Top 10 Tonsillectomy Recovery Tips
Though I’ve added to the initial 10, these are my top tonsillectomy tips for anyone preparing for, or recovering from tonsillectomy surgery:
- Drink cold fluids
- Continue to drink cold fluids
- Drink more cold fluids! This is perhaps the single most important tip to make life easier while speeding up your recovery period.
- Get a good cool air humidifier and run it all the time in the room you’re in. Consider having more than one for the primary rooms you’ll be spending time in.
- Don’t worry about sleep. Forget the normal time convention. Sleep for short intervals, preferably in a recliner. Sleep can be your worst enemy. Sleeping a few hours in a bed usually results in a dry throat that hurts like crazy. It can take almost an hour to get the pain back under control.
- Keep a written log of your medications as you take them. It’s easy to forget what you’ve taken and when. If you would have problems that require help from the doctor, it can come in handy.
- Plan ahead! Stock up on items you’ll need ahead of time for your tonsillectomy recovery.
- Take something with your pain medicine. Carnation Instant Breakfast or Ensure will at least provide a base in your stomach and reduce nausea.
- Drink ice cold liquids!
A few bonus tips for better tonsillectomy recovery time:
- Plan some minor events. Even a simple event like a walk or a bath can take your mind off the discomfort and help your mindset during tonsillectomy recovery
- Chew sugarless gum. When pain gets referred to the ears, and it often does, chewing gum can ease the ear pain. It also keeps the swallowing process active, which many believe aids in tonsillectomy recovery. A warm compress on the area can also relieve ear pain.
- Ice! Whether it’s a high-tech ice bag or a bag of frozen peas, applying ice directly to the throat and neck is a great way to reduce inflammation and take the edge off of break-through pain. (thanks Kate!)
- Those are my top tonsillectomy tips. For a detailed daily checklist, check out my upcoming book.
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 Recovery General Store.
Some Extra Tips – After Tonsils are removed:
- It’s REALLY important that you drink. I know it’s almost impossible at times, but you must. A trick I used was to use Cloraseptic (sp?) numbing spray. (There’s also a lollipop your doc or pharmacist might know of)- to numb the throat a bit. Then I’d take the medicine. Once the meds kicked in (1/2 hour?), then I’d try to eat. My favorite foods at first were Jell-o and creamed soups. (sweet potato or broccoli by V-8 were good)
- You must keep drinking it helps your throat heal and keeps you hydrated. One gal, a nurse, said she went to an emergency room and demanded IV fluids. Wow! Maybe not such a bad idea!
-Greg Tooke My short bio
Hey greg, I found that waffles feel amazing! Just toast them butter them down and then microwave them to make them soft. It not only gives flavor, buts it’s also a change from liquid. I just had my surgery on oct. 15th and as long as I keep an ice pack and waTeresa and pain meds I’m fine. I just hope these next few days go this well. Any other tips? I have the numbing spray for my tongue which is probaly the worst pain I’ve had since the ssurgery.
Water, and I’m 18
I have a tonsillectomy scheduled for tomorrow and i have been reading every website and every comment from people who went through the recovery and i am TERRIFIED!! I always thought I was a pretty tough chic…3 kids via natural child birth and I am a goalie in a womens hockey league and have a high tolerance for pain, but this pain sounds worse than anything I could imagine. It seems that the best avenue for quicker recovery is drink drink drink all day and night. Sleep reclined. Get a cool mist humidifier. Ice the area as much as you can. I am giving myself 2 weeks to heal does that sound like it is doable?? Even that seems like forever for someone who hates to stop moving and has 3 kids. Any and all advice welcome … I want to cancel the surgery but in the end I know that no more tonsillitis, strep, tonsil stones and abscesses out ways the recovery time for a tonsillectomy.
I am in my early 40s and had my tonsillectomy (actually a UVPPP to treat sleep apnea) on 10/4. These tips above were extremely helpful. Everyone is different, but I was back at work on day 12 and off pain meds. No matter how much it hurt, I kept drinking fluids and sucking on ice chips and popsicles during those first few days. As posted here and on other sites, sleeping is the most challenging. Do not try and be tough. Keep on a religious schedule with the pain meds. Also thoroughly clean your place and stock up on all your supplies before surgery. Being comfortable and having everything ready helped. Good luck!
Thanks Angie! Glad you’re doing well. Please stay in touch. Your wisdom is appreciated.
My Daughter is on to her day 6 after her op ,She is still getting a lot of pain in her ears is this normal .She isn’t talking much do you think her throat will take longer to heal if she isn’t talking
My co-worker and your friend Dawn recommended your site for my review prior to my tonsillectomy on 10/10. I am in the process of preparing my post surgery menu that my husband can then easily execute while I am recovering. I had all of the usual meal suspects on my list like popsicles, smoothies and frozen protein shakes. However, I had the idea of making some homemade pureed (baby food) foods. I like pureed parsnips and cauliflower and so on which I can usually get to a very smooth texture. I was wondering what your thoughts were on this since you know what textures were most delicate on your throat post-op.
Thank you for creating this site! It is very helpful to us pre-op folks.
Hi Melissa, and welcome to the site! First of all, you are much smarter than I was, to be preparing this way. I can tell already that you will fare better than I did. Puree’s are a great idea, as are popsicles. In both cases, avoid anything acidic. You’d be amazed by how many things burn after this surgery. Cauliflower gets the nod. I rarely eat parsnips, so I’m not sure. I really liked broccoli soup as well as sweet potato. Avoid the high-falutin’ popsicles with real juice. Opt instead for cheapo banana and root beer flavors. They are the best!
Best of luck to you. Please stay in touch and say hello to Dawn!
hey melissa.. i too have a tonsillectomy scheduled for Oct 10th. good luck to you!
i hope with as much as i’ve read up on and much needed list of things i will be having by my bed side i will get over this surgery with out much of the severe pain everyone speaks of.
Reply to Suzanne,
Staying hydrated will keep the throat moist and will lessen the pain. I have had very little throat pain and I attribute that to staying hydrated. It is extremely important. Good luck to you.