After Tonsillectomy – When do scabs fall off?
One of the most common questions I get from tonsillectomy patients is about scabs. In particular, people want to know whether their throat looks normal. Some folks get downright obsessed with their tonsillectomy scabs. It’s almost like loosing a tooth- the tongue just can’t seem to stop exploring the new space created. And so it is for patients recovering from tonsillectomy. I personally never cared to look back there, but I think I was the exception.
I’ve seen many tonsillectomy scab pictures. Everyone heals differently. Sometimes the scabs are white, like the ones shown here. Sometimes they take on a more greenish color. It’s also quite common for the uvula to swell considerably, especially in the first few days following tonsillectomy. All of this makes it difficult to swallow, but it also makes it very important to swallow. Using those throat muscles helps speed recovery. Drinking cold liquids and sucking on ice cools the tissues and reduces inflammation. That’s two wins!
With special thanks to the young lady who contributed these tonsillectomy scab pictures, I present the following: One example of how the throat can look on day 1, day 2, day 3, day 4, day 5, day 6, and day 7, post tonsillectomy. Feel free to comment or ask questions at the bottom of the page.
Usually between days seven and ten, it’s common to see tonsillectomy scabs falling off. As the tonsillectomy scabs are coming off, some bleeding is common. Gargling with cold water will usually stop the bleed. If it does not, seek medical attention. I’ve read that about 5% of tonsillectomy patients have bleeds that require treatment. It usually happens in the first day or as tonsillectomy scabs coming off tear the tissue. Don’t try to “help the process along,” by poking at or rubbing the scabs.
Did you take your own pictures of your tonsillectomy scabs? I’m always trying to add to the resources for other patients. If you have good quality photos of your throat as you recovered from tonsillectomy, connect with me on Facebook: Tonsillectomy Resources Support Group
Thank you!
Take care and stay hydrated!
-Greg Tooke My short bio
Tonsillectomy Scabs- a photo journal:
I’m on day 7 and I’m having lots of ear pain. Just in my right ear. From all the liquid pain meds (liquid vicodin) and not eating very much means I haven’t really gone to the bathroom (#2). It resulted in me waking up at 3am with terrible stomach pain. I got up to get water and I started to get dizzy and started sweating alot. I almost passed out, i had to wake up my parents and I was really scared. I took laxatives and stool softeners and now I’m okay. But I was like really scared, we almost went to the hospital. I would recommend eating a lot of ice cream and like oatmeal. Okay so my throat has these big white scabs and they kind of hurt when I swallow. I hope they go away soon. And the skin in my mouth from where they cut out the tonsils to the front is like stressed. Its red and its almost like its irritated. From this weird stretching feeling I decided to get some ricola cough drops. And that helped a lot.
I am on night 7 of my tonsilectomy! It’s awful and nights are the absolute worst! I also had a deviated septum repaired so breathing through my nose is a huge problem and while I am sleeping my throat dries out in excruciating pain! A few nights I used the humidifier but it’s august ITS HOT!! What else can I do!?!
i had this surgery 5 days ago…and the pain is getting worse and worse!! I thought I was getting better but it’s getting worse. my throat is all yellow and white..is that the scab? a coughed up a little chunk of it yesterday. it looks like it’s peeling off. I don’t know what this is. please help);
Ok so I’m on day 6, and I feel like I want to be in a corner crying everytime I try to talk. My care taker encourages me to get up and talk and drink cold things and try to eat. When really all these things are making it worse !! Is it normal for my medicine to burn my throat ?! Every since day 1-4 it hasn’t burned my throat but it does now. It hurts so bad !! And I just want to sleep all day. And I’ve lost around 8 pounds.
Oh gosh im sorry to hear that! and i realize this was your comment from last year but im on day 11 and ive been having burning since like day 5 or 6! i still can barely eat or drink anything without my throat burning and i still do not have an appetite at all. i ended up throwing up on Day 10 in the morning and i think the scabs came off when i did but now i have a blackish/brownish spot in the back on my throat right under to the right side of my uvula and i have no clue what it is! i see everyones posts and none of them mention burning or anything of whats happening to me. everyone seems to be doing great and eating alot , and i can barely drink or eat anything still
Hi guys,
I’m worried about my scabs coming off. I’ve already felt the searing pain that some describe when their scabs came off but I dont know how to tell and see where they would be coming off because theres no difference in my throat. Also, my uvula is still swollen three times it’s size on day 7, is that normal? All of the pictures I’ve seen shows that it’s not so I’m not sure what to think. Thanks!
It is normal for the uvula to swell during recovery 🙂 I had my tonsils out a couple months ago. Days seven and eight were the worst, but on the start of day nine I felt amazing again! My scabs were actually dark red, and I could see where they were coming off because I coughed up chunks of dark red stuff (which was basically clotted blood, I could see), and then there was a tiny white spot on the patch, but the pain was gone. My TOP TIP: (Especially when the scabs are coming off and you’re in a lot of pain!): Pour icy cold ice water down your throat. It really really helps. Honestly. I tried EVERYTHING when I was in recovery, but this was seriously the best thing by far. Hope this helps!!