Tips From Lauren
Hi everyone! I’m a 20 year old female and I had my tonsillectomy just over 3 weeks ago. I didn’t have issues with my tonsils until adolescence (well after its recommended children have them taken out) and refused to have the surgery until recently. I finally decided to have my tonsils removed because I am an undergrad and was getting sick constantly throughout semesters causing me to miss class and be fatigued. I am so lucky I stumbled upon this site as the stories, experiences, and advice from others prepared me for my recovery. I hope my post does the same!
My biggest piece of advice is to drink water. Drink as much as you can during the early days of recovery when swallowing isn’t too painful. Continue to drink when the pain starts as much as you can bear. My ENT told me this and I can attest to it — staying hydrated will keep the pain level down. I had to go the the emergency room to receive fluids one night because I became dehydrated and my pain level became unbearable.
The pain I experienced throughout recovery is almost indescribable. At its worst, every time I swallowed my throat felt like it was being ripped to shreds and sent sharp pain into my ears. One night, after being in pain all day and unable to sleep, I felt as if I was going insane because the pain hadn’t stopped for even a little bit. Even though I read countless stories warning not to be lulled in by the easy going first days of recovery and how painful recovery is, I still thought my recovery wasn’t going to be that bad. Until you’ve experienced it, conceiving the idea of how painful recovery will be is impossible. Knowing the pain will eventually end and reminding yourself how much better you will feel after the process is over will help you through recovery.
Sleeping propped up and with a humidifier definitely helped with comfort and throat dryness. When I was experiencing excruciating pain, I took hot baths to calm me down and was sometimes able to fall asleep that way despite severe pain. I bought coloring books and cross-word puzzles as a way to take my mind off of the pain I was experiencing. When swallowing became painful, I crushed my pain meds (tramadol) and ibuprofen/aceteminophin into small pieces and took them with jello or apple sauce so I could get medication and something on my stomach at the same time. In the mornings when the pain level was higher after sleeping, getting out of bed and brushing my teeth and taking a shower or walking around outside for a short time helped my pain tremendously. For me, figuring out what helped me cope with the pain and get through each day was the most important part of my recovery, whether that was something I read here or something I discovered on my own. Figure out what calms you, what can distract you from the pain, and remind yourself why you got the surgery–you won’t be sick anymore, you’ll be healthier, etc.–and that the pain will end.
I’m still recovering; not all my scabs are gone yet. My tonsils were full of bacteria causing me to be in a constant state of infection all year. My tonsillectomy was a difficult experience, but I’m hoping it’s well worth it.