I got my tonsils taken out in May of 2010, right before I started grad school. I was 27 and scared to death!! I had read LOTS of horror stories about recovery and bleeding and it just sounded awful. Especially since having your tonsils taken out as an adult is supposed to be a lot worse. However, for years previous I had been battling tonsillitis and strep throat on an almost monthly basis.
When I went to see the doctor in April of 2010 he said it was one of the worst cases he had ever seen. I couldn’t eat anything and could barely even swallow tea because I was so swollen. I bit the bullet and got the surgery and am SOO glad that I did. Recovery wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be. The doctor said that it would take me at least 2 weeks to get “back to normal”, but after a week I was at a baseball game, eating normal food, and having no problems. (I did find out, however, that martini’s are not good for a couple of weeks after a tonsillectomy. Like rubbing alcohol, ouch!!) Since then I have not gotten strep throat ONCE, and am surrounded by children/germ factories all day.
If you’re contemplating having this surgery done I say do it sooner rather than later. Plan on not being “normal” for at least two weeks, but it may take less time than that. You need to have someone stay with you for 24 hours after surgery. DRINK WATER. I cannot stress that enough. Otherwise your throat gets dry and PAINFUL.