 mornings, I literally wake up 1.5 hours later to this pain so horrible. I don’t get it. I can go a few hours without drinking when I’m awake, but it’s like my body doesn’t want me to sleep at all. I drink before I lay down I don’t have the fan or AC running to dry it out…obviously I can’t take more pain meds BC I just took them 2 hours ago. I don’t think they work anymore anyway. Not if I’m feeling like this….help! I’m supposed to go back to work Monday but if I can’t get decent sleep, I can’t go. What is my body doing that all this pain comes within 2 hours? I’m afraid to go back to sleep.
Hi Cassandra- Sorry to hear this. I have a thought. Is it possible that something else is irritating your throat, like allergies? It’s possible that you got a cold or virus too…? just thoughts. Do you have a humidifier you can run?
Hope you feel better soon. I bet you will. Let us know
My lingual tonsils are swollen and gagging me. Did this ever happen to anyone else? I had my tonsillectomy 16 days ago. wondering when I will have some relief from it??? Any ideas to help?
You’re not alone!! It’s been 2 mo today for me. Still have a hard time breathing, talking, Swalloing, and still spitting!!
Been to the Dr, ER they all think I’m nuts!! But it’s true I have all of the above and they all act like I’m telling them a story.
My ENT said she had never heard if my side effects, which I find hard to believe. The ER Docs said it’s just anxiety. Nope pretty sure it was not!!!
Anyway if I had it to do all over I would NOT have done it!!!
Good luck to you!!
Hi Miranda, thanks for sharing. Sorry to hear about the hemorrhage and subsequent troubles. I’m not sure about the drooling, but I do know the whole mouth and throat area gets turned upside down after tonsillectomy. So it’s probably normal. Would you like to pose the question to our facebook community?https://www.facebook.com/MyBigFatTonsillectomy
Take care
Your spitting how, like is it just growing in your mouth and then you try to swallow and you can’t or what?
After bleeding several times. Being operated in again, and dealing with it, I have found myself questioning the normalsy of little things. For example, I’m on day 13, my mouth produces more spit than normal, it’s kinda hard to swallow everything in one swallow and my throat doesn’t catch my saliva as well. I actually drooled on my dog when I was trying to straighten his collar out. That sounds funny and weird, but it’s true. Maybe I have to teach myself how to swallow diffeently and use those muscels diffeently, but it would help to know it was all normal. P.s to everyone scared to have one done, just know my recovery pre bleeding was easy as cake. I did my research and learned all the tricks of the trade. It wasn’t until I the hemmireage that I started experiencing awful pain and depression. You just have to go into it prepared for the worst.
I am on my 14th day post tonsillectomy and I have to say it has been one of the worst experiences of my life and I’ve suffered cracked ribs, broken bones and even once cut the end of my finger off, but none of those compare to the pain and discomfort I have dealt with the past 2 weeks. On my 10th day I was rushed back to the operating table due to a severe haemorrhage that took me by surprise, I was kept in for 3 days and was discharged yesterday and it feels like the beginning all over again, which makes me want to cry…. But on a serious note, if you do suffer from any bleeding, whether minor or major, get yourself checked out immediately! Mine started out a little, but being stubborn I refused to believe it was anything serious until i was being rushed to A+E in the back of an ambulance with a pint of blood gushing from my throat! I could’ve prevented a lot of the blood loss if I had gone in earlier and been checked out, but I am a fool!
George, thank you so much for sharing your story and wisdom. My goodness, very scary. Hope are on the mend and doing well.
I’m 45 and had my tonsils out a month ago. I HATE it! I feel like I can’t breath!! I went to my post op and told my Dr that I feel like it’s harder to breath, and that I kept spitting. She didn’t seem concerned. Well the spitting has stopped, but I’m still having trouble breathing. It feels like my airway in the back of my throat is part blocked.I thought it would help by making the airway bigger. I have sleep apnea and there were little white bumps on them so that is why I got them out.
I went to just a Family practice Dr the other day for the breathing and he thought it maybe my asthma coming back. I told him this is not wheezing, and even tried my off springs neb machine twice. Nope it did not help.
Is this normal? If so when will I be able to breath normally again? It is also hard for me to talk without taking deep breaths.
I lost 17 pounds, that is the only good thing that has come out of this…..
Hi Jen. I’m so sorry to hear this. I don’t have personal experience with breathing trouble after tonsillectomy, but I’ll put the question to our Facebook community: Find us here-https://www.facebook.com/MyBigFatTonsillectomy
Best of luck to you
Hmmmm. Interesting.
I remember having a really swollen uvula – so swollen I almost gagged on it and threw up for the first 2 days. Has your sleep apnea changed? It might be residual swelling, though it has been a while. If it’s still there in a few weeks, I would get more aggressive about it.
You could also do a short course of prednisone to see if that helps with the breathing. That’s also an asthma treatment, but it suppresses the immune system and reduces swelling.
Good luck! I hope you feel better and can breathe freely soon!
I forgot to mention about my swollen uvula. Mine was so swollen too. 2 days after surgery I did choke on mine and kept throwing up. I made my daughter call the ambulance. I was taken to the ER and they told me it was swollen and sent me home.
I can’t really tell if it helped my sleep apnea. If I had to do it all over, I would NOT!
Thanks!!
Hi jen. Sounds tough. I would go back to specialist if I were you. Better safe than sorry. Could be residual swelling? Any chance you could have adenoids?
Hi Jen,
Have you considered a speech/swallowing therapist? The throat is a specialized muscle, and its coordination may have been set off by the surgery. Do you find it difficult/challenging to speak or swallow? It may seem out of left field, but nothing’s impossible.
I am a mom of 5. I’ve had cryptic tonsils and all that goes with them. My husband also noticed that I was having sleep apnea. I am on day 20 in my recovery from my tonsillectomy.
I’m so thankful for this forum. I used everyone’s explanations of their own experiences to gauge my own recovery. I was also able to use it to better explain to my family what I was going through.
I am breathing so much better and my breath smells fine for the first time. I am so happy that I had them removed.
I can’t eat everything yet, as I discovered today with a trial of a few nuts. I can eat a sandwich and other soft, non abrasive foods.
I am looking forward to my new life without my tonsils causing illnesses and odors and experiencing the rest of a full nights sleep.
I wish that the doctor would have given me this site to look up. I am going to give him the suggestion tough.
Just wondering when you were able to speak for lengthy periods of time without difficulty? I will be having surgery soon and worried about when I’ll be able to go back to work. I am a 12 hour night shift nurse and worried I will have difficulty or have pain because of the amount of talking I need to do.
I am a teacher and went back to work after 3 weeks. I could make it through the full day of almost constant talking, but my throat hurt pretty bad by the end of the day for the first week back to class. After that, I was okay. I carried a huge bottle of ice water with me and was constantly sipping on it which helped.
Hi Arlene- My job requires talking about 1/4 of the day. After 11 days I could do it, but I talked less and probably wasn’t up to normal talking for 3 weeks. Good luck!
Im 22 and on day 12 of my recovery and so far so good am slowly starting to get better. Still hurts to yawn and sneeze. But as for swallowing it does’t hurt as much as it did before. However, Lately it seams if i try to talk to much or if my throat gets to dry i start to dry heave is this normal at this stage of recovery?
Hi Reanna,
I’m not sure why but what you describe does seem to be common amongst people at your stage. I hope it gets back to normal soon for you. Take care
I’m finally on day 11 of my recovery, I last posted on day 3, and well, it’s been quite a ride since then. I was one of the few people to experience severe post op bleeding on days 6 and 7 and had to be rushed to the ER 2 times. I’m only 25, and I have to say my whole perspective on life has dramatically changed in the last few days. The first bleeding episode was succeeded by severe pain and pressure in the ears and in my jaw, It built all night. I tried ice, narcotics, but nothing alleviated the pain. Finally the pain just released, but i was also gushing blood from my mouth. In total I lost about 2 pints of blood, it slowed and I managed to drive myself to the ER. The bleeding stopped on its own, but I was on an IV for 8hrs while under observation before being released. All felt great afterwards, and I actually got some sleep. The next day the pain returned and I had the ominous feeling that I was in for another bleeding episode. Lone behold 30min later my throat is gushing again, but there was less blood this time, needless to say, my fiance was traumatized. I knew this was less severe, so i told her to cancel the 911 call and we went back to my ENT for a visit. He recauterized my scabs and took out my nose splints(from septoplasty) so it was nice to be able to finally breathe through my nose. I was put on steroids, which have greatly reduced swelling and pain. The first day back from the hospital was rough, but I have been steadily improving since. Oddly enough, my scabs are temperature sensitive, so all my food has to be slightly warmed. I’m hoping this goes away soon. So far no bleeding for the last few days, I’m hoping to be out of the woods. Despite the horrible experience of almost losing my life, I still think this procedure will be beneficial to me in the long run both physically and spiritually. The only advice I have to people is be ready for anything, always have someone with you, stay calm if things get ugly, and take at least 2 weeks from work. I greatly under estimated my recovery time, but luckily had plenty of time to take from work. Best of luck to anyone in recovery or thinking about the surgery. Don’t let my story dissuade you from the procedure if you can benefit from the surgery. I am a very rare case, this is NOT common at all. Best of luck!
Chris- I just read this. My goodness! What a ride indeed. Thank you so much for sharing your experience. I think you’re right, and that your life will be improved from the surgery. I hope all goes smoothly from here on in. Take care.
I am 40 years old and am on day 16. I am still experiencing throat pain. Everything is still swollen, including my tongue. I can’t yawn without it feeling like my throat is ripping open. I am now starting to get ear pain also. I couldn’t eat for the first 5 days. Not even jello. I am off the pain pills, but still taking Tylenol. I didn’t have a bowel movement for 14 days. I was taking stool softener every day after the first week and still was having issues. I recommend trying to battle the constipation from the pain pills right off the bat. I still can’t eat normally. This was the worst thing I have ever been through and am still not convinced it was worth it. Sleep is still fleeting and I am so weak. But, I don’t snore like I did before the surgery. One good thing I guess….. Sipping water all the time helps a lot. I took two weeks off of work. Boy am I glad I did. I didn’t leave my bedroom except to pee for 5 days. Then I graduated to laying on the couch the second week when my husband went back to work. I could not do anything but lay around for two weeks. I have been back to work for four days but can’t work a full 8hr shift yet. I just want a cheeseburger or a big ass sandwich. I have lost 10lbs from this ordeal. I can’t wait till I am completely healed.
Hi Lisa- thanks for posting. Sorry you’re having a rough time. 16 Days is a LONG time! Is it possible that you have oral thrush? Might be worth checking.https://tonsillectomyrecovery.com/oral-thrush-candida/ Hang in there!
I am on Post op day 11. 23 years old. This has been a rough experience for me, but this website helped me out tremendously.
Last night/this morning I woke up every 2 hours because of terrible pain in my right ear. My right side has hurt extremely worse than my left. It has been a few nights since the earaches has started . I can not get off my narcotics yet, because the pain is so severve nothing else helps. My throat feels a lot better, I think that most of the scabs are done. It’s still hard for me to talk and open my mouth though. Best of luck to everyone.
Hi, I’m 25 and on day 13 post op. The experience has been rather painful but nothing prepared me for the ear pain which was unexpected. I am a teacher in England so the nurse recommended three weeks off. I’m now in my final week off work and there’s still no way that I’d be able to teach my kids. My speech is still slurred a bit and it hurts to burp and yawn! The worst days for me were day 4-8. I was not managing to eat anything and drinking was so painful. On day 6 I noticed a bit of blood at the back of my throat on one of the scabs and I had tasted it all through the day. I rang the doctor and he told me to go to hospital to get it checked out. I ended up staying in for two nights as I was dehydrated so had fluids through an IV. I was also told that my throat had become infected so I was given antibiotics and countless painkillers. After two nights in hospital I felt so much better. I’d actually managed to eat food – it took me ages, but I was eating!
Now on day 13, it does still hurt to swallow but I’m managing without painkillers. I’m sleeping flat and I am talking a bit more everyday. I’ve still got some antibiotics to take…augmentin 625mg – they are knocking me out and making my tummy a bit unhappy but I’m not complaining! I’m due back at work on 10th feb. hopefully I will be ready. I guess my message really is if you every taste any bleeding or see even just the smallest amount GO AND GET IT CHECKED OUT! I felt stupid going to A&E but the do tors and nurses were very kind and said I’d done the right thing. good luck everyone who is recovering from this not so minor operation!
I had a pretty serious bleed out my nose at 16 days post T&A. Had to make a trip to the ER. Anybody had bleeding so long after? The ER doc wasn’t too worried and didn’t give me any reason why!
I am just over 3 weeks post-surgery and had my follow up visit with my surgeon a couple days ago. He was very pleased with how everything looks and cleared me so I am good to go. I am not 100% pleased with how it looks as my throat is now very asymmetrical…apparently one tonsil was bigger/deeper than the other so he had to cut more on one side. My throat looks like a lopsided m. I am a little OCD I guess and this really bothers me…but I am not going to seek out cosmetic throat surgery to have it fixed!
I am still taking a few tylenol each day to lessen the small amount of pain I still have. Yawning can still be quite painful at times. I have been sleeping flat for 3 nights now and that is going well. Last night was the first time I tried sleeping without the humidifier, and I woke up with my throat hurting. I guess I still need the humidifier. It is a bit dry here in Arizona.
I am pretty much back to eating normal, except I have some irrational fear of potato chips. I haven’t even attempted those, not even the Maple Bacon Kettle Chips. Yesterday was my birthday and tomorrow I am having a party with cheese and crackers (the good stuff…not Handi-snaks). If I can eat the crackers without a problem, I can probably handle just about anything.
I’m only on day 6 but as I’m in the UK I thouht I’d share what I’ve been through and the doctors advice.
After waking in recovery I was given toast and told that if I didn’t eat it I woulndn’t be allowed to leave (Bastards) After managing to force both pieces down I did feel a bit better. I had to wait in the ward for over 4 hours with continuous checks on BP and temperature but eventually they let me out.
The first 2 days were a blur of drugs and sleep. I was given co-codamol TABLETS and Augmentin TABLETS the size of my thumb. Continuous chocking to the point the pills were half dissolved in my mouth, not impressed. Also only given 4 days worth of painkillers. I’m no maths whiz but 4 days of pills for a 2 week recovery, thanks for that. It’s ok though as I have unlimited access to codeine anyway.
days 3 and 4 were horrendously painful. I nearly cried through the emotional stress as well. I’ve been forcing down toast, corn flakes and crisps as on release from hospital the nurses informed me that if I didn’t I’d end up with an infection and be back in hospital for a further operation to stop the massive amounts of blood I would lose. I’m not taking chances so I was good.
Now at day 6 and I’m not doing too badly. I’m not clock watching for drusg anymore though I do still need them. I am starting to choke on tiny pieces of scab (gross) but it looks like the scabs are thinning. I’m still struggling to open my jaw and the glands in my neck are hot and painful as though I have an infection – may get that checked out tomorrow before I run out of antibiotics. Still napping but overall I am seeing the end of this hell. Ok so 2 days were pure hell but still TOTALLY WORTH IT
I had mine done at the end of September I’m 38 and it was a horrible experience. a definately test of will.but hang in there. my Savior was egg drop soup ..warm broth….cream of weat with brown sugar in it was a lifesaver…I couldnt eat anything cold at all.another couple weeks you will be back to almost normal.
OMG, 16 days after tonsillectomy and uvula-ectomy will I ever feel normal again? Throat is still very sore and hard to swallow. My ears hurt SO bad. Any help hints or ideas for a quicker recovery? I never thought the pain would last this long.. Dr did say it take an adult longer to recover (45 yr old), but man. Help please!
my uveula was swollen for a good month plus. its normal. it will go down …I feel for all you guys ….
I am 17 years old and had my tonsillectomy on December 26, 2013. The pain has been crazy, I have never experienced anything worse. I am on day 10 and all the scabs have come off and I have minimal pain. I am able to eat a lot just only soft things. I lost 12 pounds by day 7 but my appetitie is finally coming back so I’m hoping to gain some of the weight. My advice for anyone who is on the early days or is soon going to have their tonsils out is to be patient and not rush it. I’ve read lots of reviews of people feeling not to bad on days 1 and 2 so they try to eat hard food and full meals and end up bleeding or getting sick so try to stick to what your doctor tells you. Also, as hard as it is, drink LOTS of water. My doctor said not to even worry about food and just water. I asked for anti nausea medicine so taking medication with no food wasnt bad. I couldn’t drink much days 1-6 but once day 7 came I was drinking probably 6 bottles if not more a day and that helped my throat clear up and feel so much better. I also recommend apple juice. It’s really soothing. I also suggest no dairy. I had no ice cream so I decided to try non fat frozen yogurt days 1 and 2 and I felt terrible after (too much phlegm) and it seemed to take a whole day to get rid of it. Sleeping with a humidifier also helps but make sure everytime you change it out you clean it well or else you’ll just release more bacteria into the air. I wasn’t given any antibiotics and he said I don’t need a post-op appt. I can’t wait for day 14 when he said I can eat normal food again. (Except for chips and soda I’m waiting 3 weeks). Foods that have been good are Lipton noodle soup, watermelon, mashed bananas, Popsicles, eggs, soft thin cinnamon bread, oatmeal, and by day 8 I was able to eat chocolate cake (cut into small pieces of course). I hope everyone has a safe and healthy recovery! There is definitely light at the end of the tunnel!
I am on day 8,I had my surgery done December 26.I am still in a lot of paun and up all night due to the pain.My ears hurt really bad and my neck is in pain so is my ears,the ears are the worst.All my liquids sit at the back of my throat due to the swelling. I am so hungry and thirsty but is unable to do both.The popsicles, ice, ice water,ice cream all makes the pain worse.I am spitting up small amounts of blood, I do not know what to do anymore. I feel like the meds are not working anymore, im on Motrin and Vicoden. I just fee awful and is regreting the surgery although it was causing health issues.What to do?I’m 24 years old,I have one child and to tell the truth I’d rather ho through childbirth 10 more times then to ever have a tonsillectomy!
Day 11 – December 30
Feeling so much better today! I was able to back off the hydrocodone to 4.5 – 6 hours between doses with just a little extra Tylenol here and there to help. Most of my scabs are gone, though a few are still hanging on for dear life back there. My tongue and uvula still seem ridiculously swollen. I never noticed a change in my voice, but I find it can be hard to talk with my tongue so swollen.
The best part of today: I ate bacon! My husband and I cure and smoke our own bacon. Today was smoking day and I always fry up a couple pieces right afterwards to taste test. I cut them extra thick and did not cook it too crunchy (almost like a bacon steak.) I took teensy-tiny bites that I chewed about a million times before attempting to swallow. It was heaven.
Everyday up until now has been ridiculously painful the first two days were fine I did nit experience pain at all then at around 3am third day I woke up with my throat dry as hell and super sore I began gargling my baking soda/salt solution that has really helped keep the swelling down. Days 3-7 or 8ish have been sweeping city I couldn’t keep my pain meds down because I couldn’t keep any food down not even fucking jello! But yesterday after having a horrible night with no sleep my doctor called to check in on me as since I can’t really talk my mom told him the play by play, my doctor rated about how water was absolutely essential and actually now that I’ve been drinking water nonstop I’m starting to actually feel much better! Feeling like I have strep but that’s better than what I’ve been dealing with also I woke up at about 2am to a little bit of bleeding I guess because of the dry air I inhale while I’m sleeping I ran down stairs and told my mom she was pissed that I woke her up lol and said its fine Its just a scab loosening up (my mom has gone through this with my sister and herself) my best advice is to force yourself to get cold water down your throat or at least room temp I swear it will help the pain immensely and protein shakes will keep you from puking up meds and keep you full. Best of luck y’all oh and I am now on day 9 1/2? Lol
I Am 16 yrs Old. I really hate my tonsillectomy. Im on Day 6 meaning I got my tonsils removed on Dec 13. At day 6 it feels like theres something hanging on the left side of my mouth where my tonsil use to be. The back of my tounge is continuosly burning! After reading many tgreads like this im glad to hear that this pain will eventually stop. Sometimes I always regret having the surgery done. The only thing that gets me through my day is my prescribed narcotic medication. Its takes away my pain. Without I cannot function. I really can not wait till im completely healed. Im still wondering when my scabs will fall off though and how will I know?
I am currently 5 weeks post op. I still do not have my normal voice back nor can I taste food normally. I was diagnosed this afternoon with a strep infection. Ok am wondering if the strep is possibly residual from the surgery or if it is a fresh infection. Any ideas?
Today is 3 weeks since my surgery . It is also the first day that I have yawned and not felt like my throat was constricted . I am declaring myself 100% healed! I think I have had this much easier then so many others out there and for that I am grateful. A few changes I have noticed are there is a definite change in taste is a
Few foods I like – but understand that this will go back eventually.
Breathing seems much easier now and my mouth always feels so much cleaner now.
I wish I would have had this done years ago!
Good luck to all…. Now on to the Thanksgiving festivities!
Hello, I am a 35 yo woman and I got my tonsillectomy for chronic cryptic tonsillitis. I am on day 11 post op and even though the pain is slowly subsiding, I continue having problems sleeping. I can only sleep for an hour at a time, and even then, when I wake up my throat feels like somebody lit a blowtorch to it. I have to chug ice water, and it takes me at least 2 hours to get back to sleep. I am not taking any pain meds any more, because my throat bled pretty profusely on day 9 (did not have to be recauterized, thank God!). That scary experience made me want to be fully aware of any significant pain so I can know to seek medical help immediately. Also, I continue to have a hard time speaking. My tongue feels too big for my mouth. Right now my biggest concern is that I have a centimeter-sized hole in the scar tissue in my throat just to the left of the uvula. At first I thought it was a scab, but now I realize it is actually a little hole. I hope that it does not cause me problems later, as I could see food getting stuck in there. Anybody else experience this? My post-op appointment is not until Dec. 10. Thanks for any feedback you can provide, and Greg, thank you SOOOO much for creating such a valuable resource for tonsillectomy survivors!
Day 14! Hardly no pain at all, thank God. This has been the WORST experience of my life, and I’m glad that it is over. For all of the people out there considering the surgery, who don’t have SEVERE medical problems because of your tonsils, please REconsider! I wouldn’t do it again if I had to. Two weeks felt like an eternity. Thanks for all of your help.
Its officially 2 weeks post op and 9 days since my followup surgery for hemorrhage and I am thanking god I can slowly live a normal life again. I tried eating a Big Mac on day 12 which was still hard to swallow but OMG it was the tastiest thing I’ve had eat for so long. I also tried a sandwich the next day but still needed to take sips of water with every bite to help slide the food down. Today I felt good enough to go to the gym for the first time and did a hard workout without any hassles. Had spaghetti for dinner and that was delicious. Its still quite dry in the throat so I keep drinking water but am confident the worse is behind me now.
Good luck to everyone who has to endure this ordeal and I wish you come out in one piece.
I am at day 28 and I am 34. It was quite the experience that I am glad I will never have to go through again. I have to say I have a very low pain tolerence but my pain I would say was a 3-4 through out most of the time except at day 8 when the scabs started falling off. Then I was like a 7-8. That was awful!!! On the eve of day 12 at like 2:30 am I experenced bleeding. I was so hungry that I think I over did it. At 7:50 am I woke up to my throat bleeding again. After hacking up blood I did the cold water gargle and that really helped…I did however go into the ER because of waking up to it. The Dr said my throat looked really good and all I did was tear off a good sized scab. He was surprised to see me at day 12 and not day 10. Currently the only things that are wierd for me is food does taste wierd and I can’t drink pop. The bubbles are bad still. I also quit smoking as well so that is good. Today I have no pain but I feel like I have a giant hairball still in the back of my throat. I have no swelling but I feel as if my throat is really dry…Not sure if that is normal. I also experience lose of voice and my family says I sound different. I did this process pretty much on my own. I had someone watch me the first night but other then some random visitors that was it. That sucked…I was so lonely and hungry. My family lives 4 hrs away…Anyways I really learned a lot from this website and was glad that I prepared as well as I did. The light really is at the end of the tunnel even if you don’t think so…It took forever for it to show up!! Good luck to every one out there! I enjoyed all the stories and enjoyed the fact I was not alone in my misery.
3 weeks postop (50yo F): Happy to report that my surgeon declared me out of the bleeding risk at my postop visit today. Have been off all meds (including NSAIDS) for over a week. I can eat pretty much anything without a problem (chewing my food well out of habit) and happy to report that I lost about 9 lbs (!) and planning to keep it off. I hope to finally get back into my yoga practice, but last week downward dog was really uncomfortable and sivansana impossible because my throat would close up when laying on my back. Yawning and sneezing are still a bit uncomfortable and it feels like I have a very mild sore throat. Doc says everything should be fully healed within the next 2 weeks or so. I’m happy to be through the ordeal and this website is a tremendous resource. Take two weeks off work to recover. Memory of the pain is long gone!
Hi all,
I’m currently on post-op day 11…though I had to re-cauterize yesterday morning due to bleeding and massive blood clots, which has been so depressing. Has anyone here had to do this as well? How long did it take after this to heal? It seems like the pain set me back two or three days, but the diet is back to liquids.
Any help would be appreciated. Thank you & thanks to this site for not allowing me to lose my mind!
se
I am now 3 months post-op and I am grateful each and every day that I got the surgery done, it was the best decision I’ve ever made for myself and my health. It is so amazing not being sick and ran down all the time due to chronic infection.
I hope people are doing their research and opting for the coblation method. I had a smooth easy recovery and I hope to see others choose the coblation method as well. Not all doctors use this method so you need to search around and find one. Make sure they have plenty of years of experience using this method as well. My doctor had been using it about 8 years and he did a great job on me. I had no swelling, bleeding, or complications of any kind, and the pain was very minimal. Don’t just read this and forget about it…start looking into *coblation* tonsillectomy today!
That’s the method that my doctor used. I had braced myself for the worst but it’s been so easy. I returned the ice backs I had bought for the swelling (I had no swelling). Glad to see him not like only one. Day 8.
excuse my typos above, I’m just sleepy.
Hi everyone
I am day 14 post op and can honestly say its been awful! I had complications with the anaesthetic and then my throat bled on day 5 and I spent 7 days in hospital. The pain has now subsided greatly in comparison to what it was however I am still reliant on the pain killers. My throat is still red and swollen and I am finding it difficult to swallow with any ease. I am trying as many different foods as possible but sometimes I feel like I’m choking and I need to swallow everything about 3 times before it feels as though it has gone. Can someone tell me if this is normal and if so when is it likely to get better?? My tongue is still numb too and my mouth doesn’t taste very nice. I am completely sick of this feeling and just want to know when it will return to normal. I am suffering with my ears especially loss of hearing, like when you get of an plane. Please can anyone give me any tips or tell me when this will get better?? My ENT surgeon hasn’t offered me a follow up so I’m really worried that this won’t return to normal
Thanks
Hi Laura- sounds awful- sorry to hear. USUALLY by day 14 people are feeling less of what you describe, but each person’s recovery is different. When you had your bleed, did they re-cauterize? That cab set your recovery time back. I also wonder if you may have oral thrush- https://tonsillectomyrecovery.com/oral-thrush-candida/
Hang in there and keep us posted.
Thanks for your reply Greg
No they didn’t re-cauterize. I had a large clot and they monitored me for days. The pain is much better than it was and I’m guessing my recovery will be slightly longer due to the bleed. I’m just worried I won’t be able to swallow normally again. My tonsils were very large and I have quite big holes in my throat but the surgeon didn’t say if these would get smaller. I’m just fed up of it all now
I see. It does take some time- perhaps 6 to 8 months, for that tissue to completely “firm up.” Most people describe the feeling of not having a tight seal back there for some time. Like, swallowing and water going up your nose. I had that too. It did get better and I’m sure it will for you too.
I’ve had the water up my nose! That makes me feel better, thank you. The doctor doesn’t give enough information in regards to this and the tongue numbness and it’s very daunting. I wasn’t sure if it was normal or not. Hopefully I will feel much better in the next few days. Thank you
This site saved my quality of life post tonsillectomy. 30 years old and it was the absolute worst pain of my life for approx. 9days. All of the tips on this site helped me tremendously though. 1.
Humidifier 2. Round the clock pain meds 3. No diary. 4. Slushy maker purchased via Greg’s site on amazon.com 5. Ice collar
6. Heating pad for referred ear pain 7. 100% Liquid diet for 21 days post op. 8. Oral hygiene. Thought it was extremely difficult to open my mouth more than an inch even after 2 weeks so oral hygiene was a challenge. 9. Kept a log of acetaminophen mg/24-hour period, not to exceed 3,000 mg per my height/wt. once I was off Percocet (on day 9 and beyond) so that I didn’t kill my liver.
10. Lots and lots of family support. Was so weak a times from my limited caloric intake that I struggled to dress myself having mom and hubby there was crucial for the initial 2 weeks. I was able to go back to work at 3 weeks and this was just enough time for me to recover though I still had a significant amount of trouble swallowing at 3 weeks.
I am now almost 3 months post op and the only lingering issue is I cannot taste worth a darn. So upsetting. I wanted to lose weight yes, but I lost 14 lbs in th initial 3 weeks following and have shed an additional 10 due to my sheer lack of taste for foods I formerly loved. Have talks to my surgeon. He said thy he’s never heard of taste disturbances latig quite this long and that he’d like me to follow up with him monthly til it returns. I’m not too hopefull at this point that it will wee be the same. But…I still am glad I had the surgery. No more throat pain, no more allergies, no more tonsil stones and hallotosis! Yay!
Lots of typos, sorry, typing on iPhone. NO DAIRY was what I meant to say. Dairy caused me way too much phlegm as did yogurt products. I lived on a protein powder/water combo with probiotics added in to prevent oral thrush.
Thanks a million, Greg for making this site.
Thanks Janet, for the kind words and the tips for others. I wish you good health.
I hope (think) that it will correct in time. Please keep me posted. Take care.
Day 11: 30 years old and had tonsillectomy (with adenoids removed too)
I HAVE TURNED THE CORNER TO WELLNESS! Last night I slept 5 straight hours! I woke up to a throat that felt like I had ate a bowl of nails and drank acid, but the new numbing medicine worked quickly and the painkiller kicked in soon after. But I didn’t even care because I SLEPT!!!
I only needed half as many pain meds today and the medicine they gave me for my canker sores was a miracle treatment because they were completely gone after one application! (in case anyone else has canker sores, the medicine is Triamcinolone Acetonide Dental Paste) I am definately not 100%, or even 50% yet, but I feel so much stronger and more clear headed than I have since surgery.
I still have throat pain, ear pain and jaw pain but it is nothing like the pain of the past few days. I’m still not talking completely normal yet, but I’m sure that will come back soon.
I will post again in a week just to check in. Thanks again for this wonderful resource
Great news! Thanks Liz!
Well as promised one last post to let folks know what post day 10 looks like! now on day 18 post surgery and all is good! The morning of day 11 was the real turning point for me, I woke up with hardly any pain at all, infect I was confused, I thought our clock must be wrong as I had not woken up in pain all night to take meds and it was now 8am what had happened! Sure enough the pain never returned the nightmare was over!! So I am now back a work, eating pretty well, still have some scabs on my right tonsil which makes eating sweet things unpleasant as they seem go stick around the scabs yuk!! I saw my doctor yesterday , he says I am in good shape and that my recovery has been good. He did say he always waits 2 weeks before seeing patients as if he sees them after a week , they are very miserable and give him a hard time !! Coward!! On another matter, I don’t seem to have any taste issues or changes as some people have reported, everything seems back to normal. Finally I want to say a huge thank you to Gregg for setting up this forum, it really helped me through a really difficult process, and thank you to everyone who has posted great advice and tips. Great job everyone, wishing you all good health for the future.
hi everyone I am on day 12 and all I can say is praise The Lord hallejuah! It has been the worst 12 days of my life I am 25 year old female and never would have thought that the pain I experienced would be possible. day 1.2.3 were okay as I believe the pain killers from the hospital really masked the pain. Day 4 is when the real deal happened.. I woke up at 2 am could not swallow could not move my body without sharp and really terrible pain. It was so bad I went to the hospital for them to find a bleed so this mean staying for 2 days on observation and recipe ring pain management plan. firstly no drug really helps take the pain away but they make you groggy enough to accept what you are feeling. The ent specialists had to cauterise my throat again and I begged to go home So i could try sleep as the hospital was so noisy. when I arrived home they sent me with nurofen and paracetomal and a mouth wash. I found the nurofen most effective with Panadol. after day 8 had to stop nurofen as my stomach was not feeling good from it. The pain went from a raw pain to my mouth ears and throat feeling badly bruised and so sensitive. I could not talk properly and my ear pain was so Intense even my teeth were aching. I used heat packs for my ears and throat and at this stage had to use panadiene forte. It is day 12 and now I can eat normal still small pain but I can deal with it and I really feel like a new girl today!!! My advice is stay with someone do not be alone and make sure to eat and drink as normal as you can through the pain it helps the scabs go away. My throat is almost clear still a bit yellow but redness and swelling so much better. You can experience a bleed do not risk it go straight to hospital. it is really important to not drink or have to much dairy and web sleep feels almost impossible just remember that when you start to feel better you will catch up on your sleep and start to feel normal again. I so lucky my sister looked after me there were days where I couldn’t move.. It was an experience I will never forget and I feel relieved its almost over. I have my follow up appointment tomorrow and looking forward to seeing if I have recovered faster then normal. thanks for reading and I wish all of you fast recovery. jazz
Today, I believe all of my scabs fell off. Strangely enough, I didn’t feel any of them coming off this whole time… Except on the fourth day. Most of the pain is gone, I think I was off the pain meds on day five, except for one dose at night before bed and occasional doses of children’s Tylenol. I sneezed today really hard and I think that’s what knocked the rest of the scabs off. Ow. Mostly only yawning and annexing and eating and sharpish foods hurt.
Now 11 days post-op. First day almost without pain control medicine. First day eating almost normal food. Yes! I can see the light!!!
thank God I’ve got maybe a week of this hell left
I’m about two months post op, I got mine out in early august.
I’m 20 years old and recovery, like for most, was hell. I didn’t eat for about 2 and a half weeks, once I could eat I didn’t want because I had completely lost my sense of taste. I still to this day am not doing well with sweets and have abandoned ketchup (horror of horrors to me, I am a ketchup queen) It has been an uphill battle.
I was wondering if anyone else about 2 months out has gotten a bad sore throat? I’ve been coughing a lot, being a college student colds are inevitable, tonight though I’m having a difficult time swallowing and I’m scared I might have hurt my throat through strain or something. Anyone know if this is possible? I’m still terrified of hemorrhaging even though I know the chances for that are slim to none.
I’m about two months out as well and I am 22 years old. One month post op I had some serious swelling in my throat and could barely swallow anything, it almost felt bruised. I thought that was the last of it but 2 months post op and I am STILL not healed. I wake up every morning with a sore throat. I have gotten a humidifier and it has helped only a little. I still cannot yawn without pain, I can’t move my tongue is certain positions without it hurting, and I choke on everything I drink. I still have to be careful with spicy food because sometimes it gets stuck in the area instead of going down my throat and hurts very badly. I am assuming you are still not healed. I see your post is from October so hopefully you’re feeling better now!!
Hi there
Im about half way through day 11 and cant work out if i have a cold or not as i feel quite rough. Other than that i don’t think my recovery has been too bad, some days can be almost unbearable but like everybody has said keep taking your meds even if your not in pain, eat and drink as often as you can and i don’t think i would have coped so well if it wasn’t for salt water!! I didn’t try it until the third or fourth day and it made such a difference!!!!!!!! Just gurgling it for a few minutes took the swelling right down and eased the pain within 10 minutes and there’s no limit to how often you can do it. I also noticed lots of people were worried about scabs coming off and my experience was fine they are 75% gone and all came away while i was eating, it does sting a bit as they come off and for the rest of the night but the next morning its so much better! I had my tonsillectomy as i suffer a lot with quinsy and my surgeon told me that the scar tissue on my tonsils was so bad that they were like concrete so for anyone suffering with the same thing i would recommend you have them removed, the recovery is horrible but you will get over it and no more abscesses again!
I too struggled with major scarring and an abscess 4 months ago. I’m on day 10 .it looks like I was hollowed out like a pumpkin.days are getting better but nights are horrible. waking up after 3 hours of sleep for meds my throat is dry and takes a good 10 minutes to get comfortable enough to take meds.things are looking up. eating more soups.
I’m a 38 year old male.
I wanted to mention swallowing function. It’s not mentioned much but I think people need to be aware that after two large objects are removed from the back of the mouth that swallowing may be different until your body adjusts. I have noticed that I need to swallow harder than I did before and sometimes several times to get food to clear the back of the mouth. I don’t have those big tonsils to help squeeze things down and so my throat is having to contract harder. It is normal and you will eventually adjust. When kids have this done, they are still growing and rarely notice. As adults, we are all fully formed and the older you are, the longer this adjustment may take.
I agree, swallowing is different. I feel like when I drink liquids they start going up my nose. I did not have my adenoids out either. Also, things like spitting and sneezing are different too haha.
The sneezing is funny too, I can’t control it and hold it in like I could before. I used to be able to muffle it some. Now it just lets loose!
I also can’t tolerate soda anymore. I don’t like the way it feels on my soft palate. Which is great for me. I’ve wanted to kick the soda habit.
Dang no soda?! I am still too afraid to even try it, I miss it so much though
I’m a 30 year old woman, and I recently had a tonsillectomy (August 28th). Unlike many users on this site, I did not feel like I wanted to share everyday how I was doing, but I’m grateful for both the site and those who shared their thoughts and experiences. They were hugely helpful to me. Now that I am feeling mostly back to normal, I thought I’d post some of the things that really helped me, in addition to what I’ve already seen on here. Today is day 19 post-op. I still have some scabs, mild soreness, and tiredness, but I’m just about back to 100%. My doctor said that my recovery is perfectly normal, so no need to worry if you’re like me and your scabs aren’t falling off by day 7-10.
So, recovery. The recommendation to get a humidifier was HUGELY helpful. On the eve of Day 2, I read about that on here and had my mother (who came from out-of-town to help me through this) run out to get an antimicrobial, deminerlizer, ultrasonic humidifier. It helped me sleep so much better and I woke up with MUCH less pain. After reading about the possibility of oral thrush as a side effect, I was completely freaked – definitely did not want that!! I had bought yogurt before the surgery, but post-op, I realized it felt too thick for me to swallow. It felt like it was stuck and clogging up my already swollen throat. I had my mom run out to get strawberry kiefer – a yogurt-like drink that contains more helpful bacteria in it than your average yogurts. Joy! I could drink it and it tastes something like a smoothie. I drank 2-3 glasses a day. I didn’t develop oral thrush – don’t know if I would have, but erring on the side of caution is a good thing! Two words: TONGUE SCRAPPER. It’s one of the things that helped me feel the most comfortable post-op, in addition to things I’ve already seen mentioned on this site. In the days right after the surgery, I had a thick white film on my tongue and my best efforts to brush it off didn’t seem to work that well. I decided to get out the my tongue scrapper to see if I could get it off on day three. At first I couldn’t open my mouth far enough to do my full tongue because my jaw was too stiff and I couldn’t stick out my tongue very far, but even doing the front half half felt SO MUCH BETTER. In the following days, I was progressively able to open my mouth more, and used the tongue scrapper morning and night. I felt so much more comfortable! Finally, HOT COMPRESSES for deferred ear pain. My mother stayed about a week, and then my boyfriend – who had had to be out of town that week – got back. Like most worried partners, he’d been doing a lot of his own research on how to help me. He had come across a mention of using hot moist compresses for ear pain, and I was SO glad he did!! A hot wet (but not sopping) wash cloth was my salvation for a few days there! Finally, give yourself time to heal! I initially took two weeks off of work – and to be honest, in my heart of hearts, I fully expected to be through with the worst of it by Day 10. Not so! I am just now returning to work (tomorrow is Monday, so off I go!). Have someone there to help you. I needed all sorts of things. I dropped 12 and a half pounds in the past 2 1/2 weeks – sometimes I was so lightheaded and dizzy I needed help just walking to the bathroom. Having someone to go get things like kiefer, the humidifier, more ice cream, vegetable broth, additional painkillers when my first prescription ran out, etc. was so incredibly important. Also, just having someone to help with running downstairs to get water and not feel like I was all alone in this was so important to making me feel emotionally okay in spite of physical discomfort and pain. In any event, even just on the outside of going through this, I am SO glad I did! For the first time in years, I can touch my neck and not feel swollen tonsils and engorged lymph node throughout my neck. It feels great. I know I’m going to feel SO much better and healthier going forward. If you’re pre or post-op, good luck! It will get better!
Thank you so much for this awesome comment Kulrich! I know that others will appreciate it too. I hope that you enjoy great health in the future.
No problem, Greg. I hope it helps others going through this. And many, many thanks to you for creating this site and forum! It definitely helped me through a very difficult experience, one which would have been much worse if not for the fantastic information I found here.
It’s the start of Day 11 for me. I went out on Day 10, things were going well despite a rough morning. I felt good. A family member called, wanted to come over. Then once here (brought me tomato soup and ginger ale – REALLY?) wanted to go out. I felt like giving it a try so we went to Panera. I had the vegetable soup and veggie sandwich on soft bread. Talking and asking questions I tried to hurry up and swallow so I could answer and suffered a setback. A larger than good idea piece of bread brushed the back of my throat. Lunch OVER. Seems like I have moved in progression back to day 9 now. Spent last night coughing like crazy. I know the scabs are trying to come off but it makes sleep very difficult and makes your throat very sore.
Keeping hydrated has dropped off and I need to work harder on that today and see if it helps. Can you take cough syrup at night? I’ve tried sitting up, laying down and cough and gag on my own spit regardless. I eventually end up passing out wherever I was last when I’m finally exhausted.
I’ve had no bleeding episodes (knock on wood) and consider myself fortunate for that. I am hoping that I can get things together as I am expected to return to work on Day 15. Please let this be over by then.
Be really careful about the coughing, you can still have a coughing induced bleeding episode up to 2 full weeks after surgery. Try chewing gum, that really helped me. There were a few nights I didn’t sleep that much because I was chewing gum all night, but at least I wasn’t coughing. Watermelon gum was the best. Or, try cough syrup. Good luck!
Hi all I have been reffering to this site since I had tonsillectomy, adnoids, and septoplasty done on July 24, I am now almost a full month post op and yesterday I began to have throat pain again and that really awful dry feeling in the back of my throat. I have been kind of achy haven’t noticed a fever but I am feeling crappy again. Has anybody else experienced this problem this far out? I am not sure if I need to go to the doctor or if this is normal. Please help.
Woohoo! Just had my post-op appointment, all cleared to eat normal and go back to work! My ENT said the swelling and dry mouth should be gone by the weekend! My tonsils weighed 13.5 pounds, he said in his 30 years of practice he has never seen tonsils so big! Everyone in recovery, hang in there there is a light at the end of the tunnel! There were days where I questioned my decision in doing this, now I know it was worth it! I am 37 f, had to be cauterized twice, stay in the hospital. It was scary and there were times when I was ready to quit! Just hang in there, you are strong and will get through it!
Question? How long does it take for the mouth dryness to go away and for foods to start tasting normal, oh and the swelling to go down? Ok that was three questions!
Hey one thing i’ve noticed is the roof of my house is really tender like it was bruised, and one of the most painful places when I swallow is at the back of the roof of my mouth. I didn’t think my adenoids were removed but with this pain i’m beginning to think so, do you guys think so? and since the emergency surgery last Wednesday I’ve been able to eat a LOT more, tomato soup for all it stings a bit goes down, buttered toast is okay, and soft cheeseburgers from McDonalds. My throat still aches to swallow though and I’m just waiting for the pain to leave but it feels like it never will ?
Has anyone had a taste problem yet? In on day 13 and everything tastes horrible, please let me know if I’m alone on this.
i’ve noticed acidic food like ketchup or tomato soup sting the front of my tongue. but most everything has begun to taste alright. I had mine on 8/1
I am having things tasting extra salty when I know they aren’t. Chocolate pudding tastes a little bitter. Can’t wait for that to go away.
Its day 12. Scabs are off. It has been quite a journey to this point. Up until now, everything i’ve read was about experiencing horrible pain and so on. This might be true for some, but not every person will experience this. Out of all the tonsil and adnoid surgeries per year, supposedly in the hundreds of thousands in the U.S., not all of them are going to be bad. My recovery did not have extreme pain; the anxiety leading up to and following post-op was terrible.
I’m a 27 year old male. On a scale of 1-10, from days one to ten, the level never exceeded a 5. I had a few bleeding episodes; that was t. My advice to those considering this surgery: humidifier, non-dairy foods (applesauce, popsicles), cold water, a balanced sleep and med schedule, and little to no talking for the first five days will increase the healing process. Only eat solid foods when the throat feels it can handle these foods.
**Remember** This is a different process for everyone. This is a case-by-case surgery and no two are going to be the same. Evaluate each review case-by-case. Go into the surgery optimistically. Listen to the doctor’s advice first and foremost. Whatever the outcome, the process is always going to lead to light at the end of the tunnel.
To those who may experience anxiety: one thing that helped with this; a new article came on about a six-year old child who had a rare form of cancer. On opening day at the Cleveland Browns game, he was brought on the field, tossed the ball, and ran for a touchdown. God bless the child and the team for giving him this opportunity. The trials in life will test us; they will not break us.
Whatever the outcome during post-op, it is temporary. I know this is hard for some but try not to worry about what has not yet happened. The light at the end of the tunnel is very bright.
This is my last post-op recovery post.
~AR
Day 19 and I still have some scabs! Crazy! They are not thick like they used to be, they are definitely thinning out. Thought they would be completely gone by now but I guess not. The holes in my throat are closing up pretty quick it seems, and my uvula is looking more normal. Just those darn scabs sticking around…!
On the bright side, I’m already noticing I have more energy and just overall “feel better” than I felt even before surgery. My poor body was constantly at war trying to beat my tonsils and their infections…it finally gets a break and can rest!
Day 13 (coblation method) and eating pasta like a champ. The scabs are SLOWLY disappearing. As they come off my ears get sharp stabs of pain, but it’s only temporary.
I wanted to mention one thing I never saw anybody else write: Buy a child’s toothbrush! It was too hard to brush my teeth with an adult toothbrush, I bought a child’s toothbrush and it’s working like a charm.
Day 12 coblation tonsillectomy. The itchiness has gotten better. I’m back at work today. Still not completely healed up but hopefully that happens soon! Ready to be back to normal.
I’m on day 11 coblation tonsillectomy… I’m wondering, when will the scabs be gone?Will they be gone by day 16? I want to make plans but not till things are more back to normal.
Also still dealing with itchy throat which is not conducive to sleep.
I’m on Day 13 and I still have scabs… though I had a set back with bleeding and had to be chemically cauterized on day 2/3 and then got thrush on day 6. I’m really wishing this would be over… I want nachos, BBQ chicken pizza, Margaritas and a Big steak with French fries and Onion rings right about now… LOL! Sooooooooooo sick of broth, jello, Popsicles etc…
Day 16:
Wow this is rough. I guess it’s been 2 days since I got cauterized. The pain is definitely there, it’s hard to eat and swallow, I am really struggling here. I wonder how long this process will be and I worry I will bleed again but we wont know for another 10-14 days right? I keep coughing like something is caught up in my lungs
Hi I am on day 11 of my adventure. I have very little pain so far with the exception that I ended up with thrush which was not really pleasant. My problem is here on day 11 my scabs still have not come off. They say its the worst part but why are they not coming off. I stressed over bleeding I must check or have someone check my throat 20 times a day. I have not bled yet. They say it is most likely to happen when the scabs come off but i think mine are here to stay lol
When did your scabs end up coming off? I’m wondering the same thing. Thanks!
I followed your story. Sorry to hear you had such a rough time. Are you fully recovered now?
I’m having my tonsils out on July 23rd. I have a camping trip planned for August 23-25. Is this out of the question?
That’s a month away they say normal recovery time is 14 days
Day 14
I am the one that had the easiest recovery, I mean hardly any pain until day 9-10. I was back to eating everything by day 12 and gained voice back. I came back from a week-end trip where i relaxed most of the time and on my way to work yesterday (day 14) I started bleeding. The ENT office is across form my work so I stopped in for quick advice. He ended up cauterizing me in his office but it wasnt good enough even if bleeding eventually stopped, we did emergency surgery later on. And I have moved on with my life. Now he wants me on bed rest, not sure how I will afford all this. He said liquids only for 10 days and also that now the pain would be worse, he had to put stiches on and said that we started all over again:-( So I guess today is day1 or 15 and yes, the hyrocodone doesnt take the whole pain away but it makes in more manageable. Now I’ll get constipated again and all. He said it’s serious, this could happen in 10-15 days again. I lost 10 pounds, I am now 117, not sure I can afford to lose another 10
Greg THANK YOU soo much for this website!! Hoping you can help me. I am a 34 year old female and had a tonsillectomy 5/13/13, leaving me at 16 days post op. 6 days in I vomitted a couple times, ended up with 101.6 f fever next morning. Went to urgent care got 2liters of fluids and Iv antibiotics for elevated white count. This ENTIRE time I have had SEVERE pain 20/20, since day 14 it’s been about 15/20. The doctor acts like your crazy if you report pain past “expected” time frames (im also a 12 year RN in PACU with this docs pts on reg) So needless to say i stopped asking for pain meds and have only been taking motrin for the last5-6 days. I did EVERYTHING right, I still cant eat must past broth, my tonsil beds look great HOWEVER every time I swallow I have 20/20 pain deep in my throat or the back of my tongue!!!???? Any ideas what could cause such severe deep throat pain this far out and when I can expect it to feel better (as a RN I want to tell myself it’s still a scab, but REALLY that deep)
Forgot to mention cold like ice and Popsicles have always actually made the pain worse and now I can barely tolerate sips of room temp water!!! HELP!!!
Yes I set my water out to get room temp and the popsickles definitely don’t work. I am lucky if I am able to get 1bottle water down. This is truly sad.
Hi Heidi my name is Nicole. I am going through the same thing. I am on day 8. I went to my doctors office and the nurse told me that my scab and the area where the tonsils was is rubbing together and that is why I feel the sting so she gave me some Lidocane so that I can numb the area. However it is not working for me. It is very painful. I hope that you will be OK. I had surgery on may 31st. I just can’t wait for this to be over.
I am 3 weeks post op today from my tonsillectomy in Thailand. It has been a rough 3 weeks, but now I have a weird taste when I eat certain foods. Not all foods taste bad, but most do. How long does this last?
I’m about 30 days post surgery. I experienced the same with certain foods as well however, that seems to be gone now. For a while I did feel my tongue to bit a bit swollen and maybe even tough as if it got burnt but maybe by next week or so that will change for you as well.
Thanks, I hope it does get better soon. It’s really frustrating when I want to eat something only to find once I get it that it taste horrible and I end up not being able to.
I’m now 4 weeks post surgery and some foods still heave that strange taste. Sometimes it’s a metal taste and some foods it’s a sweet taste, but not in a good way. Has anyone else experienced this 4 weeks after surgery and if so how long until all foods taste normal again? Also I notice sometimes after I eat I get what looks like a blister in the back of my throat where my tonsils were is this normal? Being so far from home, I am an American and having this surgery here in Thailand I can say this site has been a blessing to me. Healing time for everyone is different, but make sure you get good medicines. Here they tried to give me children’s Tylenol which did not even touch the pain. It took 3 days before I got good medicine that helped. Thanks again for the site!
I’m now 6 weeks post surgery and only this week, was I able to yawn without any pain. However, I still get the funny taste, not only when I eat certain foods, but most of the day there is a funny taste in my mouth. Can’t quite put my finger on what it tastes like, but it is irritating. I also still feel like I am choking and find it difficult to breathe. But I’ve been told and all the research indicates that this is a normal part of recovery and I just have to give it time. Talking for long periods is still a challenge and unfortunately my job requires me to do alot of talking. But thankfully, I have a great support system at home and at work. I think I may have over done it 3 weeks post op, cause I was moving and against doctors orders, I was doing alot of heavy lifting that that may have slowed down my healing alittle. But God is good and all should be well soon. Hope this helps someone else who is 6 weeks out.
I had my surgery 6 weeks ago as well. Same here with the yawning. Still certain foods irritate the back of my throat. Also, I feel like I might have a scab left…Is that possible??? Overall, my recovery has been good with the exception of an allergic reaction to pain meds (Loritab-hydrocodine) not a fan of pain meds anyway, so just took extra strength Tylenol starting at day 6/7…
I am on day 12.. I feel like crap am cold yet sweating, no fever. I didn’t really go off the hydrocodone slowly, just lowered the dose and tyres going as long as possible without it. I don’t know if its withdrawals and no one else has really mentioned this yet? The pain when yawning isn’t really pain it feels like my skin stretching. Also my ear canals itch. Lol I am sure its just referred pain itchiness from them healing I dont know.. but I am defiantly over this constipation bs. I have IBS and already have issues in that department and honestly its more painful than the surgery was! Not sure if others have this problem but I highly recommend a dose of miralax within your diet/pain management/sleep schedule to make it easier on your system!
Thank you for this site. It really help me with my recovery. I am 29 and I just had my tonsils removed on April 23, 2013. I’m pretty much all better now. The only pain is when I yawn because I still can’t open my mouth fully. However, one thing that is bothering me is that very often now, when I drink liquids, as I swallow, some of it comes out through my nose. Not very much but still, uncomfortable. More so it happens if I try to take down a tall glass of liquid without pausing (gulping it down). Has anyone or is anyone else experiencing this? Thanks
I had my tonsils removed on 30/04 and about a week ago I started experiencing this its quite embarrassing and uncomfortable. Thankfully I’m not the only one!
I’m still in recovery, but I’ve seemed to have this problem since the surgery. I even had throw up come out my nose on some of the countless times I puked! Extremely unpleasant. I just attributed it to the fact that they took my adenoids out also. Could that possibly be the answer?
I spoke with my docs receptionist about this. She did mention that it is common to experience this having your adenoids removed as well. However, I did not have them removed, just my tonsils. At least, as far as I know. Maybe the surgeon got carried away??:| I don’t know. I just hope it’s not permanent. I also hope the fact that sweets don’t taste the same to me is not permanent either:(
First off, I want to say how thankful I am for this website! I am 45 yrs. old and had my tonsils removed on April 17. I have enjoyed being able to come to this site and see that I am not alone in what I am going through. Last night, I woke up coughing and feeling something draining down my throat, and when I looked with a flashlight, my right tonsil bed was bleeding a lot. I went and got ice water to drink like the doctor’s instructions said. It took about two hours of drinking before a blood clot formed and it stopped. I sat in a recliner and dosed off and woke up about an hour later and vomited blood. The blood clot came off and even the left side started bleeding from the force of vomiting. It was really scary! I drank ice water again and discussed going to the ER with my husband. He kept me calm. We decided to wait because it stopped bleeding and clotted again. The left side stopped bleeding altogether. I ended up going to see the doctor that morning and he numbed the area and cauterized it. I am on Day 15 and currently feel like I am starting over. My throat hurts so much and the progress I had made with eating is now back to the original diet and it hurts to even drink water. He put me back on Tylenol with codeine. It is frustrating but I am trying to be as positive as possible. Anyone know a way to stop craving real food? Best of luck with everyone in your recovery and stay strong!
Sorry go hear this. Mine was on April 25th and I started bleeding on Friday. I had to go to ER and the had to recauterize me and I had to soend a day and a half in the hospital. I guess this happens quite often :-/. Hope you’re doiing better.
Sorry to hear about your experience. I had mines removed on the 23rd of April. I’m pretty much back to normal well, without tonsils lol. During my recovery I just drank a lot of water and protein powder with water. Cream of wheat with maple syrup at least twice a day. If you can’t eat that, ginger ale helps with the stomach aches. Depending on what you can handle, you may want to let it get a bit flat so the carbonation doesn’t irritate your throat. Hope this helps.
Got my tonsils out in grade 4. I’m 33 now and let me tell you it was one of the worst pains I have ever had. I rather have 5 more chil births than have to do that over again! What a nightmare. But after reading about tonsil stones and discovering that my husband had them, and how annoying they are to get out, boy am I glad I don’t have em.
Greg thank you for this site. When I came down with repeated cases of strep after New Years the dr advised that chances are I will need a tonsillectomy. 3 months later I had one. Your site helped me prep physically and mentally for the recovery process. In only on day 10 and had a minor set back. My follow up is on Monday. I just wanted to let you know that I appreciate this site and everyone who has shared their story.
Lissette, you are quite welcome! It’s a blessing to serve. I had a little backslide on day 10 too! I took an extra day off from work, but was ready then. Best of luck to you my dear!
I am 2 months and 5 days post op, and I can say getting my tonsils out was the best decision for me. Even if you asked me during recovery, I was still saying that it was the best decision. I healed beautifully. I wake up fully rested when before my surgery I woke up really tired. (I think I had a touch of apnea…I snored A LOT.) and I haven’t had strep since I got them out. I got frequent strep infections too. and I breathe easier too. My tonsils were huge. Worst pain I’ve ever experiences in my life, but it was so worth it. My tip to everyone is: if a week or so afer surgery your throat still feels phlegmy while/after eating ice cream, Stick with popsicles. That was my issue. If I needed relief from my throat pain, I would take my liquid vicodin, eat a popsicle, and rest all day. Popsicles were a life saver. I hope everyone who is recovering is doing well, and those of you who are awaiting your surgery date, it’s okay to be scared, and a little nervous. Just remember all the benefits you’ll have from having them out all through your recovery time. You’ll be okay!!!! I PROMISE.
I’m on day 11 now, worst surgery I’ve ever had! But I feel sooo good now, it just feels like a bad throat, but as my tonsils were constantly inflamed I’m used to it. Eating is still a problem but I love food so I will force it down me and once I’ve eaten it I feel so much better lol, I’m going for a Chinese buffet tomorrow ill see how that goes but today I’ve eaten a pot noodle, sandwich, toast omelet and salad and it only took me about 15 minutes longer to eat it, I’m so closed to being fine!
The recovery itself was horrible, the doctors didn’t let on to me at all about the pain, I thought it’d be a breeze, I didn’t even research before hand, big mistake. Days 1 and 2 were bad at the time but once I got only days 3-6 I thought they were nothing. Days 3-6 is when the scabs start forming and they absolutely killed me, my ears sufferd so bad! After that it had its difficultys but weren’t too bad.
I did bleed on day 7 and 8 quite heavily but I just drank chilled water and after that I was fine, I wish everyone the best on their surgery and recoverys, I don’t know about everyone else but after I’ve got through this I feel like I can do anything!
Good luck everyone xx
Hi all,
I’m a 45 yr female and I’m now 11 days post op and while this site has been great for me to read the pictures of what the tonsil area looks like post op on a daily basis is nothing to how mine looks. Mine looks like two “curtains” of skin on either side of the uvula with the uvula being attached to the skin on the left hand side. Is this normal?
I have a post op appointment on the 17/4/13 but was wondering if anybody else had a similar thing going on in their throat. Really wouldnt want more surgery it’s not normal.
Kim
*if it’s not normal*
Hi Kim,
Not sure of the answer to you question but we must’ve had the surgery on the same day. I’m off the pain meds for 2 days now, which feels great since I’m not as nauseous and can focus again. I had a scare yesterday morning as I work up bleeding from the right tonsil bed. The whole scab fell off and it took 2 hours of gargling ice water to get it to stop completely! Had another short bleeding episode later last night and now I can’t sleep for fear of bleeding. I’ve been drinking tons of water and icing, hopefully I’m nearing the end because I’m so hungry and tired. On a side note, has anyone experienced aching muscles/joins without a fever? I’m also really cold all of the time!
Don’t worry Kim. Mine looked just like that 11 days or so after the surgery and it’s all fine now (4 months after). I don’t know if it happens to everyone, but i know it happened to me. No worries ?
they used electrocautery on me.
Hello everyone, I’m 16 days into my recovery!!!! Yeah!!!! However, I’m having a lot of trouble eating. I have to choke down my food with much difficulty. The food feels like its sticking to the roof of my mouth as it tries to go down; practically gagging to get it down. Is anyone experiencing this problem? Is this normal? Does this eventually stop?
I had my tonsillectomy on Feb 22. I was told the surgery went well. I’m in my late 30’s, but I’m healthy, so I could fly through recovery and get back to work. Nope. On day 4, I hemorrhaged at home alone, called 911, rushed to ER, given 4 liters of fluids and silver nitrate to close the bleeder. Sent home. Day 6, hemorrhaged again, went to ER, went to pre-op for emergency surgery. Began hemorrhaging worse… I lost 2 pints of blood in the 5 minutes it took them to get me into the ER, thought I was going to die. Spent the night in the hospital. Went home and had another hemorrhage on the other side two days later. Back to the ER and in the OR within a half hour. Hemoglobin dropped to 8, nearly needed a blood transfusion. Was on disability for the month. Worst imaginable pain for 2 weeks, nerve damage, so much extra jaw and mouth pain from the emergency procedures. I still have taste distortion that won’t go away. My last operation to stop the bleeding was Mar 4. Its now April 2nd. I still have intermittent ear pain. Still have a sore throat and pain with swallowing. Still have white patches in the back of the throat. Weird taste in my mouth… bitter, sweet, unpleasant. Its been nearly a month since my last surgery, and I understand I had a lot of complications, BUT when are things going to get back to normal? I’m just so shocked by and disappointed with my recovery. In the 10 days following my first surgery, I ended up 4 hemorrhages, a 911 call and ambulance ride to the ER, bedside cautery, 2 more ER trips, 2 emergency surgeries with hospitalizations and pain beyond my wildest dreams. And I did everything right. I took my pain medicine every 4 hours around the clock, drank plenty of fluids, used a humidifier, followed all activity restrictions, rested, did not take any blood thinners, ate the correct foods. There is no such thing as a routine surgery. I’m still healing and not sure where the finish line is. I’m not sure if my throat will every be the same.
wow, you really have had it tough. I don’t have any advice for you, I’m just another tonsillectomy recipient. I thought I had it bad, but then I read your story. I am really sorry that you’ve had such a tough recovery, and I just wanted to let you know you are in my prayers, that you do obtain a full recovery, and that your throat will be the same again. I hope you don’t have any further complications, and that you will start to feel better soon and that you will be back to doing your normal thing again and that the tonsillectomy pays off for whatever reason you had it done in the first place.
Pray! God has the power.
Hi, I had my surgery Feb 8 th and although I had a tough time with recovery and am so much better, is it normal to have the feeling that youve something constantly stuck in the back of your throat… I’m now regretting having the op if I’ve this to live with… It’s depressing me…
I had mine out on November 6, 2012 and I still feel like something is stuck in my throat. It does seem to be getting marginally better. I read somewhere it can take up to a year. At least I think I read that. I came back to this forum (which was so helpful) to see if anyone else experienced the same thing.
I am now 6 weeks post op and am now experiencing this feeling like something is stuck in my throat, but apart from being irritating, it is causing me some difficulty in breathing. I Truly hope it does not take a year for it to go away.
I’m 6 weeks out and that is what I’m experiencing now…I’m like…do I still have a scab back there??? Trying certain foods make me not want to eat…
What method was used to remove your tonsils? Electrocautery or coblation?
Hi Linda,
I had serious bleeding after my surgery too.. though not as many times as you did (so far, as I’m still in recovery, day 11, and after reading your post im a little nervous haha). It was one of the scariest things I’ve ever dealt with and I thought my poor mother was going to have a stroke watching me bleed like that and trying to get me into a car and to the hospital. I lost almost 3 pints of blood and my count was down to 8 as well, my blood pressure dropped to 89/58…. I had to spend 2 days in the hospital waiting to see if I’d bleed again or need a transfusion. Neither happened thankfully. Though I did get thrush by day 6…. This whole experience has been terrible.. I went through a C-section and a gall bladder removal without taking a painkiller once I left the hospital… This.. I’ve been taking it like clock work. I still haven’t eaten anything “solid” I’ve been living off of liquids.. I was supposed to go back to work next weds but my boss wants me out at least another week (I am a preschool teacher, between the germs I’m around and the need for my voice etc she wants me to rest for a bit longer). The surgeon on the other hand says I should still be able to get back to work.. I think he’s crazy….
I am a 34 year old female and i had my tonsillectomy on March 19th … 12 days post op.. Im starting to feel better and managed to eat a little something today… so for me day 1-2 kind out of it from the pain med.. day3-6 hands down the Worst.. had ear pain really bad.. on day six i kept coughing and started coughing up lots of blood. I had to go to the ER and got admitted for the night in the hospital.. my ENT said if i had anymore bleeding it was back to the OR for me ( thank god i didn’t have anymore) I had to stay in bed 2 days straight after that.. days 7-8 were pretty tough as well… day 10-11 i forced myself to go back to work for a half day b/c i could not take being home alone anymore..
some tips that might help:
Drink Water only small sips
sleep with your head elevated
take your pain meds every 4 hours .. even set your alarm so you don’t skip a dose.. I also used ibuprofen (but check with doc b/c of bleeding)
Use an ice pack on your neck ALL the time
Ice chips are awesome
milk shakes are good but they make your throat feel like it has a ton of snot stuck in the back of it
let people take care of you
Humidifier is a must
Try not to cough so much b/c your scabs could fall off before they are ready
jello is good, baby food is good, and sherbert ice cream was good… Cold things feel really good..
everyone hang in there and i hope for a good recovery for you all… i won’t lie – it has been a rough 12 days for sure and i am so thankful to Greg for having this site.. it really really helped me to understand what was going on.. i read it every single day… happy Easter everyone
I’m on day 11, still a lot of pain, but from yesterday I noticed there are some scabs coming off. Yesterday it was almost unbearable, but today I woke up a bit better. I’m worried because I’m traveling next Friday (in 6 days from today) and I wonder if its too soon. I plan to be away for 10 days, away from my country. Do you think it will be posible by then to eat properly? The recovery is gradual or is it faster every day?
So I’m starting to feel like a normal human being again. I’ve stopped taking panadine forte and only have to finish taking my prescribed steroids for a few days. Gargling with peroxide diluted 3 times per day definitely has helped the process.
I can no longer drink/eat anything salty, or even apple juice now. It’s a complete burning sensation, actually it’s more like someone is jabbing me with a burning hot polker in my throat.
I attempted to eat some normal soft foods today as I feel like I am on the road to recovery. And I’ve found it a very frustrating process. At both attempts the food got stuck in my throat and caused major coughing choking fits, it kinds of killed my spirit, as even though I’m feeling better, I just want to be able to eat normally again. I’m actually almost scared to eat now. I’m sure it will get better, time heals.
Certainly not enjoying going back to work next week though, lucky it’s a long Easter weekend!
Stay positive everyone, there will be light at the end of the tunnel x
Day 12 for me after my op. Can swallow so much better thankfully still not sleeping through the night & yesterday & today I have felt so tired and I have very little energy. I saw my doc yesterday & he said I had inflammation although he never prescribed me antibiotics. I am still talking my meds however. I hope this lethargic feeling passes soon!
hi .am on day 10 post tonsill. first eight days were crazy. i am still on my diclo suppositories though tongue pain and throst pain is bearable. i feel nauses and ill every am dont know why. maybe sideeffect of drug. am eating pretty normally now but the lithergy just gets to me. anyone experiencing same?
Hello dear friends,
I’m on day 12 and out of nowhere I got high fevers (about 39, god knows how much that is in Fahrenheit). Anybody got any experience with fevers so far into the recovery?
Thanks
That’s about 102.2 F – You might have an infection. I think you should get that checked out ASAP
Good lord… Well, thank you. I got an appointment first thing in the morning. Keep fingers crossed for me
P. s. sorry for posting the same thing on the “my tonsillectomy” page as well, I really wanted somebody’s opinion
Rozalie
Dear Greg,
You were SO right. Thanks so very much. As my temp wasn’t going down, I lost my nerves and (having your advice in mind) went to the emergency ENT ambulance in the evening. I immediately got a week worth of antibiotics as there is an inflammation somewhere – probably the tonsil beds. I didn’t see that coming almost two weeks after the surgery but… What can you do.
Thanks a lot for your opinion on my problem, you were the final argument to go to the dr. immediately.
Phew, let’s pray for better days to come.
Rozalie
I am so very glad to hear this. I was a bit worried for you. Here’s to your health!!
I am 17 and I had my tonsillectomy 11 days ago, 05/03/13. I have to say the pain in the first week, probably 5/6 days, was unbelievable, I just wanted to cry, but of course that would of hurt. I forced myself to eat from day 1, and have’t had a day without toast. I never had soup, when i did i saw it again..not good! I stuck to foods that were rough to scrape away the scabs/badness as was told to do. I drank lots and lots of water – IT DOES HELP as everyone says. Day 2/3 can’t remember which, was the worst for me, as I was sick a few times which made me not want to eat anything, but again I forced myself! It makes it easier and better quicker I promise! I’m now on day 11 as I said, haven’t needed my painkillers for the past few day, yay! The pain hasn’t totally gone, but it is just like a sore throat, or a not-very-bad case of tonsillitis. I am now enjoying normal foods and drinks! Honestly just eat as normal as you can. I’ve even been singing today! I’m so happy I had it done, and I never thought I’d say that in the first few days. Don’t get me wrong it is extremely painful, but bearable, and my pain threshold is rubbish! Also my tonsils were very big so a lot of skin had to be taken off.
I’d never had any operation before this so was so scared, but there’s nothing to be scared of, honest.
Hope this post has helped!
IT DOES GET BETTER! x x
Hey Greg, thanks for the response to my day 8 observations! Yes, I’m doubtless high as a kite from all the pain relief to be asking such lucid questions, but as a Brit one has to try old boy! (If my maths is correct you have 2 or 3 years on me, so will shortly be knocking on the door of 50! I feel for you, gotta be worse than tonsillectomy recovery?!?)
For the 40 somethings still suffering like me on day 11, I remain patiently waiting for an absolution that will hopefully come soon (Rose, Titanic 1997).
In fact, it had better bl**dy well do so, because I’m somewhat fed up of the pain, whispering like a deranged muppet, the slop diet and UK daytime TV featuring Jeremy Kyle (actually I haven’t slunk that low!!).
Every day is a little better, everything is heading in the right direction, come on body – sort yourself out.
To all those with bigger issues than mine remaining by day 11, I feel for you.
To all those who are by now happily chomping down on your big mac and salty fries, I envy/pity your re-expanding waistlines!
To all – I hope the long term outcome will have been worth the short term misery. Fingers crossed!
Tally ho!
Roger Wilco and Out.
Phil
Every now and then a tonsilnaut will enter my air space and make me laugh so hard I fall off my chair. You sir, are that tonsilnaut!
Best of luck to you and your waistline!
This is Major Ton to Greg Control, I’m stepping through the door (liar, I’m still resting at home)
And I’m floating in a most peculiar way (that’s what 14 days of drugs does)
The throat don’t look very different today (ok, slightly better than yesterday if I’m honest)
Here am I looking at tin can, far above the world (about 3 feet)
More beans and sloppy stew and there’s nothing I can do…
Apologies to Bowie
Tonsilnaut out!
The papers want to know who’s shirt you wear….
Don’t worry- Soon you will leave the cockpit. Thanks for the update Major
The two tone blue of Wycombe Wanderers, but that’s another story altogether!
Good luck with all your endeavours and once again, well done on this site.
Cheers
Phil
Well im finally 11 days post op and this site has really kept me sane . Im still in quite a bit of pain but finally starting to see some hope of getting better.I had alot of people tell me that getting my tonsils out wasnt a big deal and wouldnt hurt ..well they were so wrong .I have been in so much pain and had to go to the doctor three times and the hospitl once because i was in agony and deydrated from the pain of trying to drink and swallow.There was some nights i would wake up in some much pain i would end up crying as pathetic as it sounds.My doctor said i had got an injection so that was the reason for the slow healing process.Im finally a bit better but not able to eat solids yet and mainly stick to jelly and soup .Im litreally dreaming of what my first proper meal will be and seeing everyone eating around me is torture.Im hoping i will be better in the nnext few days so i can return to work and hopefuly get my taste buds back aswell.
Hang in there Denise. You are very close to that cheese burger! (Or whatever tickles your fancy!)
I hope you’re still checking this board. Did the blisters/bumps/regrowth go away? I’m on day 14 and just started getting them on my right side.
i still i have a blister on my right hand side of my tongue and im day 19 not sure if thats right ! but i thought i would be dying to eat food but everytime il eat rough food i feel like i might choke because the food is not going down easily.Do you know what the blisters are from ? Sorry for the delay i was litreally dead to the world there for a while .Hope your recovery went well
My non-medical option on these blisters is that they aren’t blisters. I noticed them the day my last scab came off and I still have a few two weeks later. I think they are actually the new tissue growing. My holes filled with them and it almost looks like I never had surgery. I wouldn’t worry about them as there are less now and where they were is now nice healthy flesh
Hello, I am On day 11 & up until 2 days ago evrything seemed fine. I was taking normal Tylenol and eating. Now, I am only able to have hot tea. No food or cold water. It cuses these worst pain followed by little bumps all around my throat and cheek. Have you found out why think happens? I went to emerge and no one could help me. Now I am On pain killers just so I can try getting even soup into my body.
The little red bumps is called granular tissue. Once dead and necrotic tissue sloughs off, healthy tissue with rich blood supply forms. This is known as granulation. This tissue is very sensitive and must be kept moist. It will eventually become normal tissue.
Tomorrow will mark two weeks since my tonsillectomy! I’ve been back to work at my office job since day 10. It really hasn’t been too bad. Just a little tired.
This morning I noticed a red bump on the right side of my throat. I check after lunch today and it appears that there are a few more. It doesn’t hurt bad, but it does feel different. Has anyone else experienced this? Is it just part of the healing process, or should I be more concerned? I did get a little adventurous with my eating yesterday and had some pulled pork and french fries. Maybe I irritated something?
Thank you Skye!
I’m on day 22, still feeling some pain in one side of throat, somedays i feel lime im progressing well, and others mot so much. I can constantly feel that swollen feeling when I swallow on one side. I had my post op yesterday and doctor said I look like im healing well. I have a high paced, talk alot, high stress job and I can definitely feel at times like I’m pushing to hard and those are the evenings that I tend to hurt the worst. Sometimes that pain dissolves by morning but others, sleep does not shake it off. I’m on day 3 of no pain meds but Advil, still feel I need something stronger at times, but am trying to keep moving forward without. My sleep is much better, and I can tell my airway is much better as well. However I have it stayed asleep the past few nights (even though I’m exhausted after long days at work). Hoping I feel more energetic tomorrow and to get a good nights rest. I will say that over all I have felt better each day, accept the past 2 days have been exhausting and a lot of sinus drainage.
i can definitly relate to this.Im on day 19 and i still have trouble eating from my throat being swollen.I have gotten to the stage where i would rather just eat liquids ha
Today is Day 10 for me and I know that I would not been able to get the past 10 days without the help of this website. I read through a lot of the pre-op stuff and felt prepared even though I was in denial that I would be in pain for so long. The first 2 days went as I expected. I was only on Roxicet and took it with no problem every 4 hrs. This medicine was my savior but also became the death of me. I slept so much the next 6 days. I only ate mashed potatoes, apple sauce, jello, popsicles and mac and cheese. On the evening of the 6th day, the crying started. I didn’t think much at first as I knew I was really tired. I had been at my parents house the majority of my recovery but by day 7 I was ready to go home. The crying got worse. I cried when I said goodbye to my mom. My dad dropped me off I cried when he said goodbye for about 3 or so hours. Again I brushed it off as being tired and maybe a little of the meds. It wasn’t til day 8 that I realized I had the post-op depression. I cried most of the morning and into the afternoon. I ended up calling the ENT. At first the nurse told me to drink more fluids and continue the medicine. Thankfully an hour later she called and told me to stop the Roxicet and take Motrin. This single move changed my world. Wednesday I was upbeat positive and piddled around my house some. By Thursday I felt so good I took an adventure out the first time.
Today I still have minimal pain but able to start eating more. Sleep is a little difficult for me but I’m working on it. The scabs are still about 60% there so I know my journey isn’t over yet but I appreciate that this website was there with me every single day. I can’t tell you how nice it is to have someone else who is going through the same thing with me. My family would look at me like I was crazy and unsure of if I was healing or normal in the process of recovery. With the help of this website, I knew I wasn’t going crazy and I was not the only one. Thank you. Thank you to all who have shared. This is not a pleasant experience but misery loves company. Good Luck to all who read this. Take the time they tell you to take off and rest. I wasn’t a believer but you really do need it all.
35/f I had my tonsils out on Feb 11 2013 I am on day 10 post op. I just wanted to say thank you for helping me prepare for my tonsillectomy and I believe it is because of this site that my recovery was easy breezy compared to some that I have read on here. My surgery day and the following were not terrible because the amount of pain killers I was taking made me sleep from on dose to the next. That however was not a good thing as I ended up in the hospital on day 3 with extreme dehydration. When I left the hospital after recieving 3 liters of fluid and steroids to help the swelling I felt like a new woman. I also am a recovering drug addict(15yrs clean) I refuse to be on pain killers for an extended amount of time. When I had my children via c-section I refused morphine drips afterwards. I was extremely nervous that was going to need them for the at least a week after this procedure but I didn’t. I took my last dose of pain killers the night I came home from the hospital. I have used liquid tylenol sore throat. Now I am not saying I wasn’t in pain because I was. I lived on Powerade, slim fast, and yogurt. I believe I psyched myself up so bad that I was petrified the morning of the procedure and I must say it has been nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be. Now I am slowly starting to eat “real food” but it still has to be soft. I ate a soft pretzel at the mall the other day that was a huge win! I wish you all the best in your recovery and thank you for being there for me through mine. I am still waiting for the most of the scabs to fall off and when I am able to eat again all i want is a burger from 5guys!
So glad you’re feeling better and congratulations on 15 years clean that’s fantastic!
Well, it is day 13. I was supposed to return to work this morning….my recovery has been terrible…4 ER trips due to swelling and pain. I have been sick to my stomach since the surgery but has gotten much worse since my throat now has draining (since day 8). ate a meal lastnight….i puked it all up…puked this morning too…which is brutal on the throat…I will be callling my surgeon as soon as his office opens.
I’m experiencing the same problems. I was told it was due to taking my meds on an empty stomach. I’m on day 14 and back to work, even though I’ve lost my voice. Hope it gets better for you!
Hi folks,
I’m 3 weeks post-op today and getting very frustrated.
Throat is feeling … well, cramped, only way to describe it. I also feel like I’ve constantly got loads of phlegm/spit stuck at the back of my throat that I can’t get rid of. It’s driving me potty, to the point of gagging/feeling like being sick. Sometimes can move it with a cough/growl, but can’t actually get rid of it.
Anyone had this? Anyone got a solution?
Hi all,
I just wanted to share my tonsillectomy experience as so many of these posts helped me throughout my own recovery. I’m 18 days post op and feeling great. After 12 years of recurrent infections, those big nasty tonsils are finally gone. The 1st couple of days after surgery weren’t too bad. Sure, there was pain but nowhere near what I had expected. I pretty much slept the whole time. By day 4 I felt like I’d been hit by a truck and took pain mess on schedule every 4 hours plus tramadol day and night. Had a couple better days after that but by day 9, I kinda felt like it was never going to end! Day 11 came and the pain was gone. From then on I’ve had no pain relief and it’s been smooth sailing. My throat is still a little sensitive but not painful at all. I can swallow, yawn, eat what I want, sneeze. I’m so happy that I went through with the surgery. No more infections…YAY!!! Overall, it has been worth it. Not as bad as I envisioned. Thank you to everyone for posting their stories. Stay hydrated, rest heaps and I hope the experience for everyone else is as positive as mine. It really does get better.
Hi. This website is just great. Im day 8 post op. Was worried whether i was becoming hooked on tramadol as i was taking it religiously every four hours but it seems everyone on this website is just shovelling in the pain killers so thats assuruing. Cant sleep at night, lost sex drive and loo visits, so its a normal day for me! Im dreading my throat bleeding as i cant think of anything worse than going back into hospital, so gargling every few hours and taking it very easy. I havent yawned for week or properly blown my nose. Anyway, good luck everyone and thanks for being generous with posts as this has properly got me through it. Stuart
Ok, so I’m feeling a little frustrated (and jealous!) because I’m on day 11 and my pain seems to have been getting worse and worse since the scabs starting coming off on day 8/9. My doctor wont give me any more refills and told me it should be time for me to start weaning off of them, but I still can’t eating anything solid. I have tried eggs, oatmeal, noodles, pudding… all of it hurts like crazy! At this point I am still only eating chicken broth, warm tea, and popsicles. I’m frustrated to tears because I feel like I have done everything right and I still can’t handle the most basic of soft foods!! The areas that I can see where the scabs have fallen off and the skin exposed, it looks very red, irritated, and on the verge of bleeding (but I have not had any actual bleeding so far). It also hurts really bad on my tongue way in the back. I still cannot open my mouth all the way due to the pain, and it hurts real bad if I move my tongue around too much. Everything I’ve read online makes it sound like it should be all uphill once the scabs start coming off, but mine starting coming off 2-3 days ago and it is worse now than it was then! I have not found anyone else online who has had this happen! I’m trying to make the prescription meds I have left last as long as possible, so at this point I’ve resported to sucking on Cepacol tabs (with Benzocaine and Menthol) that are meant to numb sore throats. The only thing is, I have them in my mouth constantly, and you are only supposed to suck one every two hours. Has ANYONE else had the same experience as me? It’s Saturday night now, if its still this bad Monday I’m going to call my doctor again.
Chelsea again – I’m on day 16 now and still in quite a but of pain. From what I read online, this does not seem to be normal, but all my ENT had to day was: “Everyone heals differently.” 16 days post-op and all I can eat is broth and now noodles. I’m taking Vicodin with Tylenol every 6 hours, but it’s not helping much so I’ve added ibuprofen which I take 3 hours after the Vicodin. I run out of the Vicodin tomorrow, so I’ll be down to regular Tylenol and regular ibuprofen.
Has ANYONE else had this much pain 16 days later?!
I’m 40. I’m in day 14 and my pain is awful. It’s getting worse for me too. The pain is unbearable. I can eat though but only if I have med’s working in me. I’m using a insert in the butt because I can’t take anything by mouth that works fast enough.
My ENT really has nothing to say, he says I should be getting over it by now?
I’m depressed and in constant pain and want to know when the pain will go away?
I’m 40 and on day 10 of My recovery, just take your pain meds closer together and add 5-htp or sam-e for the depression. they are both all natural. I had a dr.recommend them to me after an auto accident. I’d forgotten all about them until I scheduled this surgery and THANK GOD! The Sam-e has been just as necessary as My pain meds. we will recover
I’m a 35 year old female and this recovery has been one of the hardest things I have ever been through. I’m on day 13 and still in pain, pain with swallowing (it feels like there is something lodged in my throat and it gets worse when I eat), pain in my ears, etc. I am still taking liquid hydrocodone and worrying about going back to work. My job is talking all day and I don’t even sound normal yet, aside from still being in pain. I know I am over the worst of it, though, so that is a little relief. The pain increased at day 6 and got worse every day, making day 9 the very worst day, and then it has been getting a little bit better every day since then. But an ever so slight improvement from hell is still hell! I feel pretty far from being back to normal. I have cried many times from the pain, making mistakes like drinking a smoothie with pineapple in it and burning my throat, and from pure exhaustion and frustration. I feel like this will never end. I’m lucky to have a great support system and partner who has been caring for me. I can see a small light at the end of the tunnel. For anyone going through this, hang in there! Sleep as much as possible.
I feel like we could be twins. I’m feeling the same way! I’m a 33-year-old woman that’s also got a job that involves talking 10 hours a day and I’m still in pain. Surgery was on the 8th of February and I’ve been better but then I seem to feel ugly again. Today I started out great and by late afternoon I grabbed some pain meds. My ears were hurting badly and my head was about to explode. My follow up is on Tuesday morning and I can’t imagine going back next week. The exhaustion is huge and I try to do more but it seems to smack me in the face.
I’m in the same Boat! I’m on day 9 post op~~had surgery on 2 April. I only take small cat naps, thank God My Mom is a late night TV person, so she’s been hanging in there with me and My DVR after My hubby and boys are asleep. While it’s been lovely to be 41 and taken care of so well, this recovery has been dreadful! I still talk like I’m 100 years old with a mouth full of cotton, My pain is unpredictable (i dare not ever make the mistake again of going longer than 3 hrs without lortab) and I’m so exhausted (and constipated). I’ve had 2 c-sections and this recovery ranks right up there with those!Ouch!
Im on day 11 and im feeling so much better. I’m still in a little pain, earaches and my throat is still a little sore. I slept until 3 o clock today and nearly died when i woke up, i was so used to waking at 5 and 6 in the morning so to actually have a good nights sleep felt amazing. I woke up a few times in the night but it was nothing compared to the first week. I’m so happy to say i’m recovering and hopefully will be better for my birthday The whole time through my recovery i regretted getting my tonsils out because of the pain but now that i’m nearly recovered i’m happy i’ve had it done and this will be the last of my pain with my tonsils thank god. I can honestly say if it hadn’t of been for this blog i wouldn’t have gotten through it all. Seeing everyone else’s posts about their recovery has helped me a great deal, knowing i wasn’t the only one going through this pain. So i wanna say thanks to everyone who has posted on here about their experience and i hope you are all doing well and i hope that my posts have helped some of you the way your’s have helped me.
I am at Day 17 and after Day 10 I pretty much turned for the best. I started eating solid foods. One thing that helped was chewing gum…I chose mint as you are aware the burnt smell/decay smell whatever it was it help mask it. I also drank some warm to hot tea that also had mint. The only meds I took were Tylenol with Codeine that was prescribed to me by my doctor, I haven’t taken any since day 9. I still feel the scabs in my throat and its more a discomfort that a outright pain in my throat. I went to my post-op this week on Day 14 and my Dr told me that it can sometimes take 4 weeks to completely heal depending on your body. As far as earaches I had my wife massage my ear in a circular motion and that helped with the gum chewing. Hope to a speedy recover to all!! This was a procedure that I needed and glad I have done it. I only think they removed my tonsils but not really sure.
I am so glad I am not the only in with rotting breath. My Dr told me it was going to be bad but Hol Cow. I feel like a zombie and I smell like one too.
I have to do this. I have stayed with this forum since day 1, and haven’t done anything but read, sympathize, and suffer with everyone. I never published until now, my day 12, and I believe its only because I have just hit a major turn in my recovery that has me a little sentimental. This forum has literally been in front of my face every. single. day. that I could bring it up and I mostly re-read posts simply because I related so well! I only had my adenoids and tonsils removed, as impressive in size as they were, hoping to rectify some long term breathing apnea, seasonal sinus issues and death-defying sore throats and tonsillitis battles. Interestingly enough, my doctor was kind enough to snip off my uvula as well since it is a useless appendage and he was curious about my interest in its swelling and why. Now, I have had some things OCCUR post procedure very differently though:
1) I had no bleeding during recovery. My doctors even told my mother in recovery that I had an astonishingly low level of bleeding during the actual procedure.
2) I was on a very nice cocktail of pain medication, anti-nausea pills, anti-thrush syrup, a steroid regimen, and an antibiotic on top of a birth control which was stressful to look at but welcomed due to what they stood for (^.^)
3) I stopped needing my pain medication on day 6. I am 19, by NO MEANS am I a superwoman, or just against the use of medication, or did anything differently other than stare at the ceiling and breathe, it just became the case that my pain level evened out on that day.
4) My ears suffered little to no pain for one day (day 4)
5) I began eating normal food (Wendy’s) on day 10 with gusto and happiness, pain free with delicate maneuvering.
6) The first time I needed to take a filler pain killer (Advil) was today, my day 12, after a nasty bout with the last piece of scab evacuating not so kindly.
I have to say the only time I really felt like I wasn’t going to make it was day 6, my worst day only because of the horrific decaying smell and a taste that rivaled the most spoiled and rotten meat constantly dripping into my stomach. My biggest fear even before my procedure was the scabs. I am not the type of person to just have something like that IN ME purposefully without gagging and turning into a girlish mess. Its just disgusting. Just gross. And it KILLED me to hear people say they swallowed it. Ughn. SO a majority of the time when the scabs and clotting became overwhelmingly apparent I tortured myself staying awake, gagging over the taste and sprinting when it even seemed possible to get rid of anything ANYTHING. I just couldn’t handle it I was a big baby about the thought. All food that touched the area immediately soured including water, making my throat automatically avoid swallowing when unnecessary or at all and for a while my biggest fear was losing the ability to care for myself. But…I got through it after extreme prayer sessions and being blessed that I was going through a period of healing instead of decay.
And now today I was able to enjoy my first meal with my family before I take back off to college! I enjoyed this forum for its attentive helpfulness in my time of need, there really needs to be more of this so I want to tank anyone who reads my case and feels the same. Take care everyone, I pray you all feel increasingly better and better.
Thank you Lauren!
Day 18 Surgery Dec 21st.
I’ve recovered for the most part. There’s still some pain on the right side of my neck and ear but nothing a couple of Advil can’t handle.
Last night I was awakened by a choking sensation. I had phlegm in the back of my sinuses and throat that had built up (I guess).
The next 15 minutes was pure hell as I coughed, hacked and chocked on this buildup. I nearly vomited several times. The result (besides lost sleep) is that my throat is sore as hell from all of that and I feel like hell today.
I see my primary physician tomorrow and will have him take a peek at things. Everything looked good on my followup with my ENT on the 4th.
As an update to my situation…The reason for the tonsillectomy was an attempt to find the source for Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck. they took my tonsils and did biopsies of my tongue and nasopharynx as well as a laryngoscopy. All the results were negative for cancer. That means they don’t know where it started making it one of the rarest forms of this type of cancer. I go this week to the radiology and chemo oncologists to plan the treatment. Based on what I went through with the tonsillecomy, I believe I can handle the cancer treatment ;)~
God bless you and good luck with your treatment!!!
Day 12 I feel great! Eaten lots more variety of foods still cautious of things not being hot or spicy when my throat has hurt its been minimal and has only needed a glass of water to fix so no pain meds. Yay good luck everyone I will come back and write in a few months to let you know the outcome xoxo
I somehow got the dates fuzzled and today is actually day 11! I woke up and had blood clots and a bit of bleeding tried to stop it with iced water but the blood clots kept forming so i rang healthline which in new zealand is a number you ring to talk to a nurse about your issue and how you should deal with it – got told to go up to the hospital so went up there and they used some silver nitrate on them to stop the bleeding and sent home – told to come back if it starts bleeding again. Back on meds as it burns!!! Came home and ate a small amount just so i could take meds and feeling a bit sorry for myself but its apparently quite common to happen.
Ok so this is day 11 for me and i do feel more human and my dad says I must be getting better as i’m being more cheeky! hehe. Anyways the morning was still bad but came right really quickly and then was fine all day until about 5pm but i talked to much as i’m a real chatterbox so my throat doesn’t like me. Have been experimenting foods it’s very hit and miss but I think i’ll stick to mostly softish things. Toast with crusts cut off are good with cheese yum!
I had to go to doc today as i also had an endoscopic sinus surgery at the same time and under my right eye has gotten really puffy apparently it’s infected so now on eye drops and antibiotics – kinda annoying and I think the more well irritable and frustrated i’ve gotten I guess that’s normal though but everyone hang in there! it does get better!!
Day 12:
Welp… I’d like to say it’s been fun… but I would be lying. Big time. I’ve made a full recovery, and my scabs are completely off.
The only thing I can say is that I have a lot of phlem… flem?… that keeps coming up my throat, and I either have to spit it out or swallow it. Both of which are disgusting.
I’m completely back to normal, which means I have to get back to the mountain of homework I’ve been putting off.
I think I’m still going to constantly have some kind of liquid near me, just to make sure my throat doesn’t get dry. No need to relive days 3 and 5.
Overall, if it seems like it’s getting worse instead of better, that’s because it is. The good part comes after the crappy days. Just push through and you’ll be on your way to no more throat pain!
I am on day 15 and thing are a lot better. I’m mostly on ib profen now. A couple of things to note however. My stomach is really out of whack (probably from two weeks of narcotics) and am having a lot of trouble getting regular again. Also, I am still experiencing severe ear pain and wondering if anyone else has had this this far past surgery.
I am four weeks post op and my throat is still swollen and the dr’s are not sure why. Did anyone else experience this? Do you know what could be related to the swelling and having an asymetrical mouth? I am so ready to be back to normal. I have had throat issues for five months which included a terrible peritonsillar abcess and chronic tonsillitis.
Day 14 after my tonsillectomy. I am 51 and knew this would be a difficult recovery. I thought by this time I would have much more energy than I have. I fatigue very quickly when doing very little. I also have occasional chills and then break out in a sweat. No fever, but not feeling quite right yet. I have a follow up appointment next week, so we will see what he says. I also still have scabs that have not come off. Solid food is almost impossible for me still. I also have a lot of sensitivity to hot and cold on my teeth. Anyhow, these were some symptoms I did not expect to have. Thanks!
My throat is healing but its still not completely there! I am so sick of feeling sick!
On day 17, been going to the gym and walking and doing the elliptical since day 14. Still drinking lots of water, for the most part my throat is pink and red, very little scabs left. The bad part is I want to have a beer so bad but trying to wait till day 21, not too far, and to ask the doctor before doing so. I am drinking mocha’s and other coffee drinks at Luke warm temperatures. The nurses told me I could drink soft drinks and ginger ale right away just be sure to drink plenty of water with it. So far so good, hoping to have an alcoholic beverage come this weekend.
So I have posted a few times on here and I am on day 17 of my tonsillectomy, i got mine on december 29th. So far I am doing so much better and pretty much can eat anything except for pizza and “pointy” foods such as chips and what not. But…today my throat is pretty sore. Not the sore feeling after surgery but as if I am getting sick with a cold kind of sore throat. I keep coughing because I feel a tickle in my throat and it sort of feels as if my throat is burning. Does anyone know if this is normal? I went to my Dr. yesterday for my 2 week post op and he said I am 90% healed and looking great. For dinner I had a buffalo chicken wrap with french fries and the wrap was not that spicy and I dipped the fries in ketchup. I am just sooo confused as to why I am feeling this sore throat pain, my voice is even raspy. Please don’t tell me that I am getting sick because this is exactly why I got the surgery because of frequent tonsillitis and other reasons. I will be sooo upset if I am getting sick because isn’t a tonsillectomy supposed to stop you from getting frequent sore throats? And with the $$$ that I owe in bills is ridiculous. Please help!
I am on Day 13. Still sore, my throat is actually pretty pink and most of the scabs have come off. Still very sore, still cannot sleep laying down, have to be reclined. I have been able to eat some toast, but still on a soft diet. Stopped the pain pills on day 9, cause. Wanted to drive, and am taking Tylenol. The pain is manageable, in fact less than it was when. Would get strep. The ear pain seems to have stopped, but early evening I usually get a spike in pain. I am so looking forward to having a mixed drink soon, hopefully two more weeks. But so far, healing well.
On day 14, just looked at the pictures of recovery on this site, and it looks like it took this person or some to heal longer. I have taken no Tylenol today (quit pain killers Saturday, on purpose and switched to Tylenol only the next day). This is the first day the pain has been mild enough to take nothing. Went to the gym and walked 30 minutes then hit the hot tub, and my throat is almost all pink. Only stabbing is way in the back close to ears. Overall, my healing seems to be going well. Just remember, everyone heals differently. Hoping it continues to go well. Even ate cheese sticks tonight.
So, I’m at day 25. I’m almost 100% healed. I had my procedure and the recovery process was not as horrible as some have put it. I was asleep for most of the first 5 days. I know that is a big no-no, but I pushed through it. I used the pain meds for the first 6 days with doses every six hours alternating with ibuprofen. I found that sonic had the best ice to chew and suck on. My diet for the first 6 days was Mac and cheese, Popsicles and Gatorade. On day 6 I had my worst pain, but it was only a 5 of ten. Christmas Day was ok and I was able to eat fettuccini Alfredo and garlic bread, so I was happy. The next day I went to watch some hockey with my friends and made it through the days after that swimmingly. I started eating a normal diet on day 9 with no problem and I haven’t taken any narcotic pain meds since Christmas day.
Hey Nick! Thanks for checking in. Glad that you are well.
I am on Day 8 and absolutely miserable. Was prescribed 60 percocet pills to take 1 to 2 pills every 4 hours. Some days I had to take 2. Now I am day 8 with only 3 pills left and my scabs haven’t even started coming off.
I’m in day 11 struggling in the mornings I suggest you get some numbing spray and aleve I take 2 ever 4-6 hrs it helps a little and Ice lots of ice and water
Hi I am 3 months post tonsillectomy. At my post op visit, i was healed about 90%. About a month after, In October, and till this day, i feel like something has changed within my uvula, soft palate area. After eating most of the time, it feels like my uvula gets swollen and rests on my tongue, but i dont think its actually swollen. When my throat bothers me, i look in the mirror and sometimes i see red/purple veins at the top of my uvula, and also the back of my throat has many visible red veins, and even i think seems like its inflamed/swollen. Seems like my soft palate has dropped lower than what it was before surgery, but who knows maybe it wasnt and i never paid attention. All i know is that when i went back to my ENT 6 weeks post op he said he saw nothing wrong and just some scar tissue. So i went for 2nd opinion and he said seems like acid reflux burns. I had endoscopy few weeks ago, and the GI DR said not much acid burns but i do have a duodenal ulcer. Ive been seeing my allergist also, and she thinks it could be from post nasal drip and allergies. Im just frustrated, Im going back to my ENT this week to get it looked at again. Just wondering if this is similar to anyone elses experience ? And how long did it take to resolve completely till the scar tissue i guess calms down. Maybe since my tonsils arent being attacked now, perhaps the other parts of my throat are ? Ive read online that some people take up to 6 months to a year to completely heal with everything. Would appreciate any thoughts and experiences.
I am on Recovery Day 17 & I am feeling great!! So far, I have lost 13lbs. The day of my surgery when I got home, I got very sick. I threw up 2 (maybe 3?) times and the Zofran that my doc prescribed wasn’t helping. A friend brought over her oil diffuser w/ some peppermint essential oil & that helped greatly! I also have a Quease Ease (http://soothing-scents.com/). The day after surgery, I thought everyone had been exaggerating about the pain. I felt so great that I cleaned the entire house! I paid for it dearly that night. My doc prescribed me liquid Tylenol w/ Codeine & that wasn’t cutting it. So he prescribed me Percocets & those helped. Days 2-7 were brutal. My hubby had to take care of me. This included getting up in the middle of the night & getting my pain meds. All I ate from days 2-7 were applesauce (with my crushed up percocets in it) and shaved ice. SHAVED ICE SAVED MY LIFE! My wonderful hubby would put a cupful of ice in our blender (we have a Ninja) and crushed it up so it was almost like snow & I ate that with a spoon. I also sucked on lots of mints & suckers to keep my throat lubricated. This was a huge help since my throat was so sore that I couldn’t even hardly swallow water. On day 8, I actually felt like a person again and my recovery has been steadily better every day since. I had my 10 day check-up with my ENT and he said every thing looks great and that I only have a little bit of scab left. Even though I felt better on day 8, I am glad I took the extra time off. Today is my first day back at work (because of the Thanksgiving holiday) and I am glad I had the extra days to recover. My throat still feels strange. It doesn’t hurt, but it doesn’t feel normal yet. I still have large pockets of where my tonsils used to be & food has been getting stuck back there. My brother told me it was a month before his started to feel normal again. I could talk after surgery, but it hurt a lot to do it. It wasn’t until Day 10 or so that my voice felt normal again. It is still a little raspy, but my ENT said that was normal and would go away in a week or so. I am also starting to exercise again today!
Hey. Its me again. Had the surgery last week and OMG! The worst days of my life. I will make it but geeze!! This sucks bad. I had to read your comments again because I began to get depressed, lol. Im driving my husband and doctor crazy by keep asking them how long will this last. Its good hearing from someone that understands the process and pain. Your experiences are helping me through girl. Thanks again:)
Horrible flashbacks reading your message Ty! I have just returned from a business trip, meeting lots of new people, and I didn’t have to worry about my breath: so liberating and confidence building. I discovered that one of my colleagues had her tonsils removed 2 years ago – when I happened to mention that I was just a few weeks on from my operation, she gave me a big bear hug because she could empathise with my more recent experience. You WILL eat, sleep and enjoy life again – I promise! Stay positive: you made the right decision.
I am now four weeks post surgery (in the UK), and life is good! I had a tonsillectomy due to tonsil stones (I had small, pitted tonsils, and was unable to remove the stones myself, whatever method I tried) – private medical insurance and a past history of throat infections helped get me the surgery. I knew it was a drastic option, but I was prepared to do ANYTHING to solve my bad breath problems. I did nearly cancel when I read this forum the day before surgery though! But I didn’t, and I survived, and my tonsil stones and bad breath are finally GONE!
Having found this forum so much help during the dark days post-surgery, I wanted to share my experience/what helped me. If you are about to have surgery, or are still in recovery, I can promise you it will get SO much better in a few days – hang in there!
1. Don’t plan ANYTHING for the two weeks post surgery – and make sure you book at least two weeks off work. Days 5 – 8 were the worst for me, although in total I had about 10 days of constant pain/medication and sleep deprivation.
2. I cried A LOT on day one – a mixture of the anesthesia/trauma, relief at getting through surgery, and pain! I had one night in hospital.
3. Sucking on crushed ice helps a lot – make sure you have some in stock. I did not use a humidifier – we didn’t want to pump damp air into our bedroom!
4. Take as much pain medication as you can – I used Tramadol, ibuprofen and paracetamol – you will not get addicted, and you WILL need them. But keep a drug diary so you can recall what drugs you took and when – you will not remember!
5. Sleeping with my face/throat on a hot water bottle helped me a lot in days 5+: your throat muscles tighten up in response to the surgery, and I think this helped relax me a little
6. The nights were the worst, as I would wake up in a lot of pain and then struggle to swallow more medication/get back to sleep. Listening to the radio really helped get me through the dark, lonely hours. My husband moved into the spare bed for the first 10 days, to ensure he could get some sleep and I could thrash around the bed as much as I needed to get comfortable!
7. In the UK we are advised to eat rough food e.g. toast when we can. I did manage this a couple of times, but I mostly lived on soup (no bread!), fish in sauce (you can buy this frozen in handy microwaveable pouches), yogurt, porridge and hot chocolate. I tried making smoothies but the fruit was too acidic and hurt my throat. There were a couple of days when I could not face eating anything due to the pain. I did not get constipated, and I did not lose much weight – because I spent two weeks resting, and most of what I DID eat was high calorie!
8. You will be too tired to read much – have a good set of DVDs on standby
9. I did not have any bleeding. I felt so ill that completely resting in the first week was an easy option – and I made sure I had someone on call in the first few days, just in case
10. I was able to speak on all days, although about half an hour of conversation was enough
11. I went for my first short walk one week after surgery. Four weeks on, I am now exercising as normal – running, swimming and pilates.
12. I stopped regular pain relief on about day 15, having gradually cut down on what I was taking.
13. I gradually re-introduced different types of food after two weeks. I still have a sticky feeling in the back of my throat, which I expect to disappear over the coming weeks.
My tonsillectomy recovery was the worst 10 days of my life. But ridding myself of tonsil stones is one of the best things I ever did!
Thank you for sharing. I also have tonsil stones and thought I may be going to far getting surgery to remove them. I’m a married woman and nothing’s is more damaging to a marriage than insecurity. TMI, I know just wanted to say thanks for sharing your experience. I’m going forwadr with the surgery.
I am also married (and 47 – forgot that bit!) and would not even discuss the problem with my husband. So I feel your insecurity! It will hurt a lot – stay focused on the goal and remember that in a few days you will be much better, and also liberated!
Day 9 of my recovery.
I’m not sure how relevant this will be to anyone because I’m not entirely sure how common it is. I’m just turned 18 and have been having a lot of problems with my tonsils for the best part of three years. One thing I always found when digging out those god awful tonsil stones was that my tonsils were extremely prone to bleeding – something my ENT surgeon also found out on the day of the op!
He said no one in his experience had bled that much in a tonsillectomy procedure in years. I had to be stitched right up on my right side and let me tell you, we all know how sore recovery is without stitches right? Imagine being wheeled out of theatre with those bad boys in you. It’s been sore, for the first few days it was the actual space at the top of the back of my throat that was painful and white and scabby. I was throwing up old blood so frequently (and a lot of it might I add) that I couldnt keep anything down; not food, not painkillers. It was awful.
But I powered through and ate as much as I could, despite the pain, because I thought ‘you know what I’ve put up with enough sh*t from my tonsils this time I’m gonna show ’em what I’m made of!’ And after about day three or four the pain subsided from my tonsil bed area and is now a horrible stingy/achy feeling further down my throat, which apparently is due to the whole stitching procedure, I guess a lot of tubes were bumped around in this process and it’s seriously bruised me inside. I find the pain really hits me at night and I’m starting to get severe earaches to accompany that, which is nice! My co-codamol painkillers ran out days ago so I’m going strong on paracetamol and Diclofenac.
I hope everyone else is managing to power through! Just think of all the tonsillitus and nasty tonsil stones that you’re gonna get to avoid for the rest of your life! Remember, at most this recovery process is going to take 17-20 days, which in perspective, is more than worth it to be tonsil free!
Stay safe xxx
Wow. This is great Kate. Thank you so much !! Best of health to you. Stop back again.
Wow. This is great Kate. Thank you so much !! Best of health to you. Stop back again.
I am a 24 year old female, I had my tonsils removed on July 23. I had my tonsils removed due to horrid tonsil stones. Let me start off by saying DRINK WATER NO MATTER HOW BAD IT HURTS!!!! Day 1: after procedure you’re so loopy from meds it flys by. I was offered a blue slushing and teddy Graham’s. 8 bags of teddy Graham’s later I am ready to keave!! After surgery I even had McDonald’s I don’t even remember eating it. Throat was numb all day long. I received percocet 5mg. All you will want to do is sleep. Have someone wake you up to drink and take meds!!
Day 2: pain was still tolerable I started taking the pain medication every 4 hours so the pain doesn’t get out of control. I was eating mash potatoes ( the pre made bob Evans kind was the smoothest), I noticed ice cold water stung my throat so room temperature worked. I was drinking every 20 mins to keep the throat moist. Sleeping was horrible, I ended up sleeping on couch so my head would be propped up. Waking up every 45 mins to sip water, you get no sleep at all. I didn’t want my throat to dry out because it is so painful. I set my alarm every 4 hours so I would take my medicine.
Day 3,4,5: Worst days ever! Extreme pain 10/10, that pain medicine didn’t help! Ear pain started kicking in. I had ice constantly on my throat to keep swelling down. Scabs were formed in back of throat very thick. Drinking water was a task. Everytime I swallowed felt like razorblades. I had to force myself to eat. Ended up getting a blood clot on my left tonsil on day5 and started bleeding. On call dr told me to drink ice cold water and it helped. Woke up after and blood clot resolved on its own. I was having mini hot flashes all day.
Day 6: I felt like a new person. Pain was a 6/10. I was eating drinking taking my neds around the clock
Day 7,8,9: scabs started falling off day 7. It feels like something is caught in back of throat when them fall off. Throat is very sensitive after they fall off that any liquid or food stings the throat. I have bumped my meds down to 1 pill every 4 hours instead of 2 pills. Sleeping longer through the night.
Day 10 and on: pain has started to be controlled with Motrin. I feel 100% better!! I am starting to eat solid foods. I had PBJ sandwhich and it was easy to go down. I feel back to my normal self. Throat still hurts but just like it would as a sore throat.
I think keeping myself hydrated non stopped helped with my speedy recovery. I go back to wk in a few days and feel comfortable going back. I still have to drink water so throat doesn’t get dry. My scabs are 75% gone. I’ve had someone with me the whole time and you DO need that. Milk never seemed to cause the phlegm in my throat as others posted. It soothed the burning. I lived off mash potatoes and chick n star soup mix for the first days. Keep taking medication when it’s due so pain stays under control!! Take the full two weeks off dr reccomends because you will need it. I would do this surgery again knowing it is going to cure my tonsil stones and stinky breath! Sorry this blog is all over the place my mind is going crazy! I hope everyone as a good recovery as well as I’ve had!
I am a 26 year old female. I had my Tonsils removed 9 days ago. (July 21st) day 1. Being the day of surgery wasn’t bad at all had no problem eating/drinking.
Days 2-3. I couldn’t swallow anything (not even water).
Days 4-6. Probably had to be the worst days for me I had a fever. Hot flashes/cold sweats. My mouth and jaws hurt something terrible..
I developed major depression from being stuck in the bed, I also got very weak from not being able to eat anything at all with the first 5 days.
Days 7 and 8 weren’t that bad I still took the days easy tried to get up and clean a little, even managed a little walk at the park.
Today is day 9 I had my checkup and the doctor was very impressed with the way my throat looked.
It is still very sensitive my jaws hurt u still cannot manage to yawn or drink soda.
(Not to mention, I didn’t take the prescribed 5-350 hydro/Tylenol as I don’t do well at all with pain meds.)
Tylenol regular strenght worked just fine for me.
I haven’t slept a full night since my surgery I wake up every night at 2 am in some pain.
It’s not something I would recommend for anyone. As the pain is absolutely unbearable I wouldn’t wish it upon anyone.
I’m hoping all of this pain will surely be worth it end the end (fingers crossed)
This is so helpful, I’m glad I found it. I had my tonsils and adenoids removed on July 11th. So I’m on day 10 today. Day 3/4 was the absolute worst but following my doctors advice I took all my medicine on schedule and drank water and lots of popsicles. Day 5 I has some painful soft pasta but man was it good. Days 7 through now I’ve had rice, pasta, soup, lots of pudding, fruit smoothies, cake donuts moistened in milk, mashed potatoes with no salt, and scrambled eggs. I feel soo much better but the LEFT side of my throat still hurts and is swollen and tight. The right side feels awesome. I’m hoping that this goes away soon. I’m going back to work tonight. I had my follow up on day 7 and he said it looked like a day 10 throat and I honestly think that was due to my careful eating and lots of drinking! My ears still feel awful but the earplugs almost fix that. Oh, I’m a 24 year old female by the way. I had enlarged tonsils, making it difficult to swallow and frequent strep.
Funny, im a 25 year old female, had the same problems as you and recovery went about the same. Today is day 12 for me and I feel like 75% back to normal. Im still having some wicked ear pains at times and it hurts a bit to swallow but about 75% of the scabs are gone and I can talk without pain and eat most foods. We’re almost there!
I’m a 19 year old female and had its been 6 days since surgery. When did your scabs fall off Katie? It feels never ending!
Have a question, when you are de scabbing does your syliva getting so thick you can not swallow it and when you try you gag and more spit comes out from somewhere below your tongue. Plz help
For me, yes! My saliva seemed like it was foamy or bubbly. Looking at my tonsil beds, I could see the foamy saliva back there. I also felt that my scabs or the foam and saliva were like a shelf down behind my tongue, so that liquids and food felt like they were getting stuck back there while I tried to swallow. It did not suddenly get better, but by day 15 or so, I was noticing an improvement.
Thank you so much M, I seem to have a stich and scab down there and I have been bleeding down there and I swish the mouth and nothing, but then I gag a bit to bring saliva back up and I am pulling up a lot of dark blood. Any thoughts on how to get fix that… been like that for about a day and a half now.
I had bleeding that required a trip to the hospital, but the doc told me the clots (or the size of them) which I would cough up were inconsequential. If you were vomiting bright red blood, that would indicate active bleeding. You have probably had some small bleeds, hence the clots (dark blood is older blood), but I think a ton of folks have some bleeding when the scabs are pulling off. It’s the bleeding that causes vomiting or does not stop with swishing ice water that you would worry about.
The only advice I can offer is to be patient. Try to not clear your throat by coughing, suctioning, or gagging the saliva back up to spit it out. I had about 4 or 5 days where I really was bothered by the thick saliva resting back there. On the positive side, It did do a good job of keeping my throat moist. I have a feeling that since it prevented me from taking big bites, it also prevented irritation and bleeding back there as the scabs continued to slough off.
I am on day 19 now, and I can finally gulp water and take normal sized bites, and I only have noticeable discomfort at the start and end of the day or when yawning/sneezing/coughing.
You’re reaching the end of this ridiculous journey. Just keep being patient and the healing will happen!
Well that would be very nice to even eat something. I have not been able to eat since my procedure which was June 24. I was stuck in the VA Hospital in Pitt for four days leaving to go home on the past friday. I was not even able to drink anything until July 1st when I had a very big scare of death. I had a lot of blood in my throat that was blocking my air ways. I was able to cough it up and it was about the size of a small fist. At that point I knew I had to start getting something in me. I was able to go to my local VA hospital and we were able to change the kind of meds from Liquid codeine, which I have a allergic reaction to… and they knew it, to the liquid kids pain meds. So that was a hard thing to swallow but when I did get both 2 tsp down total of 4 tsp I was able to get some things in me like Pedylyte freezies, boost, water, gatorade.
My biggest thing is now today I was able to finish my steroids and I have not been on my liquid pain killers all day because they really only help a bit. I have been able to start swallowing today also due to my mother scaulding me about how I need to hydrate. ps I love my mom.
Well I just coughed up another clot but I can’t tell if it was a scab or just a clot… I launched it out into my parents garden and its gone. Well Please do keep in touch I really do like to know that I have someone else I can relate with.
Also just so you know, I had my Tonsils, anoids, and my throat streched.
Day 11 after coblation tonsillectomy on 6/20. I had a terrible night of sleep last night – the pain in my throat wasn’t too bad, but my nose kept getting stuffed up, and since I was trying not to sleep with my mouth open, I woke up numerous times because I wasn’t getting enough air through my nose. I felt pretty bad this morning, just from lack of sleep, so I took it easy. As the day went on, I felt better and more energetic and got out for a longer walk with my dog.
I am trying to cut back on the Tylenol as well, going from doses every six hours to every 12 hours. It was mostly OK, but then I ate a more aggressive dinner (just rice with some soft vegetables, but it was still pretty rough on my throat), and I could feel it. I am sucking on a Cepacol lozenge now to try to quell the soreness.
I still have scabs on both sides – it seems as if they are gradually getting smaller, but nothing dramatic so far. I can talk for longer, but my voice gets tired pretty easily, and I can’t open my mouth too wide. It has probably been a good exercise for me to have to eat so slowly and chew so thoroughly. I’ll try to remember it. I am planning to go back to the office tomorrow, at least for a half day of work. We will see how it goes. I will post more if anything interesting happens, for sure when the scabs finally come off. I hope everyone is hanging in there!
Good luck tomorrow Sarah- thank you so much for sharing your experience! -Greg
Greg, when I found your site I read everything you had to say and the shopping list AND everything else was so helpful! Thank you so much for setting up this webpage……you have been a Godsend to me!
Thank YOU Brandy! Hope you are well.
I am currently on Day 17 of my recovery and for the most part I am back to normal. I am back to a normal diet but find that I still need to be mindful of not having large mouthfuls and ensuring that I chew properly. I haven’t tried anything crunchy like chips yet but I am eating toast again.
Overall I would say that my recovery was pretty good. I hit an emotional wall on Day 8 and had a bit of a breakdown as I wasn’t able to get any food down without pain. It was easily my worse day but I turned a corner three or four days later and started introducing more solid foods into my diet.
My throat still feels a bit weird but I guess that is to be expected.
I was lucky enough not to have any ear pain (aside from an old ache) – though my ear was popping a lot on Day 14 when I was swallowing but it was annoying more than anything else.
To those still recovering, I hope that it’s as quick and as easy as possible.
Day 11 after my coblation tonsillectomy: I simply feel like I’ve got a bout of tonsillitis. I’m really not sure what it is, but I think it’s scabs down where I can’t see them causing a lump in my throat. It’s the sensation you get when you get choked up and cry. It sometimes gets worse when I eat and drink or strain my voice (too much talking, too loud, or too high pitch). I’m entirely confident that this will not last forever, and it’s more of a nuisance than a pain.
The rawness/pain with swallowing was worse upon waking, let up wonderfully during the day, and then worsened again by bedtime, just like any sore throat I suppose.
I still get a few pangs of sharp pain which seems to be the scab pulling away. I’m thinking when the scabs are finally gone, the lump ache will go away. I’m trying to be patient with the scabs. I had a bleed cauterized two nights ago and want to avoid any more bleeding.
With that in mind, I’m limiting any strenuous activity that would put any pressure on my throat. I’m just taking it easy, enjoying feeling alive again. I did not take a nap today! I can eat toast, potatoes, anything well-cooked, so long as I chew, chew, chew.
Since this is the last entry for me, I just want to give Greg a major shout out. The post-op information given to me by the my ENT/hospital was a complete joke. Without Tonsillectomy Resources, I wouldn’t have known at all what to expect, would have no idea how to handle the bleeds, and would have had very little support. My family is astounded at the length of time it takes to recover from “such a minor surgery,” but we’ve all learned a lot during this journey. Documenting my days on the site helped me step back and see my progress, showed me that everything I felt was normal, and encouraged me with the reminder that the grass IS truly greener on the other side. I will NEVER have another tonsil stone, bout of tonsillitis, or a tonsil taking up half my throat. I thank God for that, and I thank Greg for this site!
And Martha, I thank you for your post. I’m pulling for you. All my best. Take care.
Martha – good luck! Thank you for all of the detailed posts! Please come back and post again if you have any other insights as your recovery continues. I hope it is a totally smooth road from here on out!
When does the pain in the ears stop? Today is exactly two weeks since my surgery and I’m still finding the pain in my ears to be awful. I still have a sore throat especially when I wake up in the morning. I am still taking my pain meds when I feel the pain warrents it. Most of the time, its the pain in my ears that makes me take them. I’m really hoping it goes away soon. I’m kind of excited to go to my post-op and find out how I’m really doing but I’m also a tad nervous as to what he will want to do with my sinuses. He told me before my surgery that he wanted to check them out cuz everytime he sees me, my nose has been totally messed up either something is wrong or my allergies are wild this year. Just hoping he finds out what and it can be fixed so I’m not always breathing through mouth. I will say I’m very happy that the surgery helped with my snoring. My mom says I don’t sound like I’m sawing wood anymore and I find I do sleep better which is awesome. Now if I could get this ear pain to go away I would be almost back to normal. Oh how long did it take you guys before you were able to eat hard foods like chips, crackers, and toast? I’m so afraid to but I’ve been craving funion chips!
day 11, I had my tonsils, adenoids, deviated septum, turbinates and tubes put in my ears all at once. I have found very little if any information online about someone having all five of these procedures done at once. I had to make an early trip back to the ENT on day 9. The ENT said I have a long way to go, my scabs are still intact in my throat, I’m filled with scabs in my nose and I’m assuming from adenoids. I asked if it’s normal for me to still be taking pain medicine (vicodine 7.5/300mg) every three hours, she said my recovery is going to be much more then just someone with adenoids or someone with just deviated septum. Even on day 11 there are times my pain goes to a level 10. I was put on steroids about day 6 because of pain and I had a tremendous amount of swelling in my jaw area, down my neck and my uvula was about the size of a breakfast sausage. My uvula today on day 11 is still very large compared to many recovery photos of someone at this stage. Yesterday I felt like I hit a set back and went back to eating virtually nothing, lots of water and Gatorade. Today I am hacking up a tremendous amount of bloody mucus, I have to force myself to almost suck it out and spit, it’s not from coughing it up. Sorry to be graphic.
I’m just wondering if anyone can give me insight of what I can expect over the following days. Any input would be much appreciated!
Shannon, I’m closing out day ten and have had almost the same exact procedures done as you. Similarly, I was placed on a steroid as well, day 4 related to the inflammation and inability to swallow. I too am hacking up bloody mucus the same as you’ve described, and I’m curious as to when that part will end. It feels continuous, as if they second I hack it up, there is another sitting in the exact spot the previous one just came from. It makes it extremely difficult to breathe and further exacerbates the pain in my throat. Today in fact, I began to get sharp headache pains when I would try and rid myself of the constant mucosal drainage. Anyway, sorry to be so detailed. I just figure it’s better to explain, so that if you have experienced the same thing, you could shed some light on when things start getting better. Hopefully, things are looking up for you by now.
Thanks.
Dom
Now on day 11 at 5am! Just went to bed at 3! The thing is, all day long, I’m drinking, watching tv, whatever and have no pain whatsoever! Oh, also, my throat can’t stand anything cold now. Not even water, and Popsicles and juices burn to swallow. Guess some areas are still raw. It hurts so bad, so I’ve started eating cream of whatever soups and hot tea all day long and it calms my muscles down back there I guess. Just my hypothesis. But yeah, I take my meds and go to bed, whether I sit up and sleep or lay down. For the past 3 mornings, I literally wake up 1.5 hours later to this pain so horrible. I don’t get it. I can go a few hours without drinking when I’m awake, but it’s like my body doesn’t want me to sleep at all. I drink before I lay down I don’t have the fan or AC running to dry it out…obviously I can’t take more pain meds BC I just took them 2 hours ago. I don’t think they work anymore anyway. Not if I’m feeling like this….help! I’m supposed to go back to work Monday but if I can’t get decent sleep, I can’t go. What is my body doing that all this pain comes within 2 hours? I’m afraid to go back to sleep.
Hi Cassandra- Sorry to hear this. I have a thought. Is it possible that something else is irritating your throat, like allergies? It’s possible that you got a cold or virus too…? just thoughts. Do you have a humidifier you can run?
Hope you feel better soon. I bet you will. Let us know
My lingual tonsils are swollen and gagging me. Did this ever happen to anyone else? I had my tonsillectomy 16 days ago. wondering when I will have some relief from it??? Any ideas to help?
You’re not alone!! It’s been 2 mo today for me. Still have a hard time breathing, talking, Swalloing, and still spitting!!
Been to the Dr, ER they all think I’m nuts!! But it’s true I have all of the above and they all act like I’m telling them a story.
My ENT said she had never heard if my side effects, which I find hard to believe. The ER Docs said it’s just anxiety. Nope pretty sure it was not!!!
Anyway if I had it to do all over I would NOT have done it!!!
Good luck to you!!
Hi Miranda, thanks for sharing. Sorry to hear about the hemorrhage and subsequent troubles. I’m not sure about the drooling, but I do know the whole mouth and throat area gets turned upside down after tonsillectomy. So it’s probably normal. Would you like to pose the question to our facebook community?https://www.facebook.com/MyBigFatTonsillectomy
Take care
Your spitting how, like is it just growing in your mouth and then you try to swallow and you can’t or what?
After bleeding several times. Being operated in again, and dealing with it, I have found myself questioning the normalsy of little things. For example, I’m on day 13, my mouth produces more spit than normal, it’s kinda hard to swallow everything in one swallow and my throat doesn’t catch my saliva as well. I actually drooled on my dog when I was trying to straighten his collar out. That sounds funny and weird, but it’s true. Maybe I have to teach myself how to swallow diffeently and use those muscels diffeently, but it would help to know it was all normal. P.s to everyone scared to have one done, just know my recovery pre bleeding was easy as cake. I did my research and learned all the tricks of the trade. It wasn’t until I the hemmireage that I started experiencing awful pain and depression. You just have to go into it prepared for the worst.
I am on my 14th day post tonsillectomy and I have to say it has been one of the worst experiences of my life and I’ve suffered cracked ribs, broken bones and even once cut the end of my finger off, but none of those compare to the pain and discomfort I have dealt with the past 2 weeks. On my 10th day I was rushed back to the operating table due to a severe haemorrhage that took me by surprise, I was kept in for 3 days and was discharged yesterday and it feels like the beginning all over again, which makes me want to cry…. But on a serious note, if you do suffer from any bleeding, whether minor or major, get yourself checked out immediately! Mine started out a little, but being stubborn I refused to believe it was anything serious until i was being rushed to A+E in the back of an ambulance with a pint of blood gushing from my throat! I could’ve prevented a lot of the blood loss if I had gone in earlier and been checked out, but I am a fool!
George, thank you so much for sharing your story and wisdom. My goodness, very scary. Hope are on the mend and doing well.
I’m 45 and had my tonsils out a month ago. I HATE it! I feel like I can’t breath!! I went to my post op and told my Dr that I feel like it’s harder to breath, and that I kept spitting. She didn’t seem concerned. Well the spitting has stopped, but I’m still having trouble breathing. It feels like my airway in the back of my throat is part blocked.I thought it would help by making the airway bigger. I have sleep apnea and there were little white bumps on them so that is why I got them out.
I went to just a Family practice Dr the other day for the breathing and he thought it maybe my asthma coming back. I told him this is not wheezing, and even tried my off springs neb machine twice. Nope it did not help.
Is this normal? If so when will I be able to breath normally again? It is also hard for me to talk without taking deep breaths.
I lost 17 pounds, that is the only good thing that has come out of this…..
Hi Jen. I’m so sorry to hear this. I don’t have personal experience with breathing trouble after tonsillectomy, but I’ll put the question to our Facebook community: Find us here-https://www.facebook.com/MyBigFatTonsillectomy
Best of luck to you
Hmmmm. Interesting.
I remember having a really swollen uvula – so swollen I almost gagged on it and threw up for the first 2 days. Has your sleep apnea changed? It might be residual swelling, though it has been a while. If it’s still there in a few weeks, I would get more aggressive about it.
You could also do a short course of prednisone to see if that helps with the breathing. That’s also an asthma treatment, but it suppresses the immune system and reduces swelling.
Good luck! I hope you feel better and can breathe freely soon!
I forgot to mention about my swollen uvula. Mine was so swollen too. 2 days after surgery I did choke on mine and kept throwing up. I made my daughter call the ambulance. I was taken to the ER and they told me it was swollen and sent me home.
I can’t really tell if it helped my sleep apnea. If I had to do it all over, I would NOT!
Thanks!!
Hi jen. Sounds tough. I would go back to specialist if I were you. Better safe than sorry. Could be residual swelling? Any chance you could have adenoids?
Hi Jen,
Have you considered a speech/swallowing therapist? The throat is a specialized muscle, and its coordination may have been set off by the surgery. Do you find it difficult/challenging to speak or swallow? It may seem out of left field, but nothing’s impossible.
I am a mom of 5. I’ve had cryptic tonsils and all that goes with them. My husband also noticed that I was having sleep apnea. I am on day 20 in my recovery from my tonsillectomy.
I can eat a sandwich and other soft, non abrasive foods.
I’m so thankful for this forum. I used everyone’s explanations of their own experiences to gauge my own recovery. I was also able to use it to better explain to my family what I was going through.
I am breathing so much better and my breath smells fine for the first time. I am so happy that I had them removed.
I can’t eat everything yet, as I discovered today with a trial of a few nuts.
I am looking forward to my new life without my tonsils causing illnesses and odors and experiencing the rest of a full nights sleep.
I wish that the doctor would have given me this site to look up. I am going to give him the suggestion tough.
Just wondering when you were able to speak for lengthy periods of time without difficulty? I will be having surgery soon and worried about when I’ll be able to go back to work. I am a 12 hour night shift nurse and worried I will have difficulty or have pain because of the amount of talking I need to do.
I am a teacher and went back to work after 3 weeks. I could make it through the full day of almost constant talking, but my throat hurt pretty bad by the end of the day for the first week back to class. After that, I was okay. I carried a huge bottle of ice water with me and was constantly sipping on it which helped.
Hi Arlene- My job requires talking about 1/4 of the day. After 11 days I could do it, but I talked less and probably wasn’t up to normal talking for 3 weeks. Good luck!
Im 22 and on day 12 of my recovery and so far so good am slowly starting to get better. Still hurts to yawn and sneeze. But as for swallowing it does’t hurt as much as it did before. However, Lately it seams if i try to talk to much or if my throat gets to dry i start to dry heave is this normal at this stage of recovery?
Hi Reanna,
I’m not sure why but what you describe does seem to be common amongst people at your stage. I hope it gets back to normal soon for you. Take care
I’m finally on day 11 of my recovery, I last posted on day 3, and well, it’s been quite a ride since then. I was one of the few people to experience severe post op bleeding on days 6 and 7 and had to be rushed to the ER 2 times. I’m only 25, and I have to say my whole perspective on life has dramatically changed in the last few days. The first bleeding episode was succeeded by severe pain and pressure in the ears and in my jaw, It built all night. I tried ice, narcotics, but nothing alleviated the pain. Finally the pain just released, but i was also gushing blood from my mouth. In total I lost about 2 pints of blood, it slowed and I managed to drive myself to the ER. The bleeding stopped on its own, but I was on an IV for 8hrs while under observation before being released. All felt great afterwards, and I actually got some sleep. The next day the pain returned and I had the ominous feeling that I was in for another bleeding episode. Lone behold 30min later my throat is gushing again, but there was less blood this time, needless to say, my fiance was traumatized. I knew this was less severe, so i told her to cancel the 911 call and we went back to my ENT for a visit. He recauterized my scabs and took out my nose splints(from septoplasty) so it was nice to be able to finally breathe through my nose. I was put on steroids, which have greatly reduced swelling and pain. The first day back from the hospital was rough, but I have been steadily improving since. Oddly enough, my scabs are temperature sensitive, so all my food has to be slightly warmed. I’m hoping this goes away soon. So far no bleeding for the last few days, I’m hoping to be out of the woods. Despite the horrible experience of almost losing my life, I still think this procedure will be beneficial to me in the long run both physically and spiritually. The only advice I have to people is be ready for anything, always have someone with you, stay calm if things get ugly, and take at least 2 weeks from work. I greatly under estimated my recovery time, but luckily had plenty of time to take from work. Best of luck to anyone in recovery or thinking about the surgery. Don’t let my story dissuade you from the procedure if you can benefit from the surgery. I am a very rare case, this is NOT common at all. Best of luck!
Chris- I just read this. My goodness! What a ride indeed. Thank you so much for sharing your experience. I think you’re right, and that your life will be improved from the surgery. I hope all goes smoothly from here on in. Take care.
I am 40 years old and am on day 16. I am still experiencing throat pain. Everything is still swollen, including my tongue. I can’t yawn without it feeling like my throat is ripping open. I am now starting to get ear pain also. I couldn’t eat for the first 5 days. Not even jello. I am off the pain pills, but still taking Tylenol. I didn’t have a bowel movement for 14 days. I was taking stool softener every day after the first week and still was having issues. I recommend trying to battle the constipation from the pain pills right off the bat. I still can’t eat normally. This was the worst thing I have ever been through and am still not convinced it was worth it. Sleep is still fleeting and I am so weak. But, I don’t snore like I did before the surgery. One good thing I guess….. Sipping water all the time helps a lot. I took two weeks off of work. Boy am I glad I did. I didn’t leave my bedroom except to pee for 5 days. Then I graduated to laying on the couch the second week when my husband went back to work. I could not do anything but lay around for two weeks. I have been back to work for four days but can’t work a full 8hr shift yet. I just want a cheeseburger or a big ass sandwich. I have lost 10lbs from this ordeal. I can’t wait till I am completely healed.
Hi Lisa- thanks for posting. Sorry you’re having a rough time. 16 Days is a LONG time! Is it possible that you have oral thrush? Might be worth checking.https://tonsillectomyrecovery.com/oral-thrush-candida/ Hang in there!
I am on Post op day 11. 23 years old. This has been a rough experience for me, but this website helped me out tremendously.
Last night/this morning I woke up every 2 hours because of terrible pain in my right ear. My right side has hurt extremely worse than my left. It has been a few nights since the earaches has started . I can not get off my narcotics yet, because the pain is so severve nothing else helps. My throat feels a lot better, I think that most of the scabs are done. It’s still hard for me to talk and open my mouth though. Best of luck to everyone.
Hi, I’m 25 and on day 13 post op. The experience has been rather painful but nothing prepared me for the ear pain which was unexpected. I am a teacher in England so the nurse recommended three weeks off. I’m now in my final week off work and there’s still no way that I’d be able to teach my kids. My speech is still slurred a bit and it hurts to burp and yawn! The worst days for me were day 4-8. I was not managing to eat anything and drinking was so painful. On day 6 I noticed a bit of blood at the back of my throat on one of the scabs and I had tasted it all through the day. I rang the doctor and he told me to go to hospital to get it checked out. I ended up staying in for two nights as I was dehydrated so had fluids through an IV. I was also told that my throat had become infected so I was given antibiotics and countless painkillers. After two nights in hospital I felt so much better. I’d actually managed to eat food – it took me ages, but I was eating!
good luck everyone who is recovering from this not so minor operation!
Now on day 13, it does still hurt to swallow but I’m managing without painkillers. I’m sleeping flat and I am talking a bit more everyday. I’ve still got some antibiotics to take…augmentin 625mg – they are knocking me out and making my tummy a bit unhappy but I’m not complaining! I’m due back at work on 10th feb. hopefully I will be ready. I guess my message really is if you every taste any bleeding or see even just the smallest amount GO AND GET IT CHECKED OUT! I felt stupid going to A&E but the do tors and nurses were very kind and said I’d done the right thing.
I had a pretty serious bleed out my nose at 16 days post T&A. Had to make a trip to the ER. Anybody had bleeding so long after? The ER doc wasn’t too worried and didn’t give me any reason why!
I am just over 3 weeks post-surgery and had my follow up visit with my surgeon a couple days ago. He was very pleased with how everything looks and cleared me so I am good to go. I am not 100% pleased with how it looks as my throat is now very asymmetrical…apparently one tonsil was bigger/deeper than the other so he had to cut more on one side. My throat looks like a lopsided m. I am a little OCD I guess and this really bothers me…but I am not going to seek out cosmetic throat surgery to have it fixed!
I am still taking a few tylenol each day to lessen the small amount of pain I still have. Yawning can still be quite painful at times. I have been sleeping flat for 3 nights now and that is going well. Last night was the first time I tried sleeping without the humidifier, and I woke up with my throat hurting. I guess I still need the humidifier. It is a bit dry here in Arizona.
I am pretty much back to eating normal, except I have some irrational fear of potato chips. I haven’t even attempted those, not even the Maple Bacon Kettle Chips. Yesterday was my birthday and tomorrow I am having a party with cheese and crackers (the good stuff…not Handi-snaks). If I can eat the crackers without a problem, I can probably handle just about anything.
I’m only on day 6 but as I’m in the UK I thouht I’d share what I’ve been through and the doctors advice.
After waking in recovery I was given toast and told that if I didn’t eat it I woulndn’t be allowed to leave (Bastards) After managing to force both pieces down I did feel a bit better. I had to wait in the ward for over 4 hours with continuous checks on BP and temperature but eventually they let me out.
The first 2 days were a blur of drugs and sleep. I was given co-codamol TABLETS and Augmentin TABLETS the size of my thumb. Continuous chocking to the point the pills were half dissolved in my mouth, not impressed. Also only given 4 days worth of painkillers. I’m no maths whiz but 4 days of pills for a 2 week recovery, thanks for that. It’s ok though as I have unlimited access to codeine anyway.
days 3 and 4 were horrendously painful. I nearly cried through the emotional stress as well. I’ve been forcing down toast, corn flakes and crisps as on release from hospital the nurses informed me that if I didn’t I’d end up with an infection and be back in hospital for a further operation to stop the massive amounts of blood I would lose. I’m not taking chances so I was good.
Now at day 6 and I’m not doing too badly. I’m not clock watching for drusg anymore though I do still need them. I am starting to choke on tiny pieces of scab (gross) but it looks like the scabs are thinning. I’m still struggling to open my jaw and the glands in my neck are hot and painful as though I have an infection – may get that checked out tomorrow before I run out of antibiotics. Still napping but overall I am seeing the end of this hell. Ok so 2 days were pure hell but still TOTALLY WORTH IT
I had mine done at the end of September I’m 38 and it was a horrible experience. a definately test of will.but hang in there. my Savior was egg drop soup ..warm broth….cream of weat with brown sugar in it was a lifesaver…I couldnt eat anything cold at all.another couple weeks you will be back to almost normal.
OMG, 16 days after tonsillectomy and uvula-ectomy will I ever feel normal again? Throat is still very sore and hard to swallow. My ears hurt SO bad. Any help hints or ideas for a quicker recovery? I never thought the pain would last this long.. Dr did say it take an adult longer to recover (45 yr old), but man. Help please!
my uveula was swollen for a good month plus. its normal. it will go down …I feel for all you guys ….
I am 17 years old and had my tonsillectomy on December 26, 2013. The pain has been crazy, I have never experienced anything worse. I am on day 10 and all the scabs have come off and I have minimal pain. I am able to eat a lot just only soft things. I lost 12 pounds by day 7 but my appetitie is finally coming back so I’m hoping to gain some of the weight. My advice for anyone who is on the early days or is soon going to have their tonsils out is to be patient and not rush it. I’ve read lots of reviews of people feeling not to bad on days 1 and 2 so they try to eat hard food and full meals and end up bleeding or getting sick so try to stick to what your doctor tells you. Also, as hard as it is, drink LOTS of water. My doctor said not to even worry about food and just water. I asked for anti nausea medicine so taking medication with no food wasnt bad. I couldn’t drink much days 1-6 but once day 7 came I was drinking probably 6 bottles if not more a day and that helped my throat clear up and feel so much better. I also recommend apple juice. It’s really soothing. I also suggest no dairy. I had no ice cream so I decided to try non fat frozen yogurt days 1 and 2 and I felt terrible after (too much phlegm) and it seemed to take a whole day to get rid of it. Sleeping with a humidifier also helps but make sure everytime you change it out you clean it well or else you’ll just release more bacteria into the air. I wasn’t given any antibiotics and he said I don’t need a post-op appt. I can’t wait for day 14 when he said I can eat normal food again. (Except for chips and soda I’m waiting 3 weeks). Foods that have been good are Lipton noodle soup, watermelon, mashed bananas, Popsicles, eggs, soft thin cinnamon bread, oatmeal, and by day 8 I was able to eat chocolate cake (cut into small pieces of course). I hope everyone has a safe and healthy recovery! There is definitely light at the end of the tunnel!
I am on day 8,I had my surgery done December 26.I am still in a lot of paun and up all night due to the pain.My ears hurt really bad and my neck is in pain so is my ears,the ears are the worst.All my liquids sit at the back of my throat due to the swelling. I am so hungry and thirsty but is unable to do both.The popsicles, ice, ice water,ice cream all makes the pain worse.I am spitting up small amounts of blood, I do not know what to do anymore. I feel like the meds are not working anymore, im on Motrin and Vicoden. I just fee awful and is regreting the surgery although it was causing health issues.What to do?I’m 24 years old,I have one child and to tell the truth I’d rather ho through childbirth 10 more times then to ever have a tonsillectomy!
Day 11 – December 30
Feeling so much better today! I was able to back off the hydrocodone to 4.5 – 6 hours between doses with just a little extra Tylenol here and there to help. Most of my scabs are gone, though a few are still hanging on for dear life back there. My tongue and uvula still seem ridiculously swollen. I never noticed a change in my voice, but I find it can be hard to talk with my tongue so swollen.
The best part of today: I ate bacon! My husband and I cure and smoke our own bacon. Today was smoking day and I always fry up a couple pieces right afterwards to taste test. I cut them extra thick and did not cook it too crunchy (almost like a bacon steak.) I took teensy-tiny bites that I chewed about a million times before attempting to swallow. It was heaven.
Everyday up until now has been ridiculously painful the first two days were fine I did nit experience pain at all then at around 3am third day I woke up with my throat dry as hell and super sore I began gargling my baking soda/salt solution that has really helped keep the swelling down. Days 3-7 or 8ish have been sweeping city I couldn’t keep my pain meds down because I couldn’t keep any food down not even fucking jello! But yesterday after having a horrible night with no sleep my doctor called to check in on me as since I can’t really talk my mom told him the play by play, my doctor rated about how water was absolutely essential and actually now that I’ve been drinking water nonstop I’m starting to actually feel much better! Feeling like I have strep but that’s better than what I’ve been dealing with also I woke up at about 2am to a little bit of bleeding I guess because of the dry air I inhale while I’m sleeping I ran down stairs and told my mom she was pissed that I woke her up lol and said its fine Its just a scab loosening up (my mom has gone through this with my sister and herself) my best advice is to force yourself to get cold water down your throat or at least room temp I swear it will help the pain immensely and protein shakes will keep you from puking up meds and keep you full. Best of luck y’all oh and I am now on day 9 1/2? Lol
I Am 16 yrs Old. I really hate my tonsillectomy. Im on Day 6 meaning I got my tonsils removed on Dec 13. At day 6 it feels like theres something hanging on the left side of my mouth where my tonsil use to be. The back of my tounge is continuosly burning! After reading many tgreads like this im glad to hear that this pain will eventually stop. Sometimes I always regret having the surgery done. The only thing that gets me through my day is my prescribed narcotic medication. Its takes away my pain. Without I cannot function. I really can not wait till im completely healed. Im still wondering when my scabs will fall off though and how will I know?
I am currently 5 weeks post op. I still do not have my normal voice back nor can I taste food normally. I was diagnosed this afternoon with a strep infection. Ok am wondering if the strep is possibly residual from the surgery or if it is a fresh infection. Any ideas?
Today is 3 weeks since my surgery . It is also the first day that I have yawned and not felt like my throat was constricted . I am declaring myself 100% healed! I think I have had this much easier then so many others out there and for that I am grateful. A few changes I have noticed are there is a definite change in taste is a
Few foods I like – but understand that this will go back eventually.
Breathing seems much easier now and my mouth always feels so much cleaner now.
I wish I would have had this done years ago!
Good luck to all…. Now on to the Thanksgiving festivities!
Hello, I am a 35 yo woman and I got my tonsillectomy for chronic cryptic tonsillitis. I am on day 11 post op and even though the pain is slowly subsiding, I continue having problems sleeping. I can only sleep for an hour at a time, and even then, when I wake up my throat feels like somebody lit a blowtorch to it. I have to chug ice water, and it takes me at least 2 hours to get back to sleep. I am not taking any pain meds any more, because my throat bled pretty profusely on day 9 (did not have to be recauterized, thank God!). That scary experience made me want to be fully aware of any significant pain so I can know to seek medical help immediately. Also, I continue to have a hard time speaking. My tongue feels too big for my mouth. Right now my biggest concern is that I have a centimeter-sized hole in the scar tissue in my throat just to the left of the uvula. At first I thought it was a scab, but now I realize it is actually a little hole. I hope that it does not cause me problems later, as I could see food getting stuck in there. Anybody else experience this? My post-op appointment is not until Dec. 10. Thanks for any feedback you can provide, and Greg, thank you SOOOO much for creating such a valuable resource for tonsillectomy survivors!
Day 14! Hardly no pain at all, thank God. This has been the WORST experience of my life, and I’m glad that it is over. For all of the people out there considering the surgery, who don’t have SEVERE medical problems because of your tonsils, please REconsider! I wouldn’t do it again if I had to. Two weeks felt like an eternity. Thanks for all of your help.
Its officially 2 weeks post op and 9 days since my followup surgery for hemorrhage and I am thanking god I can slowly live a normal life again. I tried eating a Big Mac on day 12 which was still hard to swallow but OMG it was the tastiest thing I’ve had eat for so long. I also tried a sandwich the next day but still needed to take sips of water with every bite to help slide the food down. Today I felt good enough to go to the gym for the first time and did a hard workout without any hassles. Had spaghetti for dinner and that was delicious. Its still quite dry in the throat so I keep drinking water but am confident the worse is behind me now.
Good luck to everyone who has to endure this ordeal and I wish you come out in one piece.
I am at day 28 and I am 34. It was quite the experience that I am glad I will never have to go through again. I have to say I have a very low pain tolerence but my pain I would say was a 3-4 through out most of the time except at day 8 when the scabs started falling off. Then I was like a 7-8. That was awful!!! On the eve of day 12 at like 2:30 am I experenced bleeding. I was so hungry that I think I over did it. At 7:50 am I woke up to my throat bleeding again. After hacking up blood I did the cold water gargle and that really helped…I did however go into the ER because of waking up to it. The Dr said my throat looked really good and all I did was tear off a good sized scab. He was surprised to see me at day 12 and not day 10. Currently the only things that are wierd for me is food does taste wierd and I can’t drink pop. The bubbles are bad still. I also quit smoking as well so that is good. Today I have no pain but I feel like I have a giant hairball still in the back of my throat. I have no swelling but I feel as if my throat is really dry…Not sure if that is normal. I also experience lose of voice and my family says I sound different. I did this process pretty much on my own. I had someone watch me the first night but other then some random visitors that was it. That sucked…I was so lonely and hungry. My family lives 4 hrs away…Anyways I really learned a lot from this website and was glad that I prepared as well as I did. The light really is at the end of the tunnel even if you don’t think so…It took forever for it to show up!! Good luck to every one out there! I enjoyed all the stories and enjoyed the fact I was not alone in my misery.
3 weeks postop (50yo F): Happy to report that my surgeon declared me out of the bleeding risk at my postop visit today. Have been off all meds (including NSAIDS) for over a week. I can eat pretty much anything without a problem (chewing my food well out of habit) and happy to report that I lost about 9 lbs (!) and planning to keep it off. I hope to finally get back into my yoga practice, but last week downward dog was really uncomfortable and sivansana impossible because my throat would close up when laying on my back. Yawning and sneezing are still a bit uncomfortable and it feels like I have a very mild sore throat. Doc says everything should be fully healed within the next 2 weeks or so. I’m happy to be through the ordeal and this website is a tremendous resource. Take two weeks off work to recover. Memory of the pain is long gone!
Hi all,
I’m currently on post-op day 11…though I had to re-cauterize yesterday morning due to bleeding and massive blood clots, which has been so depressing. Has anyone here had to do this as well? How long did it take after this to heal? It seems like the pain set me back two or three days, but the diet is back to liquids.
Any help would be appreciated. Thank you & thanks to this site for not allowing me to lose my mind!
se
I am now 3 months post-op and I am grateful each and every day that I got the surgery done, it was the best decision I’ve ever made for myself and my health. It is so amazing not being sick and ran down all the time due to chronic infection.
I hope people are doing their research and opting for the coblation method. I had a smooth easy recovery and I hope to see others choose the coblation method as well. Not all doctors use this method so you need to search around and find one. Make sure they have plenty of years of experience using this method as well. My doctor had been using it about 8 years and he did a great job on me. I had no swelling, bleeding, or complications of any kind, and the pain was very minimal. Don’t just read this and forget about it…start looking into *coblation* tonsillectomy today!
That’s the method that my doctor used. I had braced myself for the worst but it’s been so easy. I returned the ice backs I had bought for the swelling (I had no swelling). Glad to see him not like only one. Day 8.
excuse my typos above, I’m just sleepy.
Hi everyone
I am day 14 post op and can honestly say its been awful! I had complications with the anaesthetic and then my throat bled on day 5 and I spent 7 days in hospital. The pain has now subsided greatly in comparison to what it was however I am still reliant on the pain killers. My throat is still red and swollen and I am finding it difficult to swallow with any ease. I am trying as many different foods as possible but sometimes I feel like I’m choking and I need to swallow everything about 3 times before it feels as though it has gone. Can someone tell me if this is normal and if so when is it likely to get better?? My tongue is still numb too and my mouth doesn’t taste very nice. I am completely sick of this feeling and just want to know when it will return to normal. I am suffering with my ears especially loss of hearing, like when you get of an plane. Please can anyone give me any tips or tell me when this will get better?? My ENT surgeon hasn’t offered me a follow up so I’m really worried that this won’t return to normal
Thanks
Hi Laura- sounds awful- sorry to hear. USUALLY by day 14 people are feeling less of what you describe, but each person’s recovery is different. When you had your bleed, did they re-cauterize? That cab set your recovery time back. I also wonder if you may have oral thrush- https://tonsillectomyrecovery.com/oral-thrush-candida/
Hang in there and keep us posted.
Thanks for your reply Greg
No they didn’t re-cauterize. I had a large clot and they monitored me for days. The pain is much better than it was and I’m guessing my recovery will be slightly longer due to the bleed. I’m just worried I won’t be able to swallow normally again. My tonsils were very large and I have quite big holes in my throat but the surgeon didn’t say if these would get smaller. I’m just fed up of it all now
I see. It does take some time- perhaps 6 to 8 months, for that tissue to completely “firm up.” Most people describe the feeling of not having a tight seal back there for some time. Like, swallowing and water going up your nose. I had that too. It did get better and I’m sure it will for you too.
I’ve had the water up my nose! That makes me feel better, thank you. The doctor doesn’t give enough information in regards to this and the tongue numbness and it’s very daunting. I wasn’t sure if it was normal or not. Hopefully I will feel much better in the next few days. Thank you
This site saved my quality of life post tonsillectomy. 30 years old and it was the absolute worst pain of my life for approx. 9days. All of the tips on this site helped me tremendously though. 1.
Humidifier 2. Round the clock pain meds 3. No diary. 4. Slushy maker purchased via Greg’s site on amazon.com 5. Ice collar
6. Heating pad for referred ear pain 7. 100% Liquid diet for 21 days post op. 8. Oral hygiene. Thought it was extremely difficult to open my mouth more than an inch even after 2 weeks so oral hygiene was a challenge. 9. Kept a log of acetaminophen mg/24-hour period, not to exceed 3,000 mg per my height/wt. once I was off Percocet (on day 9 and beyond) so that I didn’t kill my liver.
10. Lots and lots of family support. Was so weak a times from my limited caloric intake that I struggled to dress myself having mom and hubby there was crucial for the initial 2 weeks. I was able to go back to work at 3 weeks and this was just enough time for me to recover though I still had a significant amount of trouble swallowing at 3 weeks.
I am now almost 3 months post op and the only lingering issue is I cannot taste worth a darn. So upsetting. I wanted to lose weight yes, but I lost 14 lbs in th initial 3 weeks following and have shed an additional 10 due to my sheer lack of taste for foods I formerly loved. Have talks to my surgeon. He said thy he’s never heard of taste disturbances latig quite this long and that he’d like me to follow up with him monthly til it returns. I’m not too hopefull at this point that it will wee be the same. But…I still am glad I had the surgery. No more throat pain, no more allergies, no more tonsil stones and hallotosis! Yay!
Lots of typos, sorry, typing on iPhone. NO DAIRY was what I meant to say. Dairy caused me way too much phlegm as did yogurt products. I lived on a protein powder/water combo with probiotics added in to prevent oral thrush.
Thanks a million, Greg for making this site.
Thanks Janet, for the kind words and the tips for others. I wish you good health.
Sorry about your sense of taste. I have heard of cases where this side effect lingers.https://tonsillectomyrecovery.com/sense-of-taste-after-tonsillectomy/
I hope (think) that it will correct in time. Please keep me posted. Take care.
Day 11: 30 years old and had tonsillectomy (with adenoids removed too)
I HAVE TURNED THE CORNER TO WELLNESS! Last night I slept 5 straight hours! I woke up to a throat that felt like I had ate a bowl of nails and drank acid, but the new numbing medicine worked quickly and the painkiller kicked in soon after. But I didn’t even care because I SLEPT!!!
I only needed half as many pain meds today and the medicine they gave me for my canker sores was a miracle treatment because they were completely gone after one application! (in case anyone else has canker sores, the medicine is Triamcinolone Acetonide Dental Paste) I am definately not 100%, or even 50% yet, but I feel so much stronger and more clear headed than I have since surgery.
I still have throat pain, ear pain and jaw pain but it is nothing like the pain of the past few days. I’m still not talking completely normal yet, but I’m sure that will come back soon.
I will post again in a week just to check in. Thanks again for this wonderful resource
Great news! Thanks Liz!
Well as promised one last post to let folks know what post day 10 looks like! now on day 18 post surgery and all is good! The morning of day 11 was the real turning point for me, I woke up with hardly any pain at all, infect I was confused, I thought our clock must be wrong as I had not woken up in pain all night to take meds and it was now 8am what had happened! Sure enough the pain never returned the nightmare was over!! So I am now back a work, eating pretty well, still have some scabs on my right tonsil which makes eating sweet things unpleasant as they seem go stick around the scabs yuk!! I saw my doctor yesterday , he says I am in good shape and that my recovery has been good. He did say he always waits 2 weeks before seeing patients as if he sees them after a week , they are very miserable and give him a hard time !! Coward!! On another matter, I don’t seem to have any taste issues or changes as some people have reported, everything seems back to normal. Finally I want to say a huge thank you to Gregg for setting up this forum, it really helped me through a really difficult process, and thank you to everyone who has posted great advice and tips. Great job everyone, wishing you all good health for the future.
hi everyone I am on day 12 and all I can say is praise The Lord hallejuah! It has been the worst 12 days of my life I am 25 year old female and never would have thought that the pain I experienced would be possible. day 1.2.3 were okay as I believe the pain killers from the hospital really masked the pain. Day 4 is when the real deal happened.. I woke up at 2 am could not swallow could not move my body without sharp and really terrible pain. It was so bad I went to the hospital for them to find a bleed so this mean staying for 2 days on observation and recipe ring pain management plan. firstly no drug really helps take the pain away but they make you groggy enough to accept what you are feeling. The ent specialists had to cauterise my throat again and I begged to go home So i could try sleep as the hospital was so noisy. when I arrived home they sent me with nurofen and paracetomal and a mouth wash. I found the nurofen most effective with Panadol. after day 8 had to stop nurofen as my stomach was not feeling good from it. The pain went from a raw pain to my mouth ears and throat feeling badly bruised and so sensitive. I could not talk properly and my ear pain was so Intense even my teeth were aching. I used heat packs for my ears and throat and at this stage had to use panadiene forte. It is day 12 and now I can eat normal still small pain but I can deal with it and I really feel like a new girl today!!! My advice is stay with someone do not be alone and make sure to eat and drink as normal as you can through the pain it helps the scabs go away. My throat is almost clear still a bit yellow but redness and swelling so much better. You can experience a bleed do not risk it go straight to hospital. it is really important to not drink or have to much dairy and web sleep feels almost impossible just remember that when you start to feel better you will catch up on your sleep and start to feel normal again. I so lucky my sister looked after me there were days where I couldn’t move.. It was an experience I will never forget and I feel relieved its almost over. I have my follow up appointment tomorrow and looking forward to seeing if I have recovered faster then normal. thanks for reading and I wish all of you fast recovery. jazz
Today, I believe all of my scabs fell off. Strangely enough, I didn’t feel any of them coming off this whole time… Except on the fourth day. Most of the pain is gone, I think I was off the pain meds on day five, except for one dose at night before bed and occasional doses of children’s Tylenol. I sneezed today really hard and I think that’s what knocked the rest of the scabs off. Ow. Mostly only yawning and annexing and eating and sharpish foods hurt.
Now 11 days post-op. First day almost without pain control medicine. First day eating almost normal food. Yes! I can see the light!!!
thank God I’ve got maybe a week of this hell left
I’m about two months post op, I got mine out in early august.
I’m 20 years old and recovery, like for most, was hell. I didn’t eat for about 2 and a half weeks, once I could eat I didn’t want because I had completely lost my sense of taste. I still to this day am not doing well with sweets and have abandoned ketchup (horror of horrors to me, I am a ketchup queen) It has been an uphill battle.
I was wondering if anyone else about 2 months out has gotten a bad sore throat? I’ve been coughing a lot, being a college student colds are inevitable, tonight though I’m having a difficult time swallowing and I’m scared I might have hurt my throat through strain or something. Anyone know if this is possible? I’m still terrified of hemorrhaging even though I know the chances for that are slim to none.
I’m about two months out as well and I am 22 years old. One month post op I had some serious swelling in my throat and could barely swallow anything, it almost felt bruised. I thought that was the last of it but 2 months post op and I am STILL not healed. I wake up every morning with a sore throat. I have gotten a humidifier and it has helped only a little. I still cannot yawn without pain, I can’t move my tongue is certain positions without it hurting, and I choke on everything I drink. I still have to be careful with spicy food because sometimes it gets stuck in the area instead of going down my throat and hurts very badly. I am assuming you are still not healed. I see your post is from October so hopefully you’re feeling better now!!
Hi there
Im about half way through day 11 and cant work out if i have a cold or not as i feel quite rough. Other than that i don’t think my recovery has been too bad, some days can be almost unbearable but like everybody has said keep taking your meds even if your not in pain, eat and drink as often as you can and i don’t think i would have coped so well if it wasn’t for salt water!! I didn’t try it until the third or fourth day and it made such a difference!!!!!!!! Just gurgling it for a few minutes took the swelling right down and eased the pain within 10 minutes and there’s no limit to how often you can do it. I also noticed lots of people were worried about scabs coming off and my experience was fine they are 75% gone and all came away while i was eating, it does sting a bit as they come off and for the rest of the night but the next morning its so much better! I had my tonsillectomy as i suffer a lot with quinsy and my surgeon told me that the scar tissue on my tonsils was so bad that they were like concrete so for anyone suffering with the same thing i would recommend you have them removed, the recovery is horrible but you will get over it and no more abscesses again!
I too struggled with major scarring and an abscess 4 months ago. I’m on day 10 .it looks like I was hollowed out like a pumpkin.days are getting better but nights are horrible. waking up after 3 hours of sleep for meds my throat is dry and takes a good 10 minutes to get comfortable enough to take meds.things are looking up. eating more soups.
I’m a 38 year old male.
I wanted to mention swallowing function. It’s not mentioned much but I think people need to be aware that after two large objects are removed from the back of the mouth that swallowing may be different until your body adjusts. I have noticed that I need to swallow harder than I did before and sometimes several times to get food to clear the back of the mouth. I don’t have those big tonsils to help squeeze things down and so my throat is having to contract harder. It is normal and you will eventually adjust. When kids have this done, they are still growing and rarely notice. As adults, we are all fully formed and the older you are, the longer this adjustment may take.
I agree, swallowing is different. I feel like when I drink liquids they start going up my nose. I did not have my adenoids out either. Also, things like spitting and sneezing are different too haha.
The sneezing is funny too, I can’t control it and hold it in like I could before. I used to be able to muffle it some. Now it just lets loose!
I also can’t tolerate soda anymore. I don’t like the way it feels on my soft palate. Which is great for me. I’ve wanted to kick the soda habit.
Dang no soda?! I am still too afraid to even try it, I miss it so much though
I’m a 30 year old woman, and I recently had a tonsillectomy (August 28th). Unlike many users on this site, I did not feel like I wanted to share everyday how I was doing, but I’m grateful for both the site and those who shared their thoughts and experiences. They were hugely helpful to me. Now that I am feeling mostly back to normal, I thought I’d post some of the things that really helped me, in addition to what I’ve already seen on here. Today is day 19 post-op. I still have some scabs, mild soreness, and tiredness, but I’m just about back to 100%. My doctor said that my recovery is perfectly normal, so no need to worry if you’re like me and your scabs aren’t falling off by day 7-10.
So, recovery. The recommendation to get a humidifier was HUGELY helpful. On the eve of Day 2, I read about that on here and had my mother (who came from out-of-town to help me through this) run out to get an antimicrobial, deminerlizer, ultrasonic humidifier. It helped me sleep so much better and I woke up with MUCH less pain. After reading about the possibility of oral thrush as a side effect, I was completely freaked – definitely did not want that!! I had bought yogurt before the surgery, but post-op, I realized it felt too thick for me to swallow. It felt like it was stuck and clogging up my already swollen throat. I had my mom run out to get strawberry kiefer – a yogurt-like drink that contains more helpful bacteria in it than your average yogurts. Joy! I could drink it and it tastes something like a smoothie. I drank 2-3 glasses a day. I didn’t develop oral thrush – don’t know if I would have, but erring on the side of caution is a good thing! Two words: TONGUE SCRAPPER. It’s one of the things that helped me feel the most comfortable post-op, in addition to things I’ve already seen mentioned on this site. In the days right after the surgery, I had a thick white film on my tongue and my best efforts to brush it off didn’t seem to work that well. I decided to get out the my tongue scrapper to see if I could get it off on day three. At first I couldn’t open my mouth far enough to do my full tongue because my jaw was too stiff and I couldn’t stick out my tongue very far, but even doing the front half half felt SO MUCH BETTER. In the following days, I was progressively able to open my mouth more, and used the tongue scrapper morning and night. I felt so much more comfortable! Finally, HOT COMPRESSES for deferred ear pain. My mother stayed about a week, and then my boyfriend – who had had to be out of town that week – got back. Like most worried partners, he’d been doing a lot of his own research on how to help me. He had come across a mention of using hot moist compresses for ear pain, and I was SO glad he did!! A hot wet (but not sopping) wash cloth was my salvation for a few days there! Finally, give yourself time to heal! I initially took two weeks off of work – and to be honest, in my heart of hearts, I fully expected to be through with the worst of it by Day 10. Not so! I am just now returning to work (tomorrow is Monday, so off I go!). Have someone there to help you. I needed all sorts of things. I dropped 12 and a half pounds in the past 2 1/2 weeks – sometimes I was so lightheaded and dizzy I needed help just walking to the bathroom. Having someone to go get things like kiefer, the humidifier, more ice cream, vegetable broth, additional painkillers when my first prescription ran out, etc. was so incredibly important. Also, just having someone to help with running downstairs to get water and not feel like I was all alone in this was so important to making me feel emotionally okay in spite of physical discomfort and pain. In any event, even just on the outside of going through this, I am SO glad I did! For the first time in years, I can touch my neck and not feel swollen tonsils and engorged lymph node throughout my neck. It feels great. I know I’m going to feel SO much better and healthier going forward. If you’re pre or post-op, good luck! It will get better!
Thank you so much for this awesome comment Kulrich! I know that others will appreciate it too. I hope that you enjoy great health in the future.
No problem, Greg. I hope it helps others going through this. And many, many thanks to you for creating this site and forum! It definitely helped me through a very difficult experience, one which would have been much worse if not for the fantastic information I found here.
It’s the start of Day 11 for me. I went out on Day 10, things were going well despite a rough morning. I felt good. A family member called, wanted to come over. Then once here (brought me tomato soup and ginger ale – REALLY?) wanted to go out. I felt like giving it a try so we went to Panera. I had the vegetable soup and veggie sandwich on soft bread. Talking and asking questions I tried to hurry up and swallow so I could answer and suffered a setback. A larger than good idea piece of bread brushed the back of my throat. Lunch OVER. Seems like I have moved in progression back to day 9 now. Spent last night coughing like crazy. I know the scabs are trying to come off but it makes sleep very difficult and makes your throat very sore.
Keeping hydrated has dropped off and I need to work harder on that today and see if it helps. Can you take cough syrup at night? I’ve tried sitting up, laying down and cough and gag on my own spit regardless. I eventually end up passing out wherever I was last when I’m finally exhausted.
I’ve had no bleeding episodes (knock on wood) and consider myself fortunate for that. I am hoping that I can get things together as I am expected to return to work on Day 15. Please let this be over by then.
Be really careful about the coughing, you can still have a coughing induced bleeding episode up to 2 full weeks after surgery. Try chewing gum, that really helped me. There were a few nights I didn’t sleep that much because I was chewing gum all night, but at least I wasn’t coughing. Watermelon gum was the best. Or, try cough syrup. Good luck!
Hi all I have been reffering to this site since I had tonsillectomy, adnoids, and septoplasty done on July 24, I am now almost a full month post op and yesterday I began to have throat pain again and that really awful dry feeling in the back of my throat. I have been kind of achy haven’t noticed a fever but I am feeling crappy again. Has anybody else experienced this problem this far out? I am not sure if I need to go to the doctor or if this is normal. Please help.
Woohoo! Just had my post-op appointment, all cleared to eat normal and go back to work! My ENT said the swelling and dry mouth should be gone by the weekend! My tonsils weighed 13.5 pounds, he said in his 30 years of practice he has never seen tonsils so big! Everyone in recovery, hang in there there is a light at the end of the tunnel! There were days where I questioned my decision in doing this, now I know it was worth it! I am 37 f, had to be cauterized twice, stay in the hospital. It was scary and there were times when I was ready to quit! Just hang in there, you are strong and will get through it!
Question? How long does it take for the mouth dryness to go away and for foods to start tasting normal, oh and the swelling to go down? Ok that was three questions!
Hey one thing i’ve noticed is the roof of my house is really tender like it was bruised, and one of the most painful places when I swallow is at the back of the roof of my mouth. I didn’t think my adenoids were removed but with this pain i’m beginning to think so, do you guys think so? and since the emergency surgery last Wednesday I’ve been able to eat a LOT more, tomato soup for all it stings a bit goes down, buttered toast is okay, and soft cheeseburgers from McDonalds. My throat still aches to swallow though and I’m just waiting for the pain to leave but it feels like it never will ?
Has anyone had a taste problem yet? In on day 13 and everything tastes horrible, please let me know if I’m alone on this.
i’ve noticed acidic food like ketchup or tomato soup sting the front of my tongue. but most everything has begun to taste alright. I had mine on 8/1
I am having things tasting extra salty when I know they aren’t. Chocolate pudding tastes a little bitter. Can’t wait for that to go away.
Its day 12. Scabs are off. It has been quite a journey to this point. Up until now, everything i’ve read was about experiencing horrible pain and so on. This might be true for some, but not every person will experience this. Out of all the tonsil and adnoid surgeries per year, supposedly in the hundreds of thousands in the U.S., not all of them are going to be bad. My recovery did not have extreme pain; the anxiety leading up to and following post-op was terrible.
I’m a 27 year old male. On a scale of 1-10, from days one to ten, the level never exceeded a 5. I had a few bleeding episodes; that was t. My advice to those considering this surgery: humidifier, non-dairy foods (applesauce, popsicles), cold water, a balanced sleep and med schedule, and little to no talking for the first five days will increase the healing process. Only eat solid foods when the throat feels it can handle these foods.
**Remember** This is a different process for everyone. This is a case-by-case surgery and no two are going to be the same. Evaluate each review case-by-case. Go into the surgery optimistically. Listen to the doctor’s advice first and foremost. Whatever the outcome, the process is always going to lead to light at the end of the tunnel.
To those who may experience anxiety: one thing that helped with this; a new article came on about a six-year old child who had a rare form of cancer. On opening day at the Cleveland Browns game, he was brought on the field, tossed the ball, and ran for a touchdown. God bless the child and the team for giving him this opportunity. The trials in life will test us; they will not break us.
Whatever the outcome during post-op, it is temporary. I know this is hard for some but try not to worry about what has not yet happened. The light at the end of the tunnel is very bright.
This is my last post-op recovery post.
~AR
Day 19 and I still have some scabs! Crazy! They are not thick like they used to be, they are definitely thinning out. Thought they would be completely gone by now but I guess not. The holes in my throat are closing up pretty quick it seems, and my uvula is looking more normal. Just those darn scabs sticking around…!
On the bright side, I’m already noticing I have more energy and just overall “feel better” than I felt even before surgery. My poor body was constantly at war trying to beat my tonsils and their infections…it finally gets a break and can rest!
Day 13 (coblation method) and eating pasta like a champ. The scabs are SLOWLY disappearing. As they come off my ears get sharp stabs of pain, but it’s only temporary.
I wanted to mention one thing I never saw anybody else write: Buy a child’s toothbrush! It was too hard to brush my teeth with an adult toothbrush, I bought a child’s toothbrush and it’s working like a charm.
Day 12 coblation tonsillectomy. The itchiness has gotten better. I’m back at work today. Still not completely healed up but hopefully that happens soon! Ready to be back to normal.
I’m on day 11 coblation tonsillectomy… I’m wondering, when will the scabs be gone?Will they be gone by day 16? I want to make plans but not till things are more back to normal.
Also still dealing with itchy throat which is not conducive to sleep.
I’m on Day 13 and I still have scabs… though I had a set back with bleeding and had to be chemically cauterized on day 2/3 and then got thrush on day 6. I’m really wishing this would be over… I want nachos, BBQ chicken pizza, Margaritas and a Big steak with French fries and Onion rings right about now… LOL! Sooooooooooo sick of broth, jello, Popsicles etc…
Day 16:
Wow this is rough. I guess it’s been 2 days since I got cauterized. The pain is definitely there, it’s hard to eat and swallow, I am really struggling here. I wonder how long this process will be and I worry I will bleed again but we wont know for another 10-14 days right? I keep coughing like something is caught up in my lungs
Hi I am on day 11 of my adventure. I have very little pain so far with the exception that I ended up with thrush which was not really pleasant. My problem is here on day 11 my scabs still have not come off. They say its the worst part but why are they not coming off. I stressed over bleeding I must check or have someone check my throat 20 times a day. I have not bled yet. They say it is most likely to happen when the scabs come off but i think mine are here to stay lol
When did your scabs end up coming off? I’m wondering the same thing. Thanks!
I followed your story. Sorry to hear you had such a rough time. Are you fully recovered now?
I’m having my tonsils out on July 23rd. I have a camping trip planned for August 23-25. Is this out of the question?
That’s a month away they say normal recovery time is 14 days
Day 14
I am the one that had the easiest recovery, I mean hardly any pain until day 9-10. I was back to eating everything by day 12 and gained voice back. I came back from a week-end trip where i relaxed most of the time and on my way to work yesterday (day 14) I started bleeding. The ENT office is across form my work so I stopped in for quick advice. He ended up cauterizing me in his office but it wasnt good enough even if bleeding eventually stopped, we did emergency surgery later on. And I have moved on with my life. Now he wants me on bed rest, not sure how I will afford all this. He said liquids only for 10 days and also that now the pain would be worse, he had to put stiches on and said that we started all over again:-( So I guess today is day1 or 15 and yes, the hyrocodone doesnt take the whole pain away but it makes in more manageable. Now I’ll get constipated again and all. He said it’s serious, this could happen in 10-15 days again. I lost 10 pounds, I am now 117, not sure I can afford to lose another 10
Greg THANK YOU soo much for this website!! Hoping you can help me. I am a 34 year old female and had a tonsillectomy 5/13/13, leaving me at 16 days post op. 6 days in I vomitted a couple times, ended up with 101.6 f fever next morning. Went to urgent care got 2liters of fluids and Iv antibiotics for elevated white count. This ENTIRE time I have had SEVERE pain 20/20, since day 14 it’s been about 15/20. The doctor acts like your crazy if you report pain past “expected” time frames (im also a 12 year RN in PACU with this docs pts on reg) So needless to say i stopped asking for pain meds and have only been taking motrin for the last5-6 days. I did EVERYTHING right, I still cant eat must past broth, my tonsil beds look great HOWEVER every time I swallow I have 20/20 pain deep in my throat or the back of my tongue!!!???? Any ideas what could cause such severe deep throat pain this far out and when I can expect it to feel better (as a RN I want to tell myself it’s still a scab, but REALLY that deep)
Forgot to mention cold like ice and Popsicles have always actually made the pain worse and now I can barely tolerate sips of room temp water!!! HELP!!!
Yes I set my water out to get room temp and the popsickles definitely don’t work. I am lucky if I am able to get 1bottle water down. This is truly sad.
Hi Heidi my name is Nicole. I am going through the same thing. I am on day 8. I went to my doctors office and the nurse told me that my scab and the area where the tonsils was is rubbing together and that is why I feel the sting so she gave me some Lidocane so that I can numb the area. However it is not working for me. It is very painful. I hope that you will be OK. I had surgery on may 31st. I just can’t wait for this to be over.
I am 3 weeks post op today from my tonsillectomy in Thailand. It has been a rough 3 weeks, but now I have a weird taste when I eat certain foods. Not all foods taste bad, but most do. How long does this last?
I’m about 30 days post surgery. I experienced the same with certain foods as well however, that seems to be gone now. For a while I did feel my tongue to bit a bit swollen and maybe even tough as if it got burnt but maybe by next week or so that will change for you as well.
Thanks, I hope it does get better soon. It’s really frustrating when I want to eat something only to find once I get it that it taste horrible and I end up not being able to.
I’m now 4 weeks post surgery and some foods still heave that strange taste. Sometimes it’s a metal taste and some foods it’s a sweet taste, but not in a good way. Has anyone else experienced this 4 weeks after surgery and if so how long until all foods taste normal again? Also I notice sometimes after I eat I get what looks like a blister in the back of my throat where my tonsils were is this normal? Being so far from home, I am an American and having this surgery here in Thailand I can say this site has been a blessing to me. Healing time for everyone is different, but make sure you get good medicines. Here they tried to give me children’s Tylenol which did not even touch the pain. It took 3 days before I got good medicine that helped. Thanks again for the site!
I’m now 6 weeks post surgery and only this week, was I able to yawn without any pain. However, I still get the funny taste, not only when I eat certain foods, but most of the day there is a funny taste in my mouth. Can’t quite put my finger on what it tastes like, but it is irritating. I also still feel like I am choking and find it difficult to breathe. But I’ve been told and all the research indicates that this is a normal part of recovery and I just have to give it time. Talking for long periods is still a challenge and unfortunately my job requires me to do alot of talking. But thankfully, I have a great support system at home and at work. I think I may have over done it 3 weeks post op, cause I was moving and against doctors orders, I was doing alot of heavy lifting that that may have slowed down my healing alittle. But God is good and all should be well soon. Hope this helps someone else who is 6 weeks out.
I had my surgery 6 weeks ago as well. Same here with the yawning. Still certain foods irritate the back of my throat. Also, I feel like I might have a scab left…Is that possible??? Overall, my recovery has been good with the exception of an allergic reaction to pain meds (Loritab-hydrocodine) not a fan of pain meds anyway, so just took extra strength Tylenol starting at day 6/7…
I am on day 12.. I feel like crap am cold yet sweating, no fever. I didn’t really go off the hydrocodone slowly, just lowered the dose and tyres going as long as possible without it. I don’t know if its withdrawals and no one else has really mentioned this yet? The pain when yawning isn’t really pain it feels like my skin stretching. Also my ear canals itch. Lol I am sure its just referred pain itchiness from them healing I dont know.. but I am defiantly over this constipation bs. I have IBS and already have issues in that department and honestly its more painful than the surgery was! Not sure if others have this problem but I highly recommend a dose of miralax within your diet/pain management/sleep schedule to make it easier on your system!
Thank you for this site. It really help me with my recovery. I am 29 and I just had my tonsils removed on April 23, 2013. I’m pretty much all better now. The only pain is when I yawn because I still can’t open my mouth fully. However, one thing that is bothering me is that very often now, when I drink liquids, as I swallow, some of it comes out through my nose. Not very much but still, uncomfortable. More so it happens if I try to take down a tall glass of liquid without pausing (gulping it down). Has anyone or is anyone else experiencing this? Thanks
I had my tonsils removed on 30/04 and about a week ago I started experiencing this its quite embarrassing and uncomfortable. Thankfully I’m not the only one!
I’m still in recovery, but I’ve seemed to have this problem since the surgery. I even had throw up come out my nose on some of the countless times I puked! Extremely unpleasant. I just attributed it to the fact that they took my adenoids out also. Could that possibly be the answer?
I spoke with my docs receptionist about this. She did mention that it is common to experience this having your adenoids removed as well. However, I did not have them removed, just my tonsils. At least, as far as I know. Maybe the surgeon got carried away??:| I don’t know. I just hope it’s not permanent. I also hope the fact that sweets don’t taste the same to me is not permanent either:(
First off, I want to say how thankful I am for this website! I am 45 yrs. old and had my tonsils removed on April 17. I have enjoyed being able to come to this site and see that I am not alone in what I am going through. Last night, I woke up coughing and feeling something draining down my throat, and when I looked with a flashlight, my right tonsil bed was bleeding a lot. I went and got ice water to drink like the doctor’s instructions said. It took about two hours of drinking before a blood clot formed and it stopped. I sat in a recliner and dosed off and woke up about an hour later and vomited blood. The blood clot came off and even the left side started bleeding from the force of vomiting. It was really scary! I drank ice water again and discussed going to the ER with my husband. He kept me calm. We decided to wait because it stopped bleeding and clotted again. The left side stopped bleeding altogether. I ended up going to see the doctor that morning and he numbed the area and cauterized it. I am on Day 15 and currently feel like I am starting over. My throat hurts so much and the progress I had made with eating is now back to the original diet and it hurts to even drink water. He put me back on Tylenol with codeine. It is frustrating but I am trying to be as positive as possible. Anyone know a way to stop craving real food? Best of luck with everyone in your recovery and stay strong!
Sorry go hear this. Mine was on April 25th and I started bleeding on Friday. I had to go to ER and the had to recauterize me and I had to soend a day and a half in the hospital. I guess this happens quite often :-/. Hope you’re doiing better.
Sorry to hear about your experience. I had mines removed on the 23rd of April. I’m pretty much back to normal well, without tonsils lol. During my recovery I just drank a lot of water and protein powder with water. Cream of wheat with maple syrup at least twice a day. If you can’t eat that, ginger ale helps with the stomach aches. Depending on what you can handle, you may want to let it get a bit flat so the carbonation doesn’t irritate your throat. Hope this helps.
Got my tonsils out in grade 4. I’m 33 now and let me tell you it was one of the worst pains I have ever had. I rather have 5 more chil births than have to do that over again! What a nightmare. But after reading about tonsil stones and discovering that my husband had them, and how annoying they are to get out, boy am I glad I don’t have em.
Greg thank you for this site. When I came down with repeated cases of strep after New Years the dr advised that chances are I will need a tonsillectomy. 3 months later I had one. Your site helped me prep physically and mentally for the recovery process. In only on day 10 and had a minor set back. My follow up is on Monday. I just wanted to let you know that I appreciate this site and everyone who has shared their story.
Lissette, you are quite welcome! It’s a blessing to serve. I had a little backslide on day 10 too! I took an extra day off from work, but was ready then. Best of luck to you my dear!
I am 2 months and 5 days post op, and I can say getting my tonsils out was the best decision for me. Even if you asked me during recovery, I was still saying that it was the best decision. I healed beautifully. I wake up fully rested when before my surgery I woke up really tired. (I think I had a touch of apnea…I snored A LOT.) and I haven’t had strep since I got them out. I got frequent strep infections too. and I breathe easier too. My tonsils were huge. Worst pain I’ve ever experiences in my life, but it was so worth it. My tip to everyone is: if a week or so afer surgery your throat still feels phlegmy while/after eating ice cream, Stick with popsicles. That was my issue. If I needed relief from my throat pain, I would take my liquid vicodin, eat a popsicle, and rest all day. Popsicles were a life saver. I hope everyone who is recovering is doing well, and those of you who are awaiting your surgery date, it’s okay to be scared, and a little nervous. Just remember all the benefits you’ll have from having them out all through your recovery time.
You’ll be okay!!!! 
I PROMISE.
I’m on day 11 now, worst surgery I’ve ever had! But I feel sooo good now, it just feels like a bad throat, but as my tonsils were constantly inflamed I’m used to it. Eating is still a problem but I love food so I will force it down me and once I’ve eaten it I feel so much better lol, I’m going for a Chinese buffet tomorrow ill see how that goes but today I’ve eaten a pot noodle, sandwich, toast omelet and salad and it only took me about 15 minutes longer to eat it, I’m so closed to being fine!
The recovery itself was horrible, the doctors didn’t let on to me at all about the pain, I thought it’d be a breeze, I didn’t even research before hand, big mistake. Days 1 and 2 were bad at the time but once I got only days 3-6 I thought they were nothing. Days 3-6 is when the scabs start forming and they absolutely killed me, my ears sufferd so bad! After that it had its difficultys but weren’t too bad.
I did bleed on day 7 and 8 quite heavily but I just drank chilled water and after that I was fine, I wish everyone the best on their surgery and recoverys, I don’t know about everyone else but after I’ve got through this I feel like I can do anything!
Good luck everyone xx
Hi all,
I’m a 45 yr female and I’m now 11 days post op and while this site has been great for me to read the pictures of what the tonsil area looks like post op on a daily basis is nothing to how mine looks. Mine looks like two “curtains” of skin on either side of the uvula with the uvula being attached to the skin on the left hand side. Is this normal?
I have a post op appointment on the 17/4/13 but was wondering if anybody else had a similar thing going on in their throat. Really wouldnt want more surgery it’s not normal.
Kim
*if it’s not normal*
Hi Kim,
Not sure of the answer to you question but we must’ve had the surgery on the same day. I’m off the pain meds for 2 days now, which feels great since I’m not as nauseous and can focus again. I had a scare yesterday morning as I work up bleeding from the right tonsil bed. The whole scab fell off and it took 2 hours of gargling ice water to get it to stop completely! Had another short bleeding episode later last night and now I can’t sleep for fear of bleeding. I’ve been drinking tons of water and icing, hopefully I’m nearing the end because I’m so hungry and tired. On a side note, has anyone experienced aching muscles/joins without a fever? I’m also really cold all of the time!
Don’t worry Kim. Mine looked just like that 11 days or so after the surgery and it’s all fine now (4 months after). I don’t know if it happens to everyone, but i know it happened to me. No worries ?
they used electrocautery on me.
Hello everyone, I’m 16 days into my recovery!!!! Yeah!!!! However, I’m having a lot of trouble eating. I have to choke down my food with much difficulty. The food feels like its sticking to the roof of my mouth as it tries to go down; practically gagging to get it down. Is anyone experiencing this problem? Is this normal? Does this eventually stop?
I had my tonsillectomy on Feb 22. I was told the surgery went well. I’m in my late 30’s, but I’m healthy, so I could fly through recovery and get back to work. Nope. On day 4, I hemorrhaged at home alone, called 911, rushed to ER, given 4 liters of fluids and silver nitrate to close the bleeder. Sent home. Day 6, hemorrhaged again, went to ER, went to pre-op for emergency surgery. Began hemorrhaging worse… I lost 2 pints of blood in the 5 minutes it took them to get me into the ER, thought I was going to die. Spent the night in the hospital. Went home and had another hemorrhage on the other side two days later. Back to the ER and in the OR within a half hour. Hemoglobin dropped to 8, nearly needed a blood transfusion. Was on disability for the month. Worst imaginable pain for 2 weeks, nerve damage, so much extra jaw and mouth pain from the emergency procedures. I still have taste distortion that won’t go away. My last operation to stop the bleeding was Mar 4. Its now April 2nd. I still have intermittent ear pain. Still have a sore throat and pain with swallowing. Still have white patches in the back of the throat. Weird taste in my mouth… bitter, sweet, unpleasant. Its been nearly a month since my last surgery, and I understand I had a lot of complications, BUT when are things going to get back to normal? I’m just so shocked by and disappointed with my recovery. In the 10 days following my first surgery, I ended up 4 hemorrhages, a 911 call and ambulance ride to the ER, bedside cautery, 2 more ER trips, 2 emergency surgeries with hospitalizations and pain beyond my wildest dreams. And I did everything right. I took my pain medicine every 4 hours around the clock, drank plenty of fluids, used a humidifier, followed all activity restrictions, rested, did not take any blood thinners, ate the correct foods. There is no such thing as a routine surgery. I’m still healing and not sure where the finish line is. I’m not sure if my throat will every be the same.
wow, you really have had it tough. I don’t have any advice for you, I’m just another tonsillectomy recipient. I thought I had it bad, but then I read your story. I am really sorry that you’ve had such a tough recovery, and I just wanted to let you know you are in my prayers, that you do obtain a full recovery, and that your throat will be the same again. I hope you don’t have any further complications, and that you will start to feel better soon and that you will be back to doing your normal thing again and that the tonsillectomy pays off for whatever reason you had it done in the first place.
Pray! God has the power.
Hi, I had my surgery Feb 8 th and although I had a tough time with recovery and am so much better, is it normal to have the feeling that youve something constantly stuck in the back of your throat… I’m now regretting having the op if I’ve this to live with… It’s depressing me…
I had mine out on November 6, 2012 and I still feel like something is stuck in my throat. It does seem to be getting marginally better. I read somewhere it can take up to a year. At least I think I read that. I came back to this forum (which was so helpful) to see if anyone else experienced the same thing.
I am now 6 weeks post op and am now experiencing this feeling like something is stuck in my throat, but apart from being irritating, it is causing me some difficulty in breathing. I Truly hope it does not take a year for it to go away.
I’m 6 weeks out and that is what I’m experiencing now…I’m like…do I still have a scab back there??? Trying certain foods make me not want to eat…
What method was used to remove your tonsils? Electrocautery or coblation?
Hi Linda,
I had serious bleeding after my surgery too.. though not as many times as you did (so far, as I’m still in recovery, day 11, and after reading your post im a little nervous haha). It was one of the scariest things I’ve ever dealt with and I thought my poor mother was going to have a stroke watching me bleed like that and trying to get me into a car and to the hospital. I lost almost 3 pints of blood and my count was down to 8 as well, my blood pressure dropped to 89/58…. I had to spend 2 days in the hospital waiting to see if I’d bleed again or need a transfusion. Neither happened thankfully. Though I did get thrush by day 6…. This whole experience has been terrible.. I went through a C-section and a gall bladder removal without taking a painkiller once I left the hospital… This.. I’ve been taking it like clock work. I still haven’t eaten anything “solid” I’ve been living off of liquids.. I was supposed to go back to work next weds but my boss wants me out at least another week (I am a preschool teacher, between the germs I’m around and the need for my voice etc she wants me to rest for a bit longer). The surgeon on the other hand says I should still be able to get back to work.. I think he’s crazy….
I am a 34 year old female and i had my tonsillectomy on March 19th … 12 days post op.. Im starting to feel better and managed to eat a little something today… so for me day 1-2 kind out of it from the pain med.. day3-6 hands down the Worst.. had ear pain really bad.. on day six i kept coughing and started coughing up lots of blood. I had to go to the ER and got admitted for the night in the hospital.. my ENT said if i had anymore bleeding it was back to the OR for me ( thank god i didn’t have anymore) I had to stay in bed 2 days straight after that.. days 7-8 were pretty tough as well… day 10-11 i forced myself to go back to work for a half day b/c i could not take being home alone anymore..
some tips that might help:
Drink Water only small sips
sleep with your head elevated
take your pain meds every 4 hours .. even set your alarm so you don’t skip a dose.. I also used ibuprofen (but check with doc b/c of bleeding)
Use an ice pack on your neck ALL the time
Ice chips are awesome
milk shakes are good but they make your throat feel like it has a ton of snot stuck in the back of it
let people take care of you
Humidifier is a must
Try not to cough so much b/c your scabs could fall off before they are ready
jello is good, baby food is good, and sherbert ice cream was good… Cold things feel really good..
everyone hang in there and i hope for a good recovery for you all… i won’t lie – it has been a rough 12 days for sure and i am so thankful to Greg for having this site.. it really really helped me to understand what was going on.. i read it every single day… happy Easter everyone
I’m on day 11, still a lot of pain, but from yesterday I noticed there are some scabs coming off. Yesterday it was almost unbearable, but today I woke up a bit better. I’m worried because I’m traveling next Friday (in 6 days from today) and I wonder if its too soon. I plan to be away for 10 days, away from my country. Do you think it will be posible by then to eat properly? The recovery is gradual or is it faster every day?
So I’m starting to feel like a normal human being again. I’ve stopped taking panadine forte and only have to finish taking my prescribed steroids for a few days. Gargling with peroxide diluted 3 times per day definitely has helped the process.
I can no longer drink/eat anything salty, or even apple juice now. It’s a complete burning sensation, actually it’s more like someone is jabbing me with a burning hot polker in my throat.
I attempted to eat some normal soft foods today as I feel like I am on the road to recovery. And I’ve found it a very frustrating process. At both attempts the food got stuck in my throat and caused major coughing choking fits, it kinds of killed my spirit, as even though I’m feeling better, I just want to be able to eat normally again. I’m actually almost scared to eat now. I’m sure it will get better, time heals.
Certainly not enjoying going back to work next week though, lucky it’s a long Easter weekend!
Stay positive everyone, there will be light at the end of the tunnel x
Day 12 for me after my op. Can swallow so much better thankfully still not sleeping through the night & yesterday & today I have felt so tired and I have very little energy. I saw my doc yesterday & he said I had inflammation although he never prescribed me antibiotics. I am still talking my meds however. I hope this lethargic feeling passes soon!
hi .am on day 10 post tonsill. first eight days were crazy. i am still on my diclo suppositories though tongue pain and throst pain is bearable. i feel nauses and ill every am dont know why. maybe sideeffect of drug. am eating pretty normally now but the lithergy just gets to me. anyone experiencing same?
Hello dear friends,
I’m on day 12 and out of nowhere I got high fevers (about 39, god knows how much that is in Fahrenheit). Anybody got any experience with fevers so far into the recovery?
Thanks
That’s about 102.2 F – You might have an infection. I think you should get that checked out ASAP
Good lord… Well, thank you. I got an appointment first thing in the morning. Keep fingers crossed for me
P. s. sorry for posting the same thing on the “my tonsillectomy” page as well, I really wanted somebody’s opinion
Rozalie
Dear Greg,
You were SO right. Thanks so very much. As my temp wasn’t going down, I lost my nerves and (having your advice in mind) went to the emergency ENT ambulance in the evening. I immediately got a week worth of antibiotics as there is an inflammation somewhere – probably the tonsil beds. I didn’t see that coming almost two weeks after the surgery but… What can you do.
Thanks a lot for your opinion on my problem, you were the final argument to go to the dr. immediately.
Phew, let’s pray for better days to come.
Rozalie
I am so very glad to hear this. I was a bit worried for you. Here’s to your health!!
I am 17 and I had my tonsillectomy 11 days ago, 05/03/13. I have to say the pain in the first week, probably 5/6 days, was unbelievable, I just wanted to cry, but of course that would of hurt. I forced myself to eat from day 1, and have’t had a day without toast. I never had soup, when i did i saw it again..not good! I stuck to foods that were rough to scrape away the scabs/badness as was told to do. I drank lots and lots of water – IT DOES HELP as everyone says. Day 2/3 can’t remember which, was the worst for me, as I was sick a few times which made me not want to eat anything, but again I forced myself! It makes it easier and better quicker I promise! I’m now on day 11 as I said, haven’t needed my painkillers for the past few day, yay! The pain hasn’t totally gone, but it is just like a sore throat, or a not-very-bad case of tonsillitis. I am now enjoying normal foods and drinks! Honestly just eat as normal as you can. I’ve even been singing today! I’m so happy I had it done, and I never thought I’d say that in the first few days. Don’t get me wrong it is extremely painful, but bearable, and my pain threshold is rubbish! Also my tonsils were very big so a lot of skin had to be taken off.
I’d never had any operation before this so was so scared, but there’s nothing to be scared of, honest.
Hope this post has helped!
IT DOES GET BETTER! x x
Hey Greg, thanks for the response to my day 8 observations! Yes, I’m doubtless high as a kite from all the pain relief to be asking such lucid questions, but as a Brit one has to try old boy! (If my maths is correct you have 2 or 3 years on me, so will shortly be knocking on the door of 50! I feel for you, gotta be worse than tonsillectomy recovery?!?)
For the 40 somethings still suffering like me on day 11, I remain patiently waiting for an absolution that will hopefully come soon (Rose, Titanic 1997).
In fact, it had better bl**dy well do so, because I’m somewhat fed up of the pain, whispering like a deranged muppet, the slop diet and UK daytime TV featuring Jeremy Kyle (actually I haven’t slunk that low!!).
Every day is a little better, everything is heading in the right direction, come on body – sort yourself out.
To all those with bigger issues than mine remaining by day 11, I feel for you.
To all those who are by now happily chomping down on your big mac and salty fries, I envy/pity your re-expanding waistlines!
To all – I hope the long term outcome will have been worth the short term misery. Fingers crossed!
Tally ho!
Roger Wilco and Out.
Phil
Every now and then a tonsilnaut will enter my air space and make me laugh so hard I fall off my chair. You sir, are that tonsilnaut!
Best of luck to you and your waistline!
This is Major Ton to Greg Control, I’m stepping through the door (liar, I’m still resting at home)
And I’m floating in a most peculiar way (that’s what 14 days of drugs does)
The throat don’t look very different today (ok, slightly better than yesterday if I’m honest)
Here am I looking at tin can, far above the world (about 3 feet)
More beans and sloppy stew and there’s nothing I can do…
Apologies to Bowie
Tonsilnaut out!
The papers want to know who’s shirt you wear….
Don’t worry- Soon you will leave the cockpit. Thanks for the update Major
The two tone blue of Wycombe Wanderers, but that’s another story altogether!
Good luck with all your endeavours and once again, well done on this site.
Cheers
Phil
Well im finally 11 days post op and this site has really kept me sane . Im still in quite a bit of pain but finally starting to see some hope of getting better.I had alot of people tell me that getting my tonsils out wasnt a big deal and wouldnt hurt ..well they were so wrong .I have been in so much pain and had to go to the doctor three times and the hospitl once because i was in agony and deydrated from the pain of trying to drink and swallow.There was some nights i would wake up in some much pain i would end up crying as pathetic as it sounds.My doctor said i had got an injection so that was the reason for the slow healing process.Im finally a bit better but not able to eat solids yet and mainly stick to jelly and soup .Im litreally dreaming of what my first proper meal will be and seeing everyone eating around me is torture.Im hoping i will be better in the nnext few days so i can return to work and hopefuly get my taste buds back aswell.
Hang in there Denise. You are very close to that cheese burger! (Or whatever tickles your fancy!)
I hope you’re still checking this board. Did the blisters/bumps/regrowth go away? I’m on day 14 and just started getting them on my right side.
i still i have a blister on my right hand side of my tongue and im day 19 not sure if thats right ! but i thought i would be dying to eat food but everytime il eat rough food i feel like i might choke because the food is not going down easily.Do you know what the blisters are from ? Sorry for the delay i was litreally dead to the world there for a while .Hope your recovery went well
My non-medical option on these blisters is that they aren’t blisters. I noticed them the day my last scab came off and I still have a few two weeks later. I think they are actually the new tissue growing. My holes filled with them and it almost looks like I never had surgery. I wouldn’t worry about them as there are less now and where they were is now nice healthy flesh
Hello, I am On day 11 & up until 2 days ago evrything seemed fine. I was taking normal Tylenol and eating. Now, I am only able to have hot tea. No food or cold water. It cuses these worst pain followed by little bumps all around my throat and cheek. Have you found out why think happens? I went to emerge and no one could help me. Now I am On pain killers just so I can try getting even soup into my body.
The little red bumps is called granular tissue. Once dead and necrotic tissue sloughs off, healthy tissue with rich blood supply forms. This is known as granulation. This tissue is very sensitive and must be kept moist. It will eventually become normal tissue.
Tomorrow will mark two weeks since my tonsillectomy! I’ve been back to work at my office job since day 10. It really hasn’t been too bad. Just a little tired.
This morning I noticed a red bump on the right side of my throat. I check after lunch today and it appears that there are a few more. It doesn’t hurt bad, but it does feel different. Has anyone else experienced this? Is it just part of the healing process, or should I be more concerned? I did get a little adventurous with my eating yesterday and had some pulled pork and french fries. Maybe I irritated something?
Thank you Skye!
I’m on day 22, still feeling some pain in one side of throat, somedays i feel lime im progressing well, and others mot so much. I can constantly feel that swollen feeling when I swallow on one side. I had my post op yesterday and doctor said I look like im healing well. I have a high paced, talk alot, high stress job and I can definitely feel at times like I’m pushing to hard and those are the evenings that I tend to hurt the worst. Sometimes that pain dissolves by morning but others, sleep does not shake it off. I’m on day 3 of no pain meds but Advil, still feel I need something stronger at times, but am trying to keep moving forward without. My sleep is much better, and I can tell my airway is much better as well. However I have it stayed asleep the past few nights (even though I’m exhausted after long days at work). Hoping I feel more energetic tomorrow and to get a good nights rest. I will say that over all I have felt better each day, accept the past 2 days have been exhausting and a lot of sinus drainage.
i can definitly relate to this.Im on day 19 and i still have trouble eating from my throat being swollen.I have gotten to the stage where i would rather just eat liquids ha
Today is Day 10 for me and I know that I would not been able to get the past 10 days without the help of this website. I read through a lot of the pre-op stuff and felt prepared even though I was in denial that I would be in pain for so long. The first 2 days went as I expected. I was only on Roxicet and took it with no problem every 4 hrs. This medicine was my savior but also became the death of me. I slept so much the next 6 days. I only ate mashed potatoes, apple sauce, jello, popsicles and mac and cheese. On the evening of the 6th day, the crying started. I didn’t think much at first as I knew I was really tired. I had been at my parents house the majority of my recovery but by day 7 I was ready to go home. The crying got worse. I cried when I said goodbye to my mom. My dad dropped me off I cried when he said goodbye for about 3 or so hours. Again I brushed it off as being tired and maybe a little of the meds. It wasn’t til day 8 that I realized I had the post-op depression. I cried most of the morning and into the afternoon. I ended up calling the ENT. At first the nurse told me to drink more fluids and continue the medicine. Thankfully an hour later she called and told me to stop the Roxicet and take Motrin. This single move changed my world. Wednesday I was upbeat positive and piddled around my house some. By Thursday I felt so good I took an adventure out the first time.
Today I still have minimal pain but able to start eating more. Sleep is a little difficult for me but I’m working on it. The scabs are still about 60% there so I know my journey isn’t over yet but I appreciate that this website was there with me every single day. I can’t tell you how nice it is to have someone else who is going through the same thing with me. My family would look at me like I was crazy and unsure of if I was healing or normal in the process of recovery. With the help of this website, I knew I wasn’t going crazy and I was not the only one. Thank you. Thank you to all who have shared. This is not a pleasant experience but misery loves company. Good Luck to all who read this. Take the time they tell you to take off and rest. I wasn’t a believer but you really do need it all.
35/f I had my tonsils out on Feb 11 2013 I am on day 10 post op. I just wanted to say thank you for helping me prepare for my tonsillectomy and I believe it is because of this site that my recovery was easy breezy compared to some that I have read on here. My surgery day and the following were not terrible because the amount of pain killers I was taking made me sleep from on dose to the next. That however was not a good thing as I ended up in the hospital on day 3 with extreme dehydration. When I left the hospital after recieving 3 liters of fluid and steroids to help the swelling I felt like a new woman. I also am a recovering drug addict(15yrs clean) I refuse to be on pain killers for an extended amount of time. When I had my children via c-section I refused morphine drips afterwards. I was extremely nervous that was going to need them for the at least a week after this procedure but I didn’t. I took my last dose of pain killers the night I came home from the hospital. I have used liquid tylenol sore throat. Now I am not saying I wasn’t in pain because I was. I lived on Powerade, slim fast, and yogurt. I believe I psyched myself up so bad that I was petrified the morning of the procedure and I must say it has been nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be. Now I am slowly starting to eat “real food” but it still has to be soft. I ate a soft pretzel at the mall the other day that was a huge win! I wish you all the best in your recovery and thank you for being there for me through mine. I am still waiting for the most of the scabs to fall off and when I am able to eat again all i want is a burger from 5guys!
So glad you’re feeling better and congratulations on 15 years clean
that’s fantastic!
Well, it is day 13. I was supposed to return to work this morning….my recovery has been terrible…4 ER trips due to swelling and pain. I have been sick to my stomach since the surgery but has gotten much worse since my throat now has draining (since day 8). ate a meal lastnight….i puked it all up…puked this morning too…which is brutal on the throat…I will be callling my surgeon as soon as his office opens.
I’m experiencing the same problems. I was told it was due to taking my meds on an empty stomach. I’m on day 14 and back to work, even though I’ve lost my voice. Hope it gets better for you!
Hi folks,
I’m 3 weeks post-op today and getting very frustrated.
Throat is feeling … well, cramped, only way to describe it. I also feel like I’ve constantly got loads of phlegm/spit stuck at the back of my throat that I can’t get rid of. It’s driving me potty, to the point of gagging/feeling like being sick. Sometimes can move it with a cough/growl, but can’t actually get rid of it.
Anyone had this? Anyone got a solution?
Hi all,
I just wanted to share my tonsillectomy experience as so many of these posts helped me throughout my own recovery. I’m 18 days post op and feeling great. After 12 years of recurrent infections, those big nasty tonsils are finally gone. The 1st couple of days after surgery weren’t too bad. Sure, there was pain but nowhere near what I had expected. I pretty much slept the whole time. By day 4 I felt like I’d been hit by a truck and took pain mess on schedule every 4 hours plus tramadol day and night. Had a couple better days after that but by day 9, I kinda felt like it was never going to end! Day 11 came and the pain was gone. From then on I’ve had no pain relief and it’s been smooth sailing. My throat is still a little sensitive but not painful at all. I can swallow, yawn, eat what I want, sneeze. I’m so happy that I went through with the surgery. No more infections…YAY!!! Overall, it has been worth it. Not as bad as I envisioned. Thank you to everyone for posting their stories. Stay hydrated, rest heaps and I hope the experience for everyone else is as positive as mine. It really does get better.
Hi. This website is just great. Im day 8 post op. Was worried whether i was becoming hooked on tramadol as i was taking it religiously every four hours but it seems everyone on this website is just shovelling in the pain killers so thats assuruing. Cant sleep at night, lost sex drive and loo visits, so its a normal day for me! Im dreading my throat bleeding as i cant think of anything worse than going back into hospital, so gargling every few hours and taking it very easy. I havent yawned for week or properly blown my nose. Anyway, good luck everyone and thanks for being generous with posts as this has properly got me through it. Stuart
Ok, so I’m feeling a little frustrated (and jealous!) because I’m on day 11 and my pain seems to have been getting worse and worse since the scabs starting coming off on day 8/9. My doctor wont give me any more refills and told me it should be time for me to start weaning off of them, but I still can’t eating anything solid. I have tried eggs, oatmeal, noodles, pudding… all of it hurts like crazy! At this point I am still only eating chicken broth, warm tea, and popsicles. I’m frustrated to tears because I feel like I have done everything right and I still can’t handle the most basic of soft foods!! The areas that I can see where the scabs have fallen off and the skin exposed, it looks very red, irritated, and on the verge of bleeding (but I have not had any actual bleeding so far). It also hurts really bad on my tongue way in the back. I still cannot open my mouth all the way due to the pain, and it hurts real bad if I move my tongue around too much. Everything I’ve read online makes it sound like it should be all uphill once the scabs start coming off, but mine starting coming off 2-3 days ago and it is worse now than it was then! I have not found anyone else online who has had this happen! I’m trying to make the prescription meds I have left last as long as possible, so at this point I’ve resported to sucking on Cepacol tabs (with Benzocaine and Menthol) that are meant to numb sore throats. The only thing is, I have them in my mouth constantly, and you are only supposed to suck one every two hours. Has ANYONE else had the same experience as me? It’s Saturday night now, if its still this bad Monday I’m going to call my doctor again.
Chelsea again – I’m on day 16 now and still in quite a but of pain. From what I read online, this does not seem to be normal, but all my ENT had to day was: “Everyone heals differently.” 16 days post-op and all I can eat is broth and now noodles. I’m taking Vicodin with Tylenol every 6 hours, but it’s not helping much so I’ve added ibuprofen which I take 3 hours after the Vicodin. I run out of the Vicodin tomorrow, so I’ll be down to regular Tylenol and regular ibuprofen.
Has ANYONE else had this much pain 16 days later?!
I’m 40. I’m in day 14 and my pain is awful. It’s getting worse for me too. The pain is unbearable. I can eat though but only if I have med’s working in me. I’m using a insert in the butt because I can’t take anything by mouth that works fast enough.
My ENT really has nothing to say, he says I should be getting over it by now?
I’m depressed and in constant pain and want to know when the pain will go away?
I’m 40 and on day 10 of My recovery, just take your pain meds closer together and add 5-htp or sam-e for the depression. they are both all natural. I had a dr.recommend them to me after an auto accident. I’d forgotten all about them until I scheduled this surgery and THANK GOD! The Sam-e has been just as necessary as My pain meds. we will recover
I’m a 35 year old female and this recovery has been one of the hardest things I have ever been through. I’m on day 13 and still in pain, pain with swallowing (it feels like there is something lodged in my throat and it gets worse when I eat), pain in my ears, etc. I am still taking liquid hydrocodone and worrying about going back to work. My job is talking all day and I don’t even sound normal yet, aside from still being in pain. I know I am over the worst of it, though, so that is a little relief. The pain increased at day 6 and got worse every day, making day 9 the very worst day, and then it has been getting a little bit better every day since then. But an ever so slight improvement from hell is still hell! I feel pretty far from being back to normal. I have cried many times from the pain, making mistakes like drinking a smoothie with pineapple in it and burning my throat, and from pure exhaustion and frustration. I feel like this will never end. I’m lucky to have a great support system and partner who has been caring for me. I can see a small light at the end of the tunnel. For anyone going through this, hang in there! Sleep as much as possible.
I feel like we could be twins. I’m feeling the same way! I’m a 33-year-old woman that’s also got a job that involves talking 10 hours a day and I’m still in pain. Surgery was on the 8th of February and I’ve been better but then I seem to feel ugly again. Today I started out great and by late afternoon I grabbed some pain meds. My ears were hurting badly and my head was about to explode. My follow up is on Tuesday morning and I can’t imagine going back next week. The exhaustion is huge and I try to do more but it seems to smack me in the face.
I’m in the same Boat! I’m on day 9 post op~~had surgery on 2 April. I only take small cat naps, thank God My Mom is a late night TV person, so she’s been hanging in there with me and My DVR
after My hubby and boys are asleep. While it’s been lovely to be 41 and taken care of so well, this recovery has been dreadful! I still talk like I’m 100 years old with a mouth full of cotton, My pain is unpredictable (i dare not ever make the mistake again of going longer than 3 hrs without lortab) and I’m so exhausted (and constipated). I’ve had 2 c-sections and this recovery ranks right up there with those!Ouch!
Im on day 11 and im feeling so much better. I’m still in a little pain, earaches and my throat is still a little sore. I slept until 3 o clock today and nearly died when i woke up, i was so used to waking at 5 and 6 in the morning so to actually have a good nights sleep felt amazing. I woke up a few times in the night but it was nothing compared to the first week. I’m so happy to say i’m recovering and hopefully will be better for my birthday
The whole time through my recovery i regretted getting my tonsils out because of the pain but now that i’m nearly recovered i’m happy i’ve had it done and this will be the last of my pain with my tonsils thank god. I can honestly say if it hadn’t of been for this blog i wouldn’t have gotten through it all. Seeing everyone else’s posts about their recovery has helped me a great deal, knowing i wasn’t the only one going through this pain. So i wanna say thanks to everyone who has posted on here about their experience and i hope you are all doing well and i hope that my posts have helped some of you the way your’s have helped me.
I am at Day 17 and after Day 10 I pretty much turned for the best. I started eating solid foods. One thing that helped was chewing gum…I chose mint as you are aware the burnt smell/decay smell whatever it was it help mask it. I also drank some warm to hot tea that also had mint. The only meds I took were Tylenol with Codeine that was prescribed to me by my doctor, I haven’t taken any since day 9. I still feel the scabs in my throat and its more a discomfort that a outright pain in my throat. I went to my post-op this week on Day 14 and my Dr told me that it can sometimes take 4 weeks to completely heal depending on your body. As far as earaches I had my wife massage my ear in a circular motion and that helped with the gum chewing. Hope to a speedy recover to all!! This was a procedure that I needed and glad I have done it. I only think they removed my tonsils but not really sure.
I am so glad I am not the only in with rotting breath. My Dr told me it was going to be bad but Hol Cow. I feel like a zombie and I smell like one too.
I have to do this. I have stayed with this forum since day 1, and haven’t done anything but read, sympathize, and suffer with everyone. I never published until now, my day 12, and I believe its only because I have just hit a major turn in my recovery that has me a little sentimental. This forum has literally been in front of my face every. single. day. that I could bring it up and I mostly re-read posts simply because I related so well! I only had my adenoids and tonsils removed, as impressive in size as they were, hoping to rectify some long term breathing apnea, seasonal sinus issues and death-defying sore throats and tonsillitis battles. Interestingly enough, my doctor was kind enough to snip off my uvula as well since it is a useless appendage and he was curious about my interest in its swelling and why. Now, I have had some things OCCUR post procedure very differently though:
1) I had no bleeding during recovery. My doctors even told my mother in recovery that I had an astonishingly low level of bleeding during the actual procedure.
2) I was on a very nice cocktail of pain medication, anti-nausea pills, anti-thrush syrup, a steroid regimen, and an antibiotic on top of a birth control which was stressful to look at but welcomed due to what they stood for (^.^)
3) I stopped needing my pain medication on day 6. I am 19, by NO MEANS am I a superwoman, or just against the use of medication, or did anything differently other than stare at the ceiling and breathe, it just became the case that my pain level evened out on that day.
4) My ears suffered little to no pain for one day (day 4)
5) I began eating normal food (Wendy’s) on day 10 with gusto and happiness, pain free with delicate maneuvering.
6) The first time I needed to take a filler pain killer (Advil) was today, my day 12, after a nasty bout with the last piece of scab evacuating not so kindly.
I have to say the only time I really felt like I wasn’t going to make it was day 6, my worst day only because of the horrific decaying smell and a taste that rivaled the most spoiled and rotten meat constantly dripping into my stomach. My biggest fear even before my procedure was the scabs. I am not the type of person to just have something like that IN ME purposefully without gagging and turning into a girlish mess. Its just disgusting. Just gross. And it KILLED me to hear people say they swallowed it. Ughn. SO a majority of the time when the scabs and clotting became overwhelmingly apparent I tortured myself staying awake, gagging over the taste and sprinting when it even seemed possible to get rid of anything ANYTHING. I just couldn’t handle it I was a big baby about the thought. All food that touched the area immediately soured including water, making my throat automatically avoid swallowing when unnecessary or at all and for a while my biggest fear was losing the ability to care for myself. But…I got through it after extreme prayer sessions and being blessed that I was going through a period of healing instead of decay.
And now today I was able to enjoy my first meal with my family before I take back off to college! I enjoyed this forum for its attentive helpfulness in my time of need, there really needs to be more of this so I want to tank anyone who reads my case and feels the same. Take care everyone, I pray you all feel increasingly better and better.
Thank you Lauren!
Day 18 Surgery Dec 21st.
I’ve recovered for the most part. There’s still some pain on the right side of my neck and ear but nothing a couple of Advil can’t handle.
Last night I was awakened by a choking sensation. I had phlegm in the back of my sinuses and throat that had built up (I guess).
The next 15 minutes was pure hell as I coughed, hacked and chocked on this buildup. I nearly vomited several times. The result (besides lost sleep) is that my throat is sore as hell from all of that and I feel like hell today.
I see my primary physician tomorrow and will have him take a peek at things. Everything looked good on my followup with my ENT on the 4th.
As an update to my situation…The reason for the tonsillectomy was an attempt to find the source for Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck. they took my tonsils and did biopsies of my tongue and nasopharynx as well as a laryngoscopy. All the results were negative for cancer. That means they don’t know where it started making it one of the rarest forms of this type of cancer. I go this week to the radiology and chemo oncologists to plan the treatment. Based on what I went through with the tonsillecomy, I believe I can handle the cancer treatment ;)~
God bless you and good luck with your treatment!!!
Day 12 I feel great! Eaten lots more variety of foods still cautious of things not being hot or spicy when my throat has hurt its been minimal and has only needed a glass of water to fix so no pain meds. Yay good luck everyone I will come back and write in a few months to let you know the outcome xoxo
I somehow got the dates fuzzled and today is actually day 11! I woke up and had blood clots and a bit of bleeding tried to stop it with iced water but the blood clots kept forming so i rang healthline which in new zealand is a number you ring to talk to a nurse about your issue and how you should deal with it – got told to go up to the hospital so went up there and they used some silver nitrate on them to stop the bleeding and sent home – told to come back if it starts bleeding again. Back on meds as it burns!!! Came home and ate a small amount just so i could take meds and feeling a bit sorry for myself but its apparently quite common to happen.
Ok so this is day 11 for me and i do feel more human and my dad says I must be getting better as i’m being more cheeky! hehe. Anyways the morning was still bad but came right really quickly and then was fine all day until about 5pm but i talked to much as i’m a real chatterbox so my throat doesn’t like me. Have been experimenting foods it’s very hit and miss but I think i’ll stick to mostly softish things. Toast with crusts cut off are good with cheese yum!
but everyone hang in there! it does get better!!
I had to go to doc today as i also had an endoscopic sinus surgery at the same time and under my right eye has gotten really puffy apparently it’s infected so now on eye drops and antibiotics – kinda annoying and I think the more well irritable and frustrated i’ve gotten I guess that’s normal though
Day 12:
Welp… I’d like to say it’s been fun… but I would be lying. Big time. I’ve made a full recovery, and my scabs are completely off.
The only thing I can say is that I have a lot of phlem… flem?… that keeps coming up my throat, and I either have to spit it out or swallow it. Both of which are disgusting.
I’m completely back to normal, which means I have to get back to the mountain of homework I’ve been putting off.
I think I’m still going to constantly have some kind of liquid near me, just to make sure my throat doesn’t get dry. No need to relive days 3 and 5.
Overall, if it seems like it’s getting worse instead of better, that’s because it is. The good part comes after the crappy days. Just push through and you’ll be on your way to no more throat pain!
I am on day 15 and thing are a lot better. I’m mostly on ib profen now. A couple of things to note however. My stomach is really out of whack (probably from two weeks of narcotics) and am having a lot of trouble getting regular again. Also, I am still experiencing severe ear pain and wondering if anyone else has had this this far past surgery.