Tonsillectomy Forum
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Welcome to the Tonsillectomy Recovery Forum. Deciding to have a tonsillectomy can be daunting. The days leading up to your tonsillectomy surgery can be frightening. If you haven’t read up yet, you can find information on tonsillectomy methods, tonsillectomy risks, tonsillectomy costs, adult tonsillectomy, sleep apnea, and numerous tips for tonsillectomy recovery on the other pages of this site. I’ve even added pictures of a post tonsillectomy throat by day, and a shopping list of things you’ll need before your tonsillectomy.
Tonsillectomy recovery can be pretty rough too, especially if you are unlucky enough to be an adult! . You are not alone in this. Like you and like me, many others are facing or have faced a tonsillectomy or a tonsillectomy recovery. I created this forum for you.
Relax and be yourself. Ask questions, share concerns, and offer support. It’s our community. Thank you for joining us.
If you’d like to donate any amount to help keep the forum going, please press the Paypal DONATE button. Thank you, Greg
Otolaryngologist Dr. Doug Hoffman has been a valuable resource to me as I’ve built and maintained this Tonsillectomy Recovery Site. He writes a blog called the Eustachian Project where he answers questions relating to ear, nose, and throat issues. I highly recommend it.
-Greg
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40/f surgery was a week ago today. thought i was so lucky because i wasn’t experiencing that ear pain people kept talking about and them WHAM! still tying to get by with tylenol during the day and lortab at night.
finding that although i’m an avid reader, can’t concentrate on books. been watching movies that i’ve seen a billion times already.
i am lucky (?) to be self employed, so i’m not “missing” work to recover (i am in the sense that i’m not making any money, but you know what i mean). can’t imagine the insult to injury some of you folks are enduring if you have to take vaca time to recover from this!
i got my voice back yesterday, but still trying not to overdo it talking too much. as for exercise, walking the dog is about it right now. might try a brisk walk tomorrow…
made some overcooked pasta today and that went down pretty easy. still liking mashed potatoes the best, though. have noticed that ice cold stuff is now bothering my throat, so switching to warm/room temp liquids.
i assume i will know when the scabs start coming off, but anyone know when can i expect that to start?
i see my ENT next week for my first post op exam. i’m a (breast) cancer survivor, and there was some concern about lymphoma, so i’ll be finding out about that then, too.
Juliet, we have alot in common 42/f. Just climbed out of bed because I suddenly feel some earache pain. I’m goin to steam in my shower to see if that helps. My throat is soo dry. I’m also self employed. I’m on day 5 (almost 6) and was apparently delusional since I thought I’d be able to work today. Can’t imagine that I can do much or anything for the rest of the week. I also feel badly for everyone that has to take vacation days for this nightmare. That is an insult. I’m not making any money right now either but I don’t care. Just want to get through the days here and move on from this. It’s definitely worse than I was expecting. I had bunion surgery a couple of years ago and everyone always talked about that being the most painful experience they ever endured. Honestly, that was a piece of cake compared to this. Hope everyone can get a few hours of sleep tonight.
Try chewing sugar free mint gum for that ear pain
I’ve seen that a few of you are taking ibuprofen or other non-Tylenol OTC pain relievers. Has anyone experienced issues with those or been told by a doctor not to take them? I’ve been med-free most of the day, but the pain is getting to the point where I need to take something to get through the night. Thanks for your input!
The day after my surgery I alternated between children’s liquid tylonol and ibuprofen. He didn’t want me on aspirin but tylonol was ok. I’m on day 5 now so I’m not fooling around now. I’m taking oxicodone. It’s a blessing and a curse. It knocks me out so I can sleep for a couple of hrs but then of course, you dry out which is the kiss of death.
Thanks, Cindy! I tried Tylenol, and it doesn’t seem to help much. I was on Nucynta which didn’t work well to begin with (no Rx pain meds do) and isn’t working at all now. I’m just trying to find anything that might help even a little. I’m on day 7 now, and I’m close to tears because of the pain. I may give Ibuprofen a shot since it usually works ok for me.
Alison, here’s one thing really helped me (even if it’s just for a few minutes). We recently put a new bathroom in and we installed a steam shower. The hot, moist air helps amazingly. Obviously, you can’t run out and put a steam shower in but try this. Fill a sink with boiling hot water. Then put a towel over your head so you create a tent and then breathe in. You’ll get a quick facial too but I’m telling you, it’s helped me tremendously. When I wake up, I head right for the steam. I even take a cup of tea in there with me since luke warm liquids seems to help me more than cold. Didn’t your Doctor prescribe a pain med for you? I’m a toughy but even I gave in to oxicodone days ago. You have to keep that throat moist. Go try it and let me know how you do.
Yeah, I have Nucynta which stopped working on day 5. All it does now is make me super sick. I actually tried a really hot shower earlier, and it helped for a little while. I’ll give the boiling water a shot and see what happens!
I hate Tylenol, it never has worked for me. I’m an ibuprofen girl, for some reason my doc changed her mind and said I could take ibuprofen on day 4 instead I waiting 10 days. Saturday and Sunday I felt pretty great, barely took pain meds except at night. Last night and today I’m feeling a little worse, really horrible acid reflux too. I’ve bumped my pain meds bak up last night and today, a teeny bit of ear pain has also started to settle in. I also had a cheeseburger last night and earlier today, I’m craving another one now. I may be the only person in history to gain weight after a tonsillectomy :-/ oh well, if I don’t get any worse I expect to be back to work by next Monday at the latest, had my surgery on 1/27, last Thursday. Anyway, my point is I love ibuprofen!
What? You ate a cheeseburger today? I had my surgery on 1/25 so I’m on day 5. I can hardly get applesauce down. You must be alot younger than me . . . lol. I’m 42. So far, i’ve lost 3 lbs and that’s just about the only good thing I can say from this experience.
Btw my increased pain seems to feel like a cold headache but in my throat. Weird. I’m 30/f.
I’m so jealous that you were able to eat a cheeseburger! I’m dying for anything that isn’t soft and bland, but my throat can’t handle it. I just saw in my post op paperwork that my dr said no ibuprofen for 14 days after surgery!! I’m going to have to call tomorrow to see if there’s anything they can do.
enough with the cheeseburger talk!
i’m starvin’ for something with flavor and texture!
I also feel like I’m turning the corner where cold is starting to hurt but I didn’t plan for warm things to have….
Ok so Im just shy of 3 weeks post op. Surgery was January 11th. I am sleeping a little better now. 5 or 6 hours at a time and in my bed. I can eat pretty well just have to chew alot and stay away from anything acidic or spicy or carbonated. Here is my problem. I still feel so wore out. The smallest things just exhaust me. Anyone have any ideas how long this will last?? I really thought once I could eat and sleep that my energy would rebound and so far that is not the case. I was hoping to be back in the gym this week but just thinking about it wears me out. Any old timers out there with any insight??? Thanks
Wow, really, you are still having trouble sleeping? I’m only on day 5 so I can’t offer advice; I’m just surprised to hear it. Maybe you just need to give yourself time to get back on schedule. It always takes me a week to recover from a trip to Europe and that time change?
i’m on day 7 (40/f) and notice the lack of energy, which i am currently attributing to poor diet. are you taking in enough calories now that you’re out of the worst of it? you might be low on iron.
i want to get back to the gym, too, but i know that until i am eating normally, that’s not gonna happen. and when i do, i’m going to ease back into it gradually.
keep me posted & hang in there!
Hi I am a tonsilnaught have been for two years now ! For those of you experencing the taste issues I had them too and unfortunatley they are normal and take a few months to go away. I also had this weird feeling of fine hairs in the back of my throat that took a few months to go away. I think it depends on how your procedure was done if it effects your taste buds since with caughterinzing it also burns off the tips of the taste buds and they need to regrow. Good luck to all of you, Without this site when I was recovering I would have been lost !
Jodi! Welcome back and thank you
43 yr old female had tonsillectomy Thurs 1/26 so on post op day 4. Had horrible stomach pain and vomiting all day Friday (1st day post op) Went to ER for IV fluids and different nausea meds. Pain is now controlled within reason w/ Vicodin every 4 hrs. Thank you to others who have shared your experiences–it helps me to have an idea of what may be in store for me. I was thinking I’d be through with Vicodin by tomorrow, but after reading this forum it looks like I may need pain meds a little longer.
Well, I’m officially on day 7 and miserable. I was fine for a few days, but my pain meds have stopped working and I’ve been so nauseous that I couldn’t take them even if I wanted to. I also can’t eat because the nausea is so bad. I was given nausea meds, but those don’t seem to be working anymore either. I’m down over 10 lbs already and very weak. I’m really hoping to turn the corner soon…
Alison–ask your doc for Ativan (anti nausea med). i used it during chemo and it worked wonders.
I’m on day 10 and having a rough time. Day 7 I started bleeding and went to the ER after the on- call dr didnt respond. They cauterized it with silver nitrate and I went home and slept. When I woke up it bled again (different spot) and called the office again. They told me to drink ice water and unless I was spurting blood there wasn’t a need to go to the ER. However that same spot has been oozing since then. I called again and the dr told me that this sort of bleeding isn’t normal but since it’s not severe it’s my choice to head to the ER. I really don’t want to go under anesthesia again since it made me sick but I’m not sure if oozing blood is any better. Will it stop after the rest of the scabs come off? I haven’t eaten or slept decently since the surgery so my decisions aren’t the best. I don’t know what to do. Should I go to the hospital again or is this common and I’ll be fine? I’m 27 and had no idea it was going to be this awful. I was expecting a sore throat, not worries of bleeding to death.
poor you how awful!! I think i would insist on a specialist sorting it out. I dreaded bleeding but touch wood i was ok, it must be awful! Ask for a second opinion or ask to see an ent doc??? I don’t think they should leave you bleeding. I hope you get sorted out. I did drink lots and lots and lots and took lots of rest. feel better soon x
I agree with Ann – It sounds a bit unusual and I’m really not sure what to think. I did put it out on Facebook. I think I’d get in and looked at. Good luck- Sorry you’re not having fun,
I would insist that your ENT see you. I would think that he/she would need to see what is going on before just dismissing you over the phone and having you decide in your sleep deprived/pain med condition what should be done. Do you have somone who can call on your behalf and help you get seen?? Good luck
Erin, that’s awful. I agree with the others. You don’t have a medical background; a doctor should make the decision on what to do. Don’t fool around. Get a professional opinion. Good Luck.
Hi All, I’m on day 4 and it feels like I’m swalling razor blades. I’m 42. One thing I found to be amazingly helpful is a steam shower. Luckily we happen to install one a few months ago and when I tell you it provides miracle relief, I’m not joking. Since most people don’t have a steam shower, I recommend filling a sink with boiling water and then tenting your face with a towel. The hot, moist air provides amazing relief. I don’t go in my shower unless my husband is home. With the lack of nourishment, I’m afraid I’ll faint.
I’m going to try some Stracciatella Soup in a short while. I’ll let you know how that goes.
Well I found my surgery buddy, I’m also day 4, 30f. I feel like I’m healing too fast, keep expecting a relapse in pain but not so far. I went 9 hours between pain meds yesterday, then took them to get through the night. My dc said I could start ibuprofen day four so I had my pain meds at 5 am and only two ibuprofen since then, it’s about 430 now.
Amber, I’m so jealous. The day after surgery I was able to eat Straciatella soup and even mashed potatoes. I was even fine with Childrens liquid tylonol and ibuprofen. Not anymore. I’ve been taking Oxicodone. Be happy that you are healing well. I’ve had someone staying with me (when my husband is working). I’ve already lost 3 lbs so I’m seriously weak. If you find your throat becoming painful, try the steam thing I suggested. It’s really helpful. The mornings are the worst, right? It’s sooo dry.
Today was my first shower, I had te septiplasty done to so I was nervous to get too much steam up thEre since I can’t blow my nose
I had a sneeze that I couldn’t keep in any longer So a little of my nose nasty came out, wasn’t fun though.
What can I take for acid reflux? I got all kinds of stuff coming up my throat
My temp still hasn’t gone above 96, it’s 95 something now. Was trying to sleep a little while ago and just couldn’t stop sweating so I got up to take my temp expecting it to ve high, but still low.
i noticed my temp (which usually runs low) is lower than normal, too…
end of day 5, and i’m back to a mix of tylenol and lortab. taking the tylenol during the day and the lortab at night. the pain is worse at night, mostly because the house is so quiet and my husband sleeps like a log. i’ve been sleeping in 3-4 hour chunks, so i guess i shouldn’t complain. although we made the mistake of watching paranormal activity 3 last night before bed, so every time the humidifier sputtered during the night, i jumped about three feet.
as far as food goes, i am finding that sweet and salty are both painful. i know others have posted similar findings, and i concur! my husband did buy garlic mashed potatoes from the grocery deli, and they were fabulous. and sugar free jello is all kinds of amazing.
my husband goes back to work monday, and i am going to *try* to get some work done, but we’ll see. no kids, but two cats and a dog are plenty to keep me busy most days when i have full energy, so this should be interesting.
felt exhausted today after sorting & folding a load of laundry. guess i won’t be heading back to the gym next week like i thought!
anyone try working out yet post op? if so, how long did you wait?
Sorry to be blowing up the forum lmao! If I feel up to going to a meeting on day three should that be okay or am I at a risk for infection if I run into someone with germs???
i would say go to a meeting if you need/want to, but refrain from any hand shaking, etc. and avoid anyone who is coughing. that’s just my 2 cents.
Thanks
More to report here on day 3,counting day of surgery as day 1 as it was early in the day. I feel like I’m progressing nicely, hoping its not the prednisone giving me false sense of feeling so great. I actually have been sleeping a lot. Pretty sure I slept 4 or 5 consecutive hours last night in bed, then 1 or two more short after, then 2 more horizontal on the couch. I have identified the white spots on the back of the throat, but the one in my right side has a red sore above it, anybody else have this or any ideas what the extra sore spot might be?
Day 18 Finally got 5 uninterrupted hours of sleep!! YEY!! I am feeling pretty good today since I got some sleep. Went out to eat for the first time since surgery last night. Had some baked fish and french fries. Went down pretty well. Had to eat very slow and still feel like things get backed up in the throat sometimes. Lots of water helps. Tried a little bit of ketchup. Big mistake. Hurt like crazy. l was wore out after I ate. Seems like eating is such a big event now. LOL Amazing what you take for granted before this surgery compared to how things are afterward. Overall getting better every day. All swelling in my nose is down and can really tell a big difference from the turbinate reduction. Cant wait til throat is completly healed and this whole experience is behind me. Hope everyone has a good day and happy healing
Well, day 4 is about over, and my tongue is now in terrible pain. I wasn’t prescribed antibiotics, and it doesn’t look like thrush, but the pain is awful! Both sides hurt like crazy near the back, and it’s making drinking almost unbearable. I thought that I was near the end (or at least at the beginning of the end) of the worst pain, but apparently I spoke too soon. Has anyone else experienced this? If so, do you have any tips for how to cope?
I’m only end of day two and can feel the sores forming on the back of my tongue too, owie! I’m sorry but besides for pain meds I don’t have a suggestion except something for swelling.
I’m on day 18 and my tongue still hurts! One of my biggest complaints, actually. It hurts right in the center in the back especially. So I don’t know how long is normal, but I wish I did. Get better!
I had alot of tongue pain/swelling too. Felt like someone had slit both sides of my tongue
The only thing that gave me any relief was crushed ice. Not directly on the sores cause that burned but just kind of let it melt on top of my tongue. Did help a little. Good luck
Jenna- I tried the ice chips, and it seemed to help a little. I also slept through a dose of pain meds which probably contributed to how bad I felt. I’m back taking my meds on schedule, and sticking to some really cold foods. Thanks for the tip!
Hi everyone. I’m at day 14 and pain is mostly under control. Starting to get back to work, but no surprise, I tire very easily. My question is about taste today. I know a lot of you say you have changes of taste. I’m having a really hard time finding anything that actually tastes good. I’m fine with Popsicles and milkshakes. I can handle oatmeal and eggs. But any type of meat is tasting sour and gross to me. I was so excited to eat pork dumplings since I can finally swallow, and they were disgusting. Meatloaf was gross. Even tuna tasted weird to me. To comfort myself, I bought some chocolate treats- like sea salt brownies. They tasted horrible to me!!! Does this go away after a while? I’m a total foodie and love to cook, and to not be able to enjoy food makes me really sad. Just coming back up emotionally as pain lessens to find that I can’t enjoy some of my favorite things…..
I’m curious about the taste changes too. I haven’t eaten much since I’m only on day 4, but the flavors of almost everything I’ve eaten seem to be intensified. I had room temperature soup yesterday and was almost in tears after about 4 bites because the salt left my throat in searing pain. Yogurt has also tasted extremely sour and left me in pain. I’m hoping it’ll just be temporary while I heal because I love cooking too!
I think just give it time, in some cases lots of time!
Greg!! Love the popsicles and the new font, too:) much happier and brighter:)
Score!
Also, my doc said that if I can make it to day four it is okay to take ibuprofen (thank god cause I hate Tylenol). But originally she said 10 days and that’s what I’ve been hearing around. Anyone have experience taking ibuprofen that soon after the surgery?
Amber your little avatar is too funny! My Doc had me start taking Motrin early and when I hemorrhaged it didn’t wanna stop. Make sure to take extra steps to prevent bleeding…like staying super hydrated (I’m talking a gallon a day) and a cool mist humidifier as well as eating somewhat normal foods to keep your scabs from getting too soft and sloughing off. After my hemorrhage I was on a mission to EAT lol I didn’t wanna let it happen again. Doc said I bled so much cause of the Motrin…they even had to pump the blood out of my stomach. It was scary. I hope what happened to me was uncommon. Good luck, I hope the Motrin does only good things for you! It’s an awesome drug!
Well good news is so far I am eating a lot. I had hoped to lose weight but nothing ever seems to stop me from eating
indefinitely don’t want to hemmorage and since I had the turbinate reductions too and am probe to heavy heavy nose bleeds I’m more than a little nervous to take the ibuprofen. I guess I’ll jut wait till dy 4 and go from there. I am overly anxious to get off of narcotics as I am a recovering drug addict and it’s not a pleasant experience.
Question about the cool most humidifier, I’ve got one but it makes me so cold!!! Anything to combat this?
My normal temp runs 97.7 without fail and today it’s been back and forth between 94-95. Te doc said earlier they weren’t concerned unless I started having chills which I am now, unless it’s jut the humidifier making me cold and not “chills”. I’ve been taking temp underarm like Rey did at te hospital since I can’t breath through my nose so I can’t close my mouth to take accurate temps
Oh yes! I remember you now! Yea that would be tough. Especially with you prone to nose bleeds. I’ve heard that a lot about ppl with that getting lots of nose bleeds here on this forum. Wow that is a tough call…I understand that completely. Just go ahead with what Doc says then maybe, and I’m hoping everything goes perfectly fine. I only lost 7 pounds and I may continue to lose more because I still barely eat. Today I had a half a cup of soggy cereal, 4 raviolis, and an omelette…I probably didn’t reach 600 calories today…well maybe more actually because of the honey in my tea. You’ll lose weight, I’m sure…there’s no way you can eat normal, right? Lol anyway good luck and if you or anyone have time, please explain what the nose procedure is…I never heard of it. My doctor said I have a really bad deviated septum and need surgery…is it anything like that?
No not eating normally but still more than anyone else it seems :-/ oh well. I think u should google the nose thing, basically they thinned out the bone walls of my nose to improve breathing.
And I’m getting those sores in the sides of my tongue from my teeth indents. Here’s what I’m taking, do any of Them help with swelling? Roxicet liquid, prednisone liquid, amoxicillin liquid???
Amber- Prednisone should help with swelling. I’d still ice though. They gave me the same thing when I had my wisdom teeth out, and I still swelled a little. Plus, I’m finding that it helps with the pain and discomfort.
Hi all, I am resurfacing after a deep haze of pain relievers! Postop 7 days. I had to get off the pain meds after several really terrible dreams. The pain has been manageable, but the taste from the meds and vitamin supplements are stuck on my tongue. I have been drinking water and tea, and I don’t know if I have lost the scabs as my sites were always whitish with no crusting (sorry, gag!). I was taking high doses of Vit C, which worked wonders healing my prior oral surgery, so there may not have been any hard scabs. @Maureen, I have no taste for coffee, so sad! My sense of smell has improved so much, I don’t know if it was due to surgery or due to the reduced caloric intake (when you fast, your sense of smell goes way up). I also have no appetite for any food, but my neighbor is making something with garlic and onions that actually smells pretty good right now. Press on, we are here to reach a better state of health.
Greg,
I like the new website, it looks great!!
ha ha ha thx. it’s kind of a default theme. trying to work some bugs out
I see the non-default– popsicles—wonderfully cheery!!
Post-op 3 weeks and I had coffee for the first time today–stopped for some while out running errands. YUCK!! It is one of my little treats when I am out. Has anyone else lost the taste for coffee?? Does it come back?? The loss of sweet stuff is a God-send–but I would be so disappointed to lose coffee.
Otherwise I am doing quite well. Yawning and sneezing are still my only complaints, but even that pain has subsided quite a bit!!
Im on sY 12 and am feeling a bit flat, i ll tell you why…. i thought after 8/9 days u was feeling really good, over did it and now burnt myself out bait and feeling tired a and throat is sore. Take my advice …. take your time to get better don’t rush it…
40/f had surgery 1.23.12: thanks for all the input about Tylenol dosages! my doc was quick to correct himself, too. i’m really trying to not use the pain meds (lortab, aka vicodin) at all, but last night was ROUGH. tickle in the back of my throat that made me cough on and off all night. doc says i should prob take pain meds at night so i can suppress the cough.
is anyone else sick of sleeping sitting up?!? my MIL gave me a thing called The Bed Lounge to use, which is great, but i’m just sick of sleeping sitting almost upright. of course, when i try to de-elevate, i gag and end up right back upright.
still preferring cold stuff to eat and drink, so living mainly off of pudding cups and iced water, tea, Gatorade, etc. a milkshake sounds lovely, but i think the dairy would make everything worse.
no ear pain yet (knock on wood!). nausea under control and only threw up the first night.
would love some feedback/tips on other stuff to try to eat. sweet stuff seems to make my throat hurt. not sure what salty would do?
also, has anyone tried gargling with lukewarm salt water to aid in the healing process???