Tonsillectomy in Adults 2019

Cold Method Tonsillectomy Surgery

 Tonsillectomy Adult – What to Expect





Tonsillectomy as an adult is quite different than tonsillectomy for children. The methods employed for tonsillectomy in adults and children are generally the same, (See Tonsillectomy and Adenoidectomy Methods page), and the risks for adults are similar to the risks for children, (See The Tonsillectomy Risks

tonsillectomy podcast
tonsillectomy podcast?

 

Tonsillectomy – Adult Recovery and Risks

Most studies indicate a two to four percent risk of delayed hemorrhage [severe bleeding]. Where tonsillectomy in adults differs most from tonsillectomy in children is in the recovery. Recovery from childhood tonsillectomy generally takes five to seven days. Recovery from  tonsillectomy in adults usually requires at least ten days and more often two weeks.

Before deciding to get an adult tonsillectomy, it’s important to choose a time frame in which you have the time and the support. Recovering over your favorite Holiday might be a good choice in terms of time, (eg holiday leave from work or school), but it may not be a time that people will be available to help you.
The pain associated with adult tonsillectomy recovery, by almost all accounts, is more intense than that experienced by children. Some theorize that children haven’t had as much time without pain as adults and thus their frame of reference is different than adult tonsillectomy patients. Others assume that children may be less able to articulate their discomfort. Having read the accounts of THOUSANDS of adult tonsillectomies in the forum,(See Tonsillectomy Forum page), I can say with some confidence that generally, the younger the patient, the easier the tonsillectomy recovery. There are of course exceptions. I’ve read from many middle aged adults who had a fairly smooth recovery. Perhaps they read up on this website and prepared well. Perhaps they had good genes.  In any case, many time an adult tonsillectomy recovery is better than the horror stories we hear about.

Tonsillectomy Adult
Tonsillectomy in Adults

“If I could recommend one item to buy before tonsillectomy, it would be a humidifier. My readers know how important moist air is to a healing throat. I bought one of these years ago and still use it daily” -Greg



I’d like to take a moment here to make a suggestion. As you read through the people’s accounts in the various chat rooms, message boards, and adult tonsillectomy forums, consider this: People having a harder time, may be more prone to seek out information and share their experience in these venues. Adults experiencing milder tonsillectomy recoveries, might be less apt to be posting. I don’t want to drag Richard Nixon into my website, but this silent majority may be quietly recovering and you’ll never hear from them.
My advice is to research as much as you can, talk with your doctor, talk with your family and friends, and talk with your employer before scheduling your adult tonsillectomy. I wish you all the best.


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.

511 comments

  1. I had mine out six days ago now, i was in a lot of pain but thank god now im on the mend, really now its my left side and ear. Im in agony wafter i have just took my medication but iv found puttin a hot water bottle there helps and once the meds have kicked in i eat and drink as much as i can. Im 17 and not as old as many others but still classed as an adult for getting tonsils out. I hope everyone else makes a recovery 🙂

  2. I’m 45 and am on day 10 in my recovery. I have had nothing but pain. I still cannot eat food. My right side hurts more than my left which I don’t understand because it was my left tonsil that was causing most of my problems. I still had an oversized scarred up adenoid on my left side along with tonsil stones.. But after the surgery it’s my right side that hurts so horribly… and my right ear is killing me. I’m tempted to call the doctor to see if this is normal but don’t want to sound like a whimp.. The liquid pain medication I was given burns like a mother when I take it so I have to blend it with some sort of shake or smoothie and it doesn’t work for very long. I wish it could be numb through the entire recovery. Drinking water is even painful!!! I think I’ve lost 5 or 6 pounds.
    Has anyone had the same issues? Did you find anything to help with the pain?

    1. Hi. Cold ice packs really helped me with ear pain (I have it terribly in both ears). I even sleep with a slim ice packs on my jaw (similar to the ones you get from chemists to help with wisdom teeth recovery). Seems to take down the swelling dramatically at night and has let me sleep through 3 hours at a time now before the ice pack has melted and I need another one. Also chewing gum helps with ear pain (so I have been told). I have been chewing gum religiously for the last few days but because the ice packs have worked so dramatically, I can’t definitively say that gum works. Hope this helps (I am also 45 years old and on day 7 – but scabs have gone and I am only taking meds at night now due to the ear pain (they don’t seem to touch it, but the ice packs do / or both together is bliss)

    2. Yea i am in day 12 of recovery i hsd the same thing with my pain meds to i mix mine with alittle apple juice just enough to stop it burning me

  3. Day 3 (2nd night of recovery) of Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (tonsillectomy, soft palate/uvula and tongue- size reduction at the base). This is step two for my Sleep Apnea (several). Very heavy man, 6′ 1/2″ and 290#’s. The biggest problem is pan meds wearing off and being able to swallow completely (and not shoot it out of my nose). So, I’m pretty typical it sounds like. To my surprise I’ve been able to talk pretty good and pain free. I’m wondering if I’m pushing it through. The night after the surgery I spent in the hospital and they prompted me almost straight up. While I had the pain med pump and liquid norco every 4 hours I only managed about 3 hrs of total sleep if that. The pain pump was every 8 mins.

    Oh, 6 weeks ago I had surgery for nasal valve repair and turbanite reduction to open up my nasal passages. After this surgery (5 hr outpatient surgery) I was given Norco (10mg of hydrocodon and 325mg of acetaminophen) to be taken every 4 hrs if needed. Now, the nasal valve repair required a tiny anchor under each eye and a suture from it under the skin to cartilage and back to the anchor. This caused extensive bruising under the eyes but little pain.

    So, last night (and for a couple of naps during the day) I slept with 4 pillows and seemed ok except for constantly having the combination of dry mouth/lips, sensation of drool in the back of my mouth and irritation/pain from my palate/tonsil area. In the morning I noticed my shoulders hurting from the sleeping in the upright position. All I had to eat yesterday (after night 1 of recovery) was a little bowl of jello and some tea. I had to be able to eat this and urinate to leave the hospital. I managed to eat half of a large McDonalds Orange shake and 2 jello snacks with a decent amt of water. Zip on the protein.

    Sorry for the hodge podge rambling. I’ll try to collect my thoughts better in future posts.

    Thanks,

    Chuck

  4. Although there is only a 2 to 4% of hemorrhaging in adults, I unfortunately was one of those. I almost died and I was not expected to survive, but I did. I had mine out at 25. Now my daughter who is 20 just had hers out on May 11th. I am very nervous and apprehensive about her surgery but hopefully she will not make it in those percentiles. I keep hoping and praying that she won’t have to endure what I went through.

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