Tonsillectomy Recovery Time | How long does it take?

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How long does it take to recover after tonsillectomy?





Tonsillectomy recovery time is unique for each patient. The recovery timeline for children is much shorter than for adults, with seemingly less pain. My own eight year old son was back to his old self in less than a week after his tonsils taken out. This may have fanned the flames of my unreasonable expectations of my own  recovery time as an adult. His was fairly typical of a child his age. Children’s bodies heal faster than adults’ do.

Tonsillectomy Recovery Time

What to expect after tonsil surgery

The timeline for recovery for an adult is a different story. Age matters. In fact, it appears that the older an adult is at the time of their tonsillectomy, the longer the recovery is, in general. Based on my own adult tonsillectomy recovery, and the stories of thousands of my readers, I’d put the average adult tonsillectomy recovery time at approximately 10.43 days. Yes, I’m that good!
Humor aside, ten days seems to be pretty typical. I added the .43 because so many people, myself included, thought they had it licked and went back to work around day ten, only to find they weren’t quite ready. As scabs slough off in second week of recovery, many adults experience a bit of a pain relapse, just as they thought they were almost recovered. This is a really tough period for many. They’ve spent almost two weeks with minimal sleep, minimal nourishment, minimal activity, and lots of pain medicine. It can be downright depressing for adults recovering in this second week.

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I do hear from many adults whose recovery times are closer to a week – perhaps due to my good advice, perhaps due to genetics. It’s hard to say why some adults’ recovery timelines are shorter, and their experiences less traumatic. There are also cases that drag out further. If you’re one of a small minority that requires re-cauterization for bleeding, or don’t take the proper precautions, (many of these are outlined here and in my book), your tonsillectomy recovery time may be as much as three or four weeks. I want to make an important point here- one that I cannot overemphasis: Stay hydrated! Keep drinking fluids! Dehydration is the worst enemy of the tonsillectomy patient.

My advice: ask your employer, your family, your friends, and the rest of the world to give you two weeks for your adult tonsillectomy. You may surprise them, hopefully for the better.

tonsillectomy recovery timeRecovery is unique to each individual- sure.  We know that recovery time for adults is longer, and maybe harder, than 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!I’ve put together a collection of items that I think would be helpful, if not essential, to making tonsillectomy recovery a little more pleasant. Check out the
Tonsillectomy General Store.

-Greg Tooke 

268 comments

  1. Hi I’m 18 years old and just had a T&A on Monday. Lucky enough I’m on Christmas break from university and I was able to request two weeks off of work for recovery. To say this has been the worst experience of my life is an understatement. I was prepared for pain and discomfort..but not this excruciating and unbearable. I was experiencing such pain in my ears neck and throat on Christmas Eve I went to the ER only to have them prescribe me new meds and send me on my way. I’ve hardly ate anything since Monday and when I have it’s been only Popsicles. The Pain meds don’t work and I’ve grown accustomed to just tolerating the pain, it’s more of an annoyance at this point…I’m on day 6 of recovery and feel no end in sight and I don’t know if it’s the pain meds, the isolation or the lack of food, its making me so depressed. I just want it to end. The worst part is this taste in my mouth. I’ve read about a foul taste but no one has seemed to emphasize on it..It is TERRIBLE. The best anaogly would be a rotting decaying dead animal. It’s awful. It’s so strong and pugnant. I don’t know what to do to relieve myself from this pain…. Does anyone have any suggestions? Has anyone else dealt with this? sos

  2. Im on day 7 and im miserable im so hungry and still in so much pain and when I swallow it feels like there is something stuck in my throat and cant swallow it down im thinking its that thing that hangs from the roof of your mouth idk I cant stand cold stuff as ive tried plenty times to eat it but it does nothing for me also hiccups are by far the worst I cried because I had them so bad and btw im 27

  3. tonsils out wed. today is saturday. i’m 61 . jaw aches, teeth ache, ears ache. found that 800 mg ibuphrophen (spelling?) helped a lot…more than percocet, oxy etc.

  4. I just had my tonsils out yesterday, and im looking for a little help/info. Is it normal to choke on thin liquids like water.

    1. Just an update. I cqlled my dr, and they told me to take benadrly. Im allergic to prednisone, so they,couldnt give me that for swelling. By the end of the day, my tongue no longer hung out of my mouth, and i could swallow reasonable things.

      1. Yes, it’s normal to choke a little on fluids initially. It’s important to keep drinking, hard as it may be to swallow. I found that ice chips/pellets were a lifesaver.

        For swelling, use ice packs around the clock. Really helped me.

  5. despite my first 2 days being horrible i am at the end of day 3 and have not felt any pain today other than when i tried to eat a cabbage roll. is this normal to be pain free so early? i think the reason i may be responding so well is because i have been forcing myself to eat and drink. i ate pork steak while crying last night but i think eating real food helps. also gargling salt water is amazing, i am 21 btw

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