Adult Tonsillectomy Recovery Time – a Poll
Tonsillectomy recovery time is unique to each individual- sure. We know that recovery time for adults is longer, and maybe harder, than tonsillectomy recovery time for children. I remember my own son bouncing back in less than a week! My own experience taught me that ten days off from a job that required lots of talking was a bit light. I generally advise two weeks. As I’ve said, most employers will let you come back early. That’s easier than asking for more time after the fact. I’ve read the accounts of thousands of tonsillectomy patients- most of them adults. I’ve learned that the time required varies. I wonder though, how many tonsillectomy patients never really post about their experience. Are you one of those quiet ones lying in the weeds? I’d like to get a better feel for the average adult tonsillectomy recovery time. Please take a moment and share your own experience in recovering from tonsillectomy surgery. You can help us all!
So let me put this out as an informal survey for people who have been through it, to help those planning a tonsillectomy. (It’s also one of the most commonly researched questions by adults considering tonsillectomy.) It’s my hope that we can amass a good sampling of experiences to help guide would-be adult tonsillectomy patients as they plan their family, work, and other obligations,
What is the average recovery time for tonsillectomy in adults?
So, what is it? What is your recommended adult tonsillectomy recovery time?
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Adult Tonsillectomy Recovery Time
Before you schedule an appointment to have your tonsils removed, do a little research.
I had my tonsils removed on April 25th; currently on day 6 post-op. As I sit here trying to think of how to describe my experience thus far, three words come to mind; Painful, Brutal, and Unbearable. Following my surgery, I was in recovery for several hours as I was having some trouble with the anesthesia. The ride home as well as that day is a blur. That night however was needless to say painful. I was up every hour or so as I began to experience a significant amount of pain in my ears, neck, and throat. This pain has only gotten worse. On day 4, I was rushed to my Drs, as I was spitting up blood the night prior. Luckily, the blood was due to the scrapping of my adenoids and not from the removal of my tonsils. Pain meds (tylenol/codeine) ware off after 2+ hours. Due to the pain, I have only been able to tolerate some juices, water, ices, and pedialyte freezer pops. Today, I tried chicken broth however I found it to be brutal as the salt in the soup stung as it went down. Because I am unable to eat, I am extremely weak, and my body aches; getting out of bed to use the bathroom is a huge task in itself. I was given some tips by my Dr and friends as how to make the recovery as smooth as possible. As grateful as I am for everyone’s advice, much has been useless, as there is little to do in regards to easing the pain. One thing I do recommend is purchasing a cool mist humidifier if you don’t already have one, as this will help to create moisture in the air, which in turn will help keep your throat somewhat moist. I am beyond lucky to have my mom who has been at my beckon call; without her, my recovery would be far worse. Hopefully the pain will begin to subside in the next few days; with that, I hope everyone is well and begins to feel some relief soon. Regards, Michele
hi,…I’m 40 years old, and I just done my tonsillectomy last 23rd of April 2013, today is my 8th day, the first 2 days after the op., it didn’t hurt that much, but starting the 3rd day till day 7th (everyone may vary), prepare and get ready to enjoy the ride to hell,…the pain was unbearable, it is crazy…you will feel that your throat is swollen, you feel pain in your ears, very painfull every time you move your tounge, very hard to swallow anything (even your own saliva), can not swallow anything with spices (don’t you ever try with chilli, you will dreaming about dying), you will feel that every time you drink liquid it will goes to your nose too, feeling very weak because not enough nutrition, losing weight, feel sleepy all the time, and frustrated in severe way,…. mind, mental and physical. For those who doesn’t have to take out their tonsil, please don’t, you will regret it,…..It’s The Worst Week in your Life!!!!!!!!! So Horrible and Undescribable. If I knew what kind of pain I’d be in, I better have 10 tonsils than doing the Op!!!!!, But I feel relieve now, because I’ve done my worst!!!!!!
I had my surgery on April 18th, today is April 27th. My throat still feels swollen but the pain is nothing like the first 5 day. My first and second day weren’t bad,i was actually able to eat but i was taking pain meds around the clock, as prescribed.come day three, it was like i hit a wall. I got sick from not enough fluid and all the meds. The pain was awful, so sleeping helped. Someone mentioned that fluids feel like they are going to come out of your nose, that gets better as you learn to swallow again. In trying to get used to feeling all the mucus. I also had some removal of bone in my nose, to help breathing. My doctor said that or body natural produces a quart of mucus daily, nasty when that’s all you feel. I go back to work in two days. I am a little concerned if i will be ok due to the swelling i still have, but as far as pain goes, it’s not bad. I only have pain first thing in the morning now. It has been rough, I’m not saying it was easy but I’m trying to look at the light at the end of thetunnel
Hi Crystal,
I had my surgery on this past Monday April 22, 2013. It has now been 6 days since the surgery, and I’m starting to feel some releaf. I’m due to return to work on this comming Monday, but my husband had to contact my supervisor to request an additional week off. I do deal with the public a lot; answering phone calls as well as communicating with other employees. My supervisour had requested me to take aleast two weeks off to recover, I glad I took her advice. My suggestion to the adults who are planning to have a tonsillectomy, take at least two weeks to recover. I’m still having problems eating, but I’m sure it will get better as time goes by. Hope this helps!
Soo April 17th was my surgery, i am 25 and i would say fairly healthy all n all. I also heard that I’d be able to work with in 2 or 3 days from people who got theirs removed before…….. Load of crap, later i find out its because they got them out as kids.
Anyway
The mornings are the worst like waking up with the worst cotton mouth along with some one tattooing the inside of ur neck…. Over all I’ve read a lot of the other posts and to some degree they r accurate , It hurts to swallow ANYTHING so i turned to soups and liquids , problem with this is i been getting the worst acid reflex and indigestion that chain react burps/hiccups with a vengeance/puking – all excruciatingly painful….mostly from tomato based soups, that stopped shorty after realizing…
More recently I’ve been getting more of a burning sensation far worse than beginning post op which is making it difficult to indulge in cold or sweet foods as it burns further. Im hoping this is to do with the scabs falling off although i have yet to see any come out
…..
Now for the positive….
Tho im still in pain with a lot of the same symptoms as the rest I’ve been tapering off the pain meds and training myself not run to them first sign of pain…
Breathing is still difficult at times especially when im lying on my back or my upper body is up side down but yesterday i did 20 min of yoga. At first it was very difficult cuz my body kept wanting to take lil short breathes to minimize the pain but i calmed n took deep slow ones; by the end i could defiantly feel my body and mind much more relaxed
I’ve finally moved up to eating pasta (extremely slow) i have to take small bites and chew it till its a paste that i can painfully choke down and by the end im in more pain but well worth it to get some food in.
I have to watch for some foods because ital build to much mucus and thats another problem in it self, i got a spit cup practically everywhere i go but it helps
As everyone has mentioned if you do not need this surgery dont even bother, it does so much more then just a sore throat
Ear/Headaches equivalent to migraines
Loss of weight in turn lack of nutrition
Mentally and physically draining
And the obv swollen/painful mouth/throat/stomic
Im sure theres more but theres a light at the end of the tunnel i just dont know how long till we reach it
I’m 33 and I am 8 days out of a tonsilectomy. Still on a soup diet. I did get some chocolate boost to help with my intake cause I’ve lost 10lbs in 7 days. Was in the ER on post op day 4 for dehydration. Haven’t taken the pain meds in 3 days because they have me constipated! Went for my one week follow up and I’m not healing so I got an antibiotic shot and actually felt human for the first time today :/ Very frustrated, hungry, in pain…. Go back to work on the 28th on light duty. This is probably been the worst recovery ever!
I’m 19 years old and I got my tonsils removed on April 16th and I’m due back to both my retail jobs on the 29th…. as of right now this seems unimaginable. 6 days in and I’m so sick of not being able to eat anything with flavor. Or anything for that matter. Needless to say, I am a total emotional wreck. Woke up from surgery in VERY mild pain, and I mean a 2 on the scale just confused. The ear jaw and throat pain are killing me. I can’t sleep at night, I broke down in tears earlier yesterday because my throat was bleeding last night and eating and drinking anything warm or cold burned. Plus the liquid vicadin felt like someone poured acid down my throat. I’ve thrown up 2 times both were mostly mucus but last time was a pill chopped and plugged into jello bits, so discouraging and my family will not leave me alone, everyone wants to visit conveniently when I finally want to sleep. Anyway better feel my full self by the 29th otherwise my associates will be doing A LOT of extra work. Hopefully I won’t need pain meds by then so I can walk in a straight line.
I had my tosillectomy on Monday the 15…..so today is my 4th day in recovery!!! All that im able to eat is ice-cream & jelly and drinking water. The pain is so bad even my ears are affected. The pain meds only last for about 2 hours……had I known what I know now, I wouldn’t have removed my tonsils.
I am 22 years old and I am day 7 in the recovery process from my tonsillectomy and I feel horrible. The pain meds just stop working after awhile so I’ve been taking Tylenol to ease up the pain. I can’t eat anything more than ice cream and water downed soup. I can’t sleep. My ears hurt so bad (which is normal in the healing process) I just want to pull them off! Im told by day 10 the scabs will start coming off & that I will start feeling better so I’m crossing my fingers!
but don’t let any of these posts scare ya!! EVERYBODY heals differently and some people are more tolerable with pain than others. I have a few adult friends who say their recovery was not NEAR as rough as mine. So, Good Luck to ya & just follow your doctors instructions & STAY HYDRATED!
I have had my tonsils removed on April 8 2013 and I must say I would never had had it done if I knew of the pain I’d be in. I described it to my husband that id rather have 8 more kids with no pain meds. Im a 32 year old woman who is constantly busy with 2 kids and full time job, my time of recover has been very discouraging, I feel that I should of felt better by now, at least enough to go back to work on the 22nd, which im now considering asking for a few more days off. All I eat is water,waterdowned chicken soup,water, some icecream, water, and well, water. I have been told to avoid all citrus foods/drinks and any pasta sauces. only bland foods with no spices, and trust me I sufferd when I have tried to eat them. The pain moved up the back of my head, ears, eyes and nose. Im constantly tired, and fussy since i dont sleep unless i take gravol for an upset tummy. my liquid pain meds run out after 2-3 hrs of taking them. I am not a happy person. I recommend, if you don’t need them out don’t get them out. I just am thankful I dont need to ever do this agin.
I had mine taken out along with part of my thyroid and a cyst on my thyroid on April 10th. Like you , I have three kids and I am suppose to go back to work tomorrow the 22nd. I am so nervous because I am still in pain (especially in my ears). I am a teacher and can’t imagine talking all day! This whole thing started because of the cyst and my doctor wanted to take out my tonsils because of a “spot” on the ct scan. If I had it to do all over again, I wold have opted out of the tonsils and taken my chances with the “spot”!
I’m 25 years old, a stay at home mom to an 8 month old and still decided to get my tonsils removed. I got them removed on April 9th, I am now 8 days post-op and I feel just as horrible as I did when I woke up from surgery. If I would have known recovery would have been this bad I would not have gotten them removed. I was given liquid pain meds that I have to take every 4 hours but they wear off after about 2 so I’m in pain non-stop. Not only am I unable to talk but I can hardly swallow anything so in turn I haven’t been able to eat anything and with only being 8 days post-op I’ve already lost 14 pounds….that’s not normal! I’ve tried eating scrambled eggs the second day home and they did not settle right and came right back up. I’ve also tried mashed potatoes and some alphabet pasta in sauce but it was too painful. I think applesauce and sherbert were the only things I was able to get down a decent amount of. It’s a struggle to even drink water.
I had my tonsils removed on April 10 th. I am now at 5 days post surgery and I must say that I’m not doing too bad. After surgery I was not in too much pain, just a bit sore. I didn’t take the pills they prescribed because the pain was not that bad so I just stick with some Tylenol when really necessary. I am mostly drinking boost drinks and lots of water because it is still pretty difficult to swallow. I did manage to eat a couple of bites of rice but had to stop due to pain. Overall, I would have to say that the amount of pain is way less than the things I was reading. Oh and my ears started feeling like if they have a lot of pressure yesterday( like when you’re plain is landing you get that pain) but it goes away with pain meds.
Also the mornings are the hardest for me because my throat does hurt the most then.
I just had my tonsils removed about 10 hours ago, I’m 21. Honestly the pain when I first woke was horrendous. Since coming home at 530 pm (surgery was at 11am) I’ve had one Percocet. I am able to eat yogurt and cooled off mash potatoes, drinking water however feels worse as its very funny feeling to swallow.
I am 20 years old and now on my 6th day since having the procedure and the pain today is pretty much the worst. The day of the surgery I was still pretty messed up from anesthesia and meds so I slept all day and since it’s been painful swallowing, talking, etc. It’s always much worse after just waking up too, so try and drink as much water as possible before hand and for the first couple days after surgery. My ears have started to feel really full but the doc said that would be normal, I’ve found that after drinking as much water I could stand just sitting in a hot shower/bath helped me feel much better. I’m hoping I will start to feel more relief and less pain since I’m about halfway through typical recovery time.
its awful.for the first 5 days, don’t be a heroin addict either or.have a high tolerance to pain meds cuz it’s constant pain and the medicine will not phase you this is day 5 for me…still awful and still cant eat.
i had my tonsils taken out 4 days ago
day 1 not that bad still hurt but mehh
day 2 was brutal especially night i was up until 4 AM with headaches and jaw pains
day 3 was surprisingly easier not as easy as day 1 but deffinatley not as bad as day2
somebody please tell me what to expect and when i can swallow without discomfert
I am 52 years old and had my tonsils out three weeks ago yesterday. I had chronic inflammation in the part of the tonsil that meets your throat so it could not be seen by looking at it. The left side was much worse than the right. The pathology came back as chronic inflammation and infection. My uvula was also reduced during my surgery. It was painful and unfortunately I didn’t tolerate the pain meds too well. I was awake 24/7 for six days and got dehydrated because I couldn’t make myself get the fluids down…day 3-5 were much worse than the day of surgery or the day after. On the Doctor’s instruction I went to the ER, got an IV drip to re-hydrate, a shot of steroids (VERY helpful) and two injections of morphine. I still didn’t sleep but that got me over the hump. All that said, I’m functioning just fine and working but my throat is still pretty sore, especially on the left side, and feels like a mini balloon/swollen area deep in my throat when I swallow. I’m feeling like I won’t be healed for a least two to three more weeks. I hope it’s not that long but I have to travel for work and I don’t think that’s helping the healing process….and, of course, my age plays a role I’m sure.
Had tonsils and uvula out April 1 2013. 2 weeks before surgery I started taking arnica montana for swelling and brusing to help with healing, because I heard the pain from this surgery would be really bad. I will also continue arnica for 2 more weeks after surgery. I feel like I had a really bad sore throat, and when I swallowed it felt funny. I’m sleeping in a reclinging chair and I had a humidifier in my bedroom. I’ve had worse pain. and discomfort in other surgeries. Take your pain medicine eat lots of icees and soft foods, rest and drink lots of water you will get through it! I started taking tylenol april 7th today april 9th I’m moving arround more and Iam feeling better my throat will probably feel funny for a few more weeks. Good Luck! It sounds worse then it is.
My dad told me that he had his removed in his 20s and assured me that he was back at work the next day
HA!!!!
Bullshit.
Bull!! I’m 29 and had my tonsils removed Friday the 5th! It’s hard to swallow, I wanna see what it looks like in the back of my throat, but can’t cause my mouth won’t open and my tongue is swollen:( my own spit is hard to swallow so I spit alot to save the pain of having to swallow so much! I have to sleep sitting up if not I feel like imma choke on my uvula or my tongue! Another weird thing is: when I drink or eat anything it’s like it’s trying to come outta my nose?? How can I avoid this:( my pain level is bout a 3-4 today!
Sounds like something my Dad would say too lol
I had mine taken out on the 27th, I must say I didn’t know the meaning of pain till I came home. The pain is so horrible that I can’t sleep at night. Went back to the emergency room for a shot and they are much better.
I had a horse wreck a few months ago. I broke my hip. It’s been replaced. It was painful. But doesn’t compare with the PAIN I’ve endured from the tonsillectomy a week ago. I would be completely devastated not for the pain meds.
RB
OMG!!! I am also very reluctant and if a hip replacement is easier than tonssilectomy recovery, I wish that I could opt- out!!! I have heard how incredibly painful it is for adults and Im just shaking my head. SMH… I will let ya’ll know how my recovery/ pain level is, in two weeks. Wish me luck butthe original onset was a pain scale of a Ten!! And I just recovered from spinal surgery. A Fourteen on the one thru ten pain scale.
OMG!!! I am also very reluctant and if a hip replacement is easier than tonssilectomy recovery, I wish that I could opt- out!!! I have heard how incredibly painful it is for adults and Im just shaking my head. SMH… I will let ya’ll know how my recovery/ pain level is, in two weeks. Wish me luck butthe original onset was a pain scale of a Ten!! And I just recovered from spinal surgery. A Fourteen on the one thru ten pain scale.
So i just had my tonsils removed 4 days ago, tried to go as long as i could the day after without pain meds and i can confidently say i could have made it all day, i just did not want to. the pain has not been too bad (i’d say about a 3 out of 10), but maybe that’s due to me not talking and just laying around all day. My experience so far is more weird than anything feeling those stitches in the back of my throat sometimes gets itchy, but i’m 23 years old and like i’ve been saying, the pain is really not all that bad. drink lots of cold liquid, stick to your med regimen get lots of sleep and with the way things are going so far i expect this experience to be over pretty soon. foods i’ve been eating are alot of mashed potatoes (cooled off), cottage cheese, and small slices of cheese. biggest key in eating is to nibble and not chomp. hope this was helpful
Tomorrow I am getting my tonsils removed. My biggest fear is that I will have a hard time breathing due to the swelling from surgery. What have you all experienced as far as that is concerned? I need some major reassurance! I did watch some tonsillectomies being performed on you tube. It doesn’t look too scary! Looks quite painful though after the fact. And once the scabs fall off does your throat go back to being red? That yellow color is just nasty! I hope to hear back soon! Thanks for this site. I’m real glad it is here
I had my tonsils removed on 13 Mar. The first 10 days were painful swallowing, eating, etc. The key thing for me was pain management with meds. I am still not 100% but at least I can swallow and eat food. Ears and throat still hurt but not as bad as days 1-3.
I am having my tonsils out in 2 weeks after reading this I am terrified
Hannah,
I felt the same after reading all the horror stories but the three days worrying about it before the op ended up being far worse than the recovery period. It will be uncomfortable but doesn’t need to be any worse than that. It clearly varies hugely from one individual to another but, as I wrote in my original post on 19/2, my guess is that most people who don’t suffer too much don’t write on the blog. None of the other friends I know who had the op as adults had a really bad time. See that post for further advice….
Good luck!
Nick